A Shania Twain fan in upstate New York is in hot water after orchestrating an elaborate kidnapping hoax. The day after Rachael Mattice disappeared from her home on June 23, her silver Jeep was found with the doors open and her phone and purse inside, according to local ABC affiliate News10. The search to find the 24-year-old in the Adirondacks included a huge search party, helicopters, police dogs, and pleas to her favorite childhood pop star, Shania Twain. When Mattice's best friend contacted Twain to ask for her help, the singer posted the following tweets.
I've heard the story of Rachael Mattice & urge anyone with information to come forward to the police & help her return to her family. (1/2)
— Shania Twain (@ShaniaTwain) June 30, 2016
Thinking of you Rachael. (2/2)
— Shania Twain (@ShaniaTwain) June 30, 2016
A few days after the message from her idol, Mattice returned, explaining that a bearded man had kidnapped her and assaulted her in a shed, where she was kept for weeks, News10 reports. Eventually, she said, the man blindfolded her then dropped her off near her parents' home in Johnston, NY. A sketch of the alleged assailant was quickly released before a completely unexpected turn of events: On Friday, police announced Mattice's case was closed — because the entire thing was a hoax!
The Daily Beast pointed out several inconsistencies in Mattice's story, including that the campsite she claimed she was taken to is actually owned by her aunt. State police estimate that the search to bring Mattice home cost the department "deep in the six figures," and involved over 130 police officers, as Albany's Times Union reports. While the local department cannot get its resources back, Mattice could face up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine if found guilty.
Yikes. Sorry, Rachael, but that don't impress us much.