OCALA, FL — A Florida teenager who triggered a massive search operation and Amber Alert last month by claiming he’d been abducted and shot has been arrested — and investigators now say the entire ordeal was a carefully planned hoax.

Caden Speight, 17, was taken into custody this week after detectives with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) concluded their investigation, according to a statement released Tuesday by the agency.

Speight faces multiple charges, including presenting false evidence, making a false report of a crime, possession of a firearm by a minor, and shooting into a conveyance.

The saga began on the afternoon of September 25, when Speight told a family member — and later texted his mother — claiming he’d been shot and abducted by four armed Hispanic men in a white van while driving along SW Highway 484 in Dunnellon, according to ClickOrlando. “I need help. Being shot at. 4 Hispanics armed, white van, one driver, I’m hit,” he wrote in the message, as reported by WCJB.

That text, coupled with location data from Life360 showing his last known whereabouts, prompted a rapid response from law enforcement. Deputies arrived at the scene to find Speight’s vehicle abandoned. Inside, they found what looked like a crime scene: a bullet hole through the windshield, suspected blood, drag marks in the dirt, a damaged cellphone, and bicycle tire tracks leading away from the truck, the MCSO said in its news release.

Initially, the clues seemed to support Speight’s story — until they didn’t. As Sheriff Billy Woods later put it, “The initial details that Caden texted to his family were proven to be false. Completely made up.” Evidence quickly began to unravel the narrative.

According to investigators, Speight had staged the entire event. Crime scene analysis and further testing determined that he himself had fired the shot through his truck’s windshield. The blood found inside was also planted — a detail that detectives later connected to searches on Speight’s laptop, where they found he had used ChatGPT to look up how to collect blood without causing pain. He had also searched for information about Mexican cartels, officials said.

Sheriff’s officials say Speight’s actions were not impulsive but premeditated. Just before reporting the incident, he was seen on surveillance video at a local Walmart purchasing a bicycle, a tent, and a sleeping bag — camping supplies he would later use to flee the scene. A witness also reported seeing him ride away on a bike shortly after the supposed abduction.

The hoax led to a deployment of extensive law enforcement resources. K-9 units, helicopters, and personnel from multiple agencies joined the overnight search, which ended the following day in Williston. Officers from the Williston Police Department located Speight at 727 W Noble Avenue — with the same bicycle and a handgun still in his possession.

By then, he had gone to further lengths to keep the lie alive. According to the sheriff’s office, Speight shot himself in the leg in what appeared to be a final attempt to make his story believable. The self-inflicted wound shattered his femur and required medical attention. Despite the injury, he continued to claim he’d been abducted.

“He attempted to continue the ruse,” the MCSO stated.

As of Tuesday, Speight had been officially arrested and turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice. His alleged motive remains unclear, but investigators said he had previously mentioned wanting to run away.

The incident has left members of the Dunnellon community reeling. “My first reaction was more sympathy toward the kid,” said Coddy Nagy, a former EMT and father, in an interview with WCJB.

“You know, the cliché prayers go out, I hope he gets home safe.” But after learning the story was fabricated, Nagy said his perspective shifted. “Justice needs to be served because Speight broke the law.”

He also expressed concern about the racial aspect of the false claim, noting that it cast suspicion unfairly. “It draws a different narrative where it’s almost from sympathy to like, okay, now I need to be cautious of the people I encounter.”

Sheriff Woods was blunt in his assessment: “We did find evidence of a single gunshot where Caden left his truck. However, his claims that he had been shot and abducted were quickly disproven.”