Police Say 7-Year-Old Girl Didn't Tell Truth About Sexual Assault

The seven-year-old girl who told police that she had been sexually assaulted by four men in Oakland Mills now says that the assault never happened, according to a statement from the Howard County Police Department.

The girl had originally said she was walking home at about 7 p.m. on Oct. 12 through a large, grassy area near the 9600 block of Basket Ring Road. The girl told police that four black men, all with dreadlock hairstyles, grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.

Today, however, the girl told child abuse investigators that there was no assault, according to police.

Detectives investigating the case had noted inconsistencies with the girl's story, police said.

The girl and her family "have been referred to appropriate services for assistance," the police statement said.