Woman, 23, is arrested for faking her own disappearance
A Pennsylvania woman who was feared missing has been arrested after allegedly faking her disappearance when it was revealed she would not be graduating this year.
Chloe Stein, 23, was last heard from Monday when she texted her boyfriend to claim she had been pulled over by police on a deserted road.
She was reported missing the next day when her Volkswagen Beetle was found with her mobile phone inside. Over the next 20 hours, authorities spent “tens of thousands of dollars” searching for the woman.
Stein was found safe Tuesday night and had a wild story to tell about being held at gunpoint before being released. But Pennsylvania state police said the evidence was consistent, and Stein then admitted fabricating the entire story.
Stein was charged with making false reports, false alarms to public safety agencies, obstruction of justice and disorderly conduct. She was charged Wednesday morning and will appear in court again on May 25 for a preliminary hearing.
Chloe Stein, 23, of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, has been arrested after allegedly faking her own disappearance when it was revealed she would not be graduating this year
Limani said Stein is believed to have faked her disappearance because even though her friends were looking forward to graduation, she was the only one who knew she wouldn’t be joining them.
At a Tuesday night press conference, Trooper Steve Limani announced that Stein had been found in the house of an acquaintance in Jeannette.
Limani explained that there was no report of Stein being apprehended and it was believed that Stein ditched her car Monday night after texting her boyfriend and then walked to Jeannette’s residence, where she remained until Tuesday night, according to a tip-off received by the police.
When Stein was found, she told police about her alleged abduction.
“She was released after being held at gunpoint and half assaulted, shall we call it, and tied up,” said Limani. So then she was released and dropped off near an alley near her home. Of course, because that’s what anyone would do.’
Researchers confronted Stein about her story and how the evidence was wrong, leading to Stein admitting she fabricated the ordeal, according to the indictment.
“Video evidence, mobile evidence and information obtained during interviews concluded that Stein fabricated the incident,” troopers wrote in the indictment.
“When questioned further about the inconsistencies, Stein admitted that she had made up all the information related to the incident.”
Trooper Steve Limani said there was no report of Stein being apprehended and that she was thought to have dumped her car on Monday after texting her boyfriend and then walked to the Jeannette residence, where she remained until Tuesday evening.
Limani (pictured) said police confronted Stein about her story and how the evidence was wrong, leading to Stein admitting she fabricated the ordeal
“The way it was described to us is that the garage is behind her house and that’s where she was most of the time,” Limani said.
Limani said Stein is believed to have faked her disappearance because while her friends and classmates looked forward to graduation, she was the only one who knew she wouldn’t be a part of it.
Stein’s mother told police she would graduate from Penn State Greater Allegheny this weekend, but a college official confirmed that Stein had not attended school in over a year.
“The situation at the university was a driving force, probably the main driving force for the whole scenario,” said Limani.
State police held the press conference right after locating Stein, wanting to let residents know there was no danger to the community
“The only reason we’re here for tomorrow is so people need to know that there isn’t anyone kidnapping people right now,” Limani said.
“There has never been a police check. There was never a sweater. None of that happened.’
“She recklessly endangered the lives of others and frightened her family and friends,” he added.
Stein’s boyfriend and friends found her abandoned car along Radebaugh Road under the Toll Route 66 bridge, about a mile from the Sonic restaurant. Her phone was found inside
Limani said that after Stein texted her boyfriend on Monday night and then didn’t hear back for hours, her concerned boyfriend and friends went looking for her.
They found her abandoned car along Radebaugh Road under the Toll Route 66 bridge, about a mile from the Sonic restaurant. Her cell phone was found inside.
A passerby would later tell police that they saw the parked vehicle around 11:10 p.m. Monday.
It was determined that Stein ditched her car and walked the three miles back to Jeanette, where she remained until she was located and arrested.
Police spent resources and “tens of thousands of dollars” searching for Stein on Tuesday. They deployed a helicopter in the search and sifted through records in an effort to locate her, Limani said.
Limani also stressed that despite the manpower and money spent, the most important thing is that Stein is alive and safe.
“We were concerned before that we had a criminal investigation that’s possible whatever you want to call it, kidnapping, some kind of assault, who knows what it could have been, so we went from investigating that kind of potential crime to now we’re trying to investigate what this kind of crime is, when you risk causing inconvenience, raising the alarm, alarming a community,” Limani said Tuesday. “I don’t want to miss the point of — at least she’s safe.”
Stein was taken to Westmoreland County Jail in Hempfield, where she was arraigned Wednesday morning.
Stein’s attorney Phil DiLucente released a statement to KDKA TV.
“My client and her family are grateful for everyone’s support and kindness regarding recent events, and so respectfully ask for privacy at this time.”