Witness Recants Account Of Peabody Child Abduction

PEABODY, MA — Peabody police said Friday they had closed their investigation into an alleged child abduction earlier this week after the nine-year-old victim recanted his account of the incident. In a statement, the Peabody Police Department declined further comment.

The boy had claimed that a Hispanic man put him into a headlock and tried to drag him into the woods near Swampscott Avenue and Washington Street around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The following day, an account of the incident by the boy's mother was widely circulated on social media. The mother's account implied that she had witnessed the attempted abduction, which she described as "aggressive" and "violent."

Peabody police and school officials issued a warning to parents on Wednesday and increased police presence at schools in the city. On Friday, police said the "thorough" investigation was closed.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).