NOT REAL NEWS: A West Virginia mom did not kill a pedophile in attempted rape

A mother did not shoot and kill a “notorious pedophile” attempting to rape her 12-year-old daughter in Morgantown, West Virginia, despite what an article circulating online reports. 

The article claimed the 42-year-old woman shot the assailant in the head after finding the man struggling with her daughter. The story said the 53-year-old sex offender was found dead by police. 

Ed Preston, chief of police for the Morgantown Police Department, told The Associated Press in an email the report is false. He said the photo with the story featured a police car with license plates that were more than 10 years old, and the car’s number “has been out of service for several years.” 

Preston also noted that “ABC News 14” does not exist in that area. 

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This is part of The Associated Press’ ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.

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Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/APFactCheck

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