Caden Speight, Marion County, Florida Teen, Arrested After Faking His Own Abduction by ‘Hispanic Men’ Following Texts Claiming He’d Been Shot

A 17-year-old Marion County, Florida teen, Caden Speight, has been arrested for staging his own abduction last month after texting his mother that he had been kidnapped and shot by four Hispanic men.

According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Speight was charged Tuesday with presenting false evidence, shooting into a conveyance, making a false report of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a minor.

Authorities said that on September 25, Speight texted his mother claiming he had been shot and possibly abducted by four men in a van. Investigators located an abandoned vehicle belonging to him at the site of a reported shooting but soon found the scene inconsistent with his account.

“The initial details that Caden texted to his family were proven to be false — completely made up,” Sheriff Billy Woods said. “We did find evidence of a single gunshot where Caden left his truck, but his claims that he had been shot and abducted were quickly disproven.”

Investigators found a damaged cell phone, drag marks in the dirt, a bullet hole in the windshield, traces of blood, and tire tracks leading away from the truck. Surveillance footage and receipts later showed that Speight had stopped at several stores earlier that day, including a Walmart, where he purchased a bicycle, tent, and sleeping bag.

Further forensic testing revealed that Speight himself had fired the gunshot through the windshield, splattered a mixture of blood in the vehicle, destroyed his phone, and fled the area on a bicycle carrying the camping supplies.

The next day, September 26, 2025, officers from the Williston Police Department found Speight during a call for service at a local address. He was in possession of a handgun and the same bicycle. When questioned, he continued his story but was later found to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg that shattered his femur.

Investigators said the teen had previously expressed a desire to run away from home and had used ChatGPT to search topics such as “how to collect blood without causing pain” and information about Mexican cartels.

Authorities said Speight shot himself in the leg to further his staged abduction before being found safe. He was taken into custody and transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Caden Speight, Marion County, Florida Teen, Arrested After Faking His Own Abduction by ‘Hispanic Men’ Following Texts Claiming He’d Been Shot