Virginia State Police have reassured the public that rumors of mass child abductions across the state are untrue, following a wave of viral social media posts that sparked widespread panic.
Social Media Posts Fuel Fear
A series of TikTok videos falsely claimed there was a “mass kidnapping” in Virginia, stoking fears and drawing comparisons to the 2025 horror movie Weapons, in which children go missing, leading to chaos and violence. The panic spread rapidly, especially after several posts went viral on social media.
In response, Virginia State Police issued a statement clarifying the situation: “Virginia State Police is not investigating any reports of mass abductions in Virginia, nor is there evidence of mass abductions occurring in Virginia.”
Addressing the Reality of Missing Children in Virginia
While Virginia does report a higher number of missing children than other states, police emphasized that this is due to the state’s proactive reporting system with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
The agency explained that Virginia actively sends missing child cases to NCMEC’s website, helping increase the visibility of such cases.
During the week of Aug. 3 to Aug. 9, when many of the viral posts surfaced, 88 children were reported missing. This figure was lower than the weekly average of 98 in 2025, according to the police.
Actual Statistics on Missing Children
Since the start of the year, 3,274 children have been reported missing in Virginia, with the majority of cases involving runaways. Only 4% of those children remain missing. In 2025, two AMBER Alerts were issued by Virginia State Police, and both children were safely recovered.
Virginia State Police urged the public to disregard unfounded rumors and continue to rely on official sources for accurate information.
