Shavaughn Vaughn told police on Tuesday that her daughter was missing and that she suspected the 10-year-old’s father was hiding her somewhere. The report sparked an eight-hour search in Sacramento, complete with helicopters, the Sacramento Bee reports. In an interview with CBS 13, Vaughn began to cry as she pleaded for her daughter's safe return. “We’re just looking for her to bring her home,” she said. “Please.” Now, however, police say it was all an act. As it turns out, young Laprea Lee was safe and sound at the home of Antwan Holliday, Vaughn’s boyfriend, the whole time, KCRA reports. Vaughn, 43, and Holliday, 44, face felony and misdemeanor charges related to hiding the girl, filing a false police report, and obstructing police.
Police say Vaughn staged the whole thing for revenge because she was upset that her daughter had been dropped off about 15 minutes early after a camping trip with the girl’s father, Don Lee, forcing her to rush home, per CBS. (The girl was dropped off by her grandfather.) Vaughn told police that when she arrived home, Laprea was nowhere to be found, and she accused the girl's father of taking her. Police say a tipster eventually told them that Laprea was with Holliday, leading to the ruse being discovered. (More Sacramento stories.)