# I was kidnapped! No I wasn't! YES I WAS! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 2, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937 "2004-04-02T19:04:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/1 "2004-04-02T19:04:23Z")
Audrey Seiler is full of shit. Police now know that she made the whole thing up. In fact, she **planned** it, researching “Madison Wooded Areas” and “parks” on her computer and looking up extended weather forecasts. Her parents say Audrey doesn’t have a history with mental illness, nor does she have any drug problems. So she’s just an idiot then, right? :rolleyes: [http://wcco.com/topstories/local\_story\_093125848.html](http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_093125848.html) ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/2 "2004-04-02T19:05:35Z")
Oops, that’s not the link I expected it to be. But my cite is a news conference that just finished up on my local station. So there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/3 "2004-04-02T19:13:18Z")
[CNN link](http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/04/02/missing.student/index.html) The Chicago Tribune is less ambiguous: > [@](#): > > “We do not believe there is a suspect at large, period,” Assistant Police Chief Noble Wray said. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/4 "2004-04-02T19:15:38Z")
If she did fake it, what a bitch. Hey Audrey: thanks for making sure that half the country will refuse to believe the next girl who really is kidnapped and raped! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/5 "2004-04-02T19:15:49Z")
Wow! Tawana Brawley flashback! ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/6 "2004-04-02T19:15:58Z")
I pretty much suspected at first when she was found,no information was released about how where and who supposedly did this. That said, Noble Wray is a cool name. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/7 "2004-04-02T19:18:06Z")
2 things suggested to me that she was lying. First, she apparently left her apartment with the door open with her purse and coat inside. Second, she woke up uninjured but still had to be ‘found’ by someone. Not that it couldn’t still be real, but it don’t look good. ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/8 "2004-04-02T19:20:35Z")
And she was seen on videotape purchasing rope, duck tape, cough medicine and several other items at a local store. The same items she told police that had been used against her. Maybe she should have bought a bra, because we are certainly dealing with a boob here folks. We’ve been duped. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/9 "2004-04-02T19:22:26Z")
Not to mention the “fact” that she was “assaulted” in February (who knows if that’s even true anymore? Officer Wray wouldn’t speculate in the press conference) and, according to her friends, she doesn’t go anywhere alone anymore. And the friend who reported her missing said that Audrey would definitely have called if she was going to be late because of that “assault”. Who’s Tawana Brawley? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/10 "2004-04-02T19:27:02Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > Who’s Tawana Brawley? An ugly and sordid [tale](http://www.cnn.com/US/9807/13/brawley.verdict.02/). ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/11 "2004-04-02T19:30:06Z")
My speculation is that she may actually have been attacked in some way the first time - and the resulting “attention” from that incident may have led to a need for continued, more intense attention. They say she’s “surprised” at all the attention generated by her latest disappearance. Who goes missing for four days and is then surprised that there was a lot of concern about it? ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/12 "2004-04-02T19:33:47Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > Who’s Tawana Brawley? [Tawana Brawley](http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id315.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/13 "2004-04-02T19:42:55Z")
> [@vanilla](#): > > That said, Noble Wray is a cool name. Wonder if he’s got a brother named Link? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/14 "2004-04-02T19:43:47Z")
From **Shayna’s** link: > [@](#): > > The question remained: _Why had she lied?_ One hypothesis was that since Tawana had already been grounded on the day she skipped school to visit her ex-boyfriend, she had made up the story of her abduction in order to avoid further punishment. What the fuck is wrong with people? There are talks between local police and the DA’s office about whether or not to charge Audrey with obstruction. I think they should. I also think they should make her issue a public apology and pay back the money spent looking for her. But that’s probably not going to happen. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/15 "2004-04-02T20:01:30Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > There are talks between local police and the DA’s office about whether or not to charge Audrey with obstruction. I think they should. I also think they should make her issue a public apology and pay back the money spent looking for her. But that’s probably not going to happen. :mad: Well, there is a precedent for making a “missing” person pay back the money it cost to look for them. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/16 "2004-04-02T20:26:52Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Wonder if he’s got a brother named Link? Or if he owns a…never mind. There was a movie a bunch of years ago where a bored/boring suburbanite dad fakes being held as a hostage in his own home. Throughout the movie you know he’s gonna get busted. As I watched it I remember this guy’s situation becoming ever more painfully embarrassing and inescapable. I wonder if there was such a point of no return for Ms. Seiler? Whatever her motivation, I’m pretty sure it was not the public humiliation that’s in the mail to her now. Sad it came to this. Irresponsible of her to stage it. She deserves a good spanking. I’ll do it. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/17 "2004-04-02T20:39:32Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > Her parents say Audrey doesn’t have a history with mental illness, nor does she have any drug problems. > > So she’s just an idiot then, right? while she may not have a history, I don’t think we can rule out a mental illness **now.** (Note, that I am **not** suggesting that she **has** one, or that if she does that it reaches the level of being not responsible for her actions) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/18 "2004-04-02T20:49:34Z")
I cannot, in a million years, imagine putting my parents through THAT. I know when I was that age, I put them through a lot, but THAT?! Even complete strangers. Can you imagine how Dru’s parents feel now? Or how they felt when she turned up? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/19 "2004-04-02T21:04:37Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > What the fuck is wrong with people? Never underestimate the power of stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![StinkPop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@StinkPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StinkPop)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937/20 "2004-04-02T21:08:41Z")
I’m sure the police knew the whole time that she hadn’t been abducted. This was her second suspicious incident. In both cases, she appeared to suffer no harm and the details didn’t add up. Any cop who has made it to detective could figure out that she must be loony. They still had to find her because she was technically “missing”. The cops don’t tell the public what they know until they have sufficient evidence. Remember the Charles Stuart case in Boston (he said a black man shot him and killed his wife)? The cops all knew that Stuart had done the shooting (my neighbor was a state cop at the time and told us the real deal). They couldn’t say anything until they had the proof. They had to make a show of going after Willie Horton even though they knew he had nothing at all to do with the crime. We’ll be hearing more from Audrey. She now has the spectre of public humiliation to add to whatever was troubling her already. She will “prove” that she didn’t make it all up by seriously hurting herself, but of course making it look like she was attacked. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-kidnapped-no-i-wasnt-yes-i-was/237937.md?page=2)