Culpeper law enforcement are searching for answers after a hoax call sent them to a home with a seemingly triple homicide.
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Culpeper law enforcement are searching for answers after a hoax call sent them to a home with a seemingly triple homicide.
On Dec. 29, at approximately 6:17 p.m., the Culpeper County E-911 Center received a non-emergency phone call from an anonymous male subject. The man on the phone alleged that he had just fatally shot three family members at a residence in the 1800 block of Piccadilly Circus, according to a news release from Culpeper Town Police. After a brief conversation with the dispatcher, the caller hung up and did not answer call backs.
The Culpeper Police Department and the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and began coordinating emergency medical services in preparation for the state of the scene.
Once at the residence, officers established a security perimeter and began to evacuate neighbors. The family inside the suspected house were contacted and removed. After the residence was cleared, nothing was found on scene that matched the information provided by the anonymous caller, according to the release.
Culpeper Police detectives conducted interviews and collected evidence, but it appears that this was an incident of “swatting” and that the original call was made from outside of the town of Culpeper.
No information currently indicates that the family at the residence had any involvement, and no one was injured during this incident.
Later that night, similar “swatting” incidents were reported in other Virginia jurisdictions.
Swatting is the criminal act of making fraudulent reports of serious criminal threats or violent situations like bomb threats, hostages or mass shootings with the specific intention of tricking law enforcement into raiding the home or business of somebody who is not actually committing a crime.
“I applaud all of the emergency services involved for their rapid response to a potentially critical incident,” said Culpeper Police Chief Chris Settle. “Swatting attempts are dangerous for everyone involved, including the people whose home was targeted. Unfortunately, this is not our first experience with swatting attempts. However, that experience has prepared our officers to respond in a manner that prioritizes everyone’s safety while confirming that this was a false report. I want to thank our partner agencies who responded that night to assist.”
This is an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact MPO Det. J. Barone at 540-829-5530 or email tips@culpeperva.gov.
Callers who wish to remain anonymous can submit tips by calling Culpeper Crime Solvers at 540-727-0300 or submitting a tip at culpeperpd.org.
