Girl Never Attacked by Intruder: Police

An alleged home invasion that sparked a community-wide alert last week never happened, according to Indian Head Park police.

Police Chief Robert Cervenka said in a statement that the report that a girl was attacked and cut by an intruder with a knife was "not a bona fide incident," the Chicago Tribune reported.

The 12-year-old girl, whose age was not initially released, told police she was home alone when she heard a noise downstairs. When she went to investigate the sound, she reportedly claimed that she came face-to-face with a masked intruder who cut her arm with a knife, police said last week. Police described the wound as superficial.

The frightening report prompted authorities to send out a community alert warning residents to lock their doors and turn on outside lights. Police searches for a suspect came up empty following the incident.

Cervenka met with a group of around 100 residents on Saturday, telling them, "We are investigating this as a bona fide incident," the Tribune reported.

On Tuesday, he reversed that statement, adding that after a thorough investigation, the case had been closed and police would have no further comment.