Polygamist Tip-Off Traced to Hoaxer's Phone

Some of the dramatic calls thought to be from an abused teen that sparked a raid on a Texas polygamist ranch have been traced to a cell phone number previously used by a well-known hoaxer, the Denver Post reports. Court documents reveal that the 33-year-old woman has a history of making phony calls to crisis hotlines, claiming to be an abused teen.

Police did not find the teen among the 437 children they seized in the raid. The hoaxer is currently out on bail in a separate case in which she claimed to be a teenage girl locked in a basement. Officials insist that even if the original phone calls turn out to have been hoaxes, it will not affect their investigation. (More Yearning for Zion ranch stories.)