Florida Teen’s Bizarre Disappearance Hoax Unraveled: Arrest Shocks Community

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — The 17-year-old, who allegedly fabricated his own disappearance last month after accidentally shooting himself in the leg, has been taken into custody on multiple charges.

On September 25, an Amber Alert was issued for Speight following claims that he had been kidnapped by four men in a van after a shooting incident along SW Highway 484 near SW 128th Avenue in Dunnellon.

However, according to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, the investigation revealed that the narrative Speight communicated to his family was entirely fictitious.

In the latest update provided on Tuesday by the sheriff’s office, authorities confirmed they located the vehicle Speight had been driving at the Dunnellon scene, but the teen was initially missing.

Investigators say there was a bullet hole through the windshield of the car, suspected blood, Speight’s severely damaged cellphone, drag marks in the dirt and bicycle tracks leading away from his truck.

Testing eventually revealed that Speight had fired the shot through the windshield, splattered a mixture of blood in the truck and destroyed his cellphone, according to the sheriff’s office. Then, deputies say he fled the area on the bike with camping supplies he got from Walmart just before reporting the incident.

“While continuing the investigation, detectives additionally learned that Speight had mentioned running away before, and they located ChatGPT searches on his laptop about collecting his blood without causing pain and Mexican cartels,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

On Sept. 26, authorities found Speight on Noble Avenue in Williston, where he had a handgun and the bicycle. Deputies say he “attempted to continue the ruse” and had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg, which shattered his femur and required medical treatment.

Speight was arrested Tuesday and taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice. The sheriff’s office said he now faces presenting false evidence, shooting into a conveyance, making a false report of a crime and possession of a firearm by a minor.