MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A 17-year-old boy whose disappearance in Marion County on Thursday sparked an Amber Alert has been found safe, according to sheriff’s office.
The teen, Caden Speight, was found “alive and well” on Friday in Williston.
Initial information in the Amber Alert indicated the teen, who was last seen in the 12800 block of SW Highway 484 in Dunnellon, could have been with four Hispanic men and traveling in a van. The sheriff’s office also said it was investigating a reported shooting at the same location from which he was reported missing.
However, sheriff’s officials on Friday said evidence collected during the investigation was “unsupportive” of the initial information.
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“This case came in as quite literally a shock to use and certainly to you and all the citizens here in Marion County and around Florida,” Lt. Paul Bloom said during a Friday news conference.
He said there was evidence of a shooting and that an abandoned vehicle belonging to the teen was found. Detectives learned the boy told a family member that he had possibly been abducted by four men in a van. Caden’s phone was found at the scene.
“What we learned through that investigation ... is that the shooting or the abduction by some folks in a van that was unfounded. We’ve not been able to verify that at all and in fact, confirmed just the opposite,” Bloom said.
According to the sheriff’s office, Caden stopped at a couple of stores prior to the incident, including a Walmart where he purchased a bicycle, tent and sleeping bag.
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Bloom said Caden had left from the Walmart on the bicycle.
The sheriff’s office had search dogs and teams working to locate the teen prior to him being found.
“But we want to look into this and see what the cause is. What was his plan? What was the reason? So as we further that and go deep, a deeper dive on that, we’re going to where we can let you know,” Bloom said.
An investigation is ongoing.