Virginia State Police say they are not investigating any mass abductions despite viral rumors

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia State Police said they have no evidence of mass abductions as of the time of reporting, despite multiple social media posts about missing children in the state.

State police announced on Wednesday, Aug. 13, that they are not investigating any reports of mass abductions and that there is no evidence of mass abductions in the Commonwealth.

Authorities pointed toward multiple statements about missing children in Virginia’s Missing Posters search results on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) website.

State police said Virginia is the most proactive in sending cases to their website, but that the state also reports more missing children than other states on the NCMEC website. As a result, state police emphasized that they forward every case to NCMEC to have them in one location.

They said, from Aug. 3 to 9, 88 children were reported missing to the Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse (MCC). The 2025 weekly average of missing children in Virginia is 98, per a release.

Since January, a total of 3,274 children have been reported missing to the MCC, and of those, 141 as of 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 13, about 4% are still missing.

Data further revealed that police issued 25 CODI Alerts this year as of the time of reporting, and all were found.

State police said most of the children reported missing are runaways and return shortly after being reported missing.

Authorities recommend tips for parents to keep their children safe. This includes practicing 9-1-1 calls, ensuring that children do not accept rides from strangers and not trusting a stranger who suggests they go off alone. They also advise families to tell their child to let them know if another adult suggests keeping secrets and never leaving their child alone in the car.

Anyone with information about a missing child can contact 804-674-2000 or 804-674-2026 after business hours, or email VAMissing@vsp.virginia.gov.