Girl Made Up Rape Story, Police Say

A 12-year-old girl who claimed to have been abandoned near Panorama City after being smuggled across the border from Mexico and raped by two men is actually a Los Angeles runaway who made up the story, police said Wednesday.

The girl left for school March 2 and never returned home, police said, leading her guardian to file a missing persons report.

The girl’s original story unraveled under questioning from detectives, said Det. Jesse Alvarado. Los Angeles police initially questioned the girl after a San Fernando Valley woman noticed her sleeping behind businesses in Panorama City.

Alvarado said the girl is in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services pending an investigation of her family situation.