Family of missing Douglas County man targeted in $10K extortion scheme
Chris McKoy, a rideshare driver from Douglas County, has been missing since Jan. 7.
His family says they've been extorted for $10,000 by someone claiming to have information about him.
The extortion attempt was made using the phone number listed on the missing person flyer, with the caller warning that McKoy's father didn't know what his son was involved in.
Bernard McKoy, Chris's father, provided the Douglas County Sheriff's Department with text messages from the extortionist, which were in both English and Spanish.
The McKoy family remains hopeful but acknowledges that the extortion attempt has added emotional strain and distraction to their search efforts.
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - The family of a missing Douglas County man says it has been extorted, and the incident is under investigation by authorities.
What we know
Chris McKoy has been missing for three weeks.
His father believes someone used the telephone number on the missing person flyer to contact him with a demand for $10,000 for information about his son.
What they're saying
"He ( the caller) said, 'You don't know what your son is into. If you want to see your son again,' he wants $10,000," Bernard McKoy said. "I don't have $10,000."
McKoy shared the series of text messages he has received, which were in a mix of English and Spanish, to the Douglas County Sheriff's Department.
"It's just crazy how some of these people trying to prey on other people's grief," exclaimed McKoy.
The backstory
After a reported accident in Gwinnett County, Chris McKoy, a rideshare driver, told his mother he couldn't pick up his son from school, and his ex-wife should instead.
The 6-feet-2-inch tall and 175-pound man has not been seen since Jan. 7.
McKoy's family found his missing car more than a week later near a Norcross elementary school.
What's next
The McKoy's are holding onto hope that their son will be found alive. However, they say incidents like this make it so much tougher.
"You begin to doubt. These people just distract your focus, take away from your drive," lamented McKoy. "Let's find our son and bring him home."
The Source
FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Kevyn Stewart has been closely following the disappearance of Chris McKoy since mid-January. Stewart interviewed Chris' father, Bernard McKoy, for this article. McKoy showed Stewart copies of the threatening texts in Spanish that he has shared with the Gwinnett County police.
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