Originally posted Feb. 26 at 10:47 a.m.
Last updated Feb. 26 at 5:55 p.m.
An incident that began in Waldoboro the night of Feb. 25 and ended in Augusta may not be a kidnapping as was originally reported to police, but Waldoboro Police Officer Larry Hesseltine doesn’t believe it was a hoax.
According to Hesseltine, Karena Parker, 37, of Waldoboro, called 911 at 6:38 a.m. Feb. 26 and reported that she and her young son had been kidnapped from Waldoboro.
Augusta Police Department responded, and the Augusta Police Department, the Waldoboro Police Department, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office were working on the case throughout the morning.
As of 5:40 p.m., Hesseltine said both Parker and her son were alright and home with family.
Augusta Police spokesman Lt. Christopher Massey told The Lincoln County News shortly before 1 p.m. his department had concluded its role in the investigation and turned over its findings to the Waldoboro police and the LCSO.
“Details at this time suggest that [the kidnapping] did not occur,” but other crimes involving illegal drugs may have, Massey told the Kennebec Journal. No one was injured, he said.
Hesseltine, the lead in the investigation, is still trying to ferret out the facts of the case.
“I don’t think it’s a hoax. I don’t think she made it up. Something happened, we just don’t have all the facts yet as to what exactly happened,” he said.
Police are looking for two black men in connection with the case but their identities are unknown, Hesseltine said. “We have nicknames,” he said.
A female connected to the case is known to the police, but has thus far been uncooperative, Hesseltine said.
The Lincoln County News will continue to follow this story.
Correction: an earlier edition of this article misstated the date of the alleged kidnapping.
