MURFREESBORO, TN — A viral Facebook post claiming a downtown Murfreesboro incident was linked to sex trafficking or theft has been confirmed as false by local authorities. Murfreesboro Police Public Information Officer Larry Flowers clarified on Wednesday that no crime was committed, despite the alarming claims made in the social media post.
The original post described a downtown encounter in which a woman noticed a baby shoe on her car after hearing her car alarm. She suggested the shoe might be a marking indicating that she or her car were a target for sex trafficking or vehicle theft.
According to the story, when the female made a phone call to Murfreesboro Police, the woman and her friend were approached by a man who allegedly acted inappropriately and even pulled down his pants, “...to do Lord knows what,” while the man continued to watch them. However, MPD investigations reveal a very different version of events.
“This information is absolutely false,” stated Flowers. He even confirmed with one of the responding officers that the shoe in question was actually placed on the car by a woman, as opposed to the man in the picture that was attached with the post. WGNS was even told by the MPD, “One of the individuals reporting the incident acknowledges the fact that a local business owner told her that a woman placed the shoe on the car.” Of course, that is contrary to the narrative shared in the post on Tuesday.
As for the man described in the post, police identified him as a known homeless individual often seen in the downtown area. Police emphasized that he did not expose himself, as claimed in the post. Flowers noted that no criminal activity occurred, therefore, no incident report was filed.
Authorities stressed that this was "definitely not a case of sex trafficking," and police debunked the suggestion that the shoe was linked to any criminal marking or scheme. And again, the shoe that hit the home run for the fear-mongering story, was the same shoe that was allegedly placed on the car by a woman, as noted by a business owner.
In light of the situation, Murfreesboro Police are asking residents NOT to share the post, as it is clearly misinformation. Spreading false narratives not only causes unnecessary panic, but can blatantly harm individuals, like the homeless man in this case who was mischaracterized by the information shared on social media.
The incident serves as a reminder to verify information before sharing it online. And as always, police encourage residents to report suspicious activity directly to authorities - instead of relying on social media posts, which can quickly spiral into fear-inducing inaccuracies. Scroll down to see what Murfreesboro Police released (in yellow box below).
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
