A Woodbridge girl scout troop leader’s tale of $1,000 in Girl Scout cookie sales being stolen was debunked by police Wednesday and she has since been fired.

The Woodbridge police said that an “exhaustive investigation into the alleged theft of Girl Scout cookie sale monies has concluded with a finding of insufficient evidence to support the theft allegation as initially reported,” and their investigation was closed.

The troop leader, Jessica Medina, originally told police that an envelope that contained $500 in cash and several checks was left unattended at a table set up by the scouts at the entrance of the Woodbridge Center Mall was swiped between 4:20 p.m. and 4:50 p.m. on Jan. 18, police said in a release Monday.

This week, following the investigation, she changed her story and told police that the money may have been thrown away.

A Facebook post written by Medina following the supposed cookie sale theft stated that a man accompanied by an elderly woman in a walker took the envelope, but police said they interviewed both of them and that they were “eliminated as suspects.”

“Honest to God, the good in my heart wants to truly believe this is a misunderstanding and he simply didn’t know or was aware of what he was doing,” Medina said on Facebook at the time.

A review of surveillance footage and interviews with parents, Girl Scouts and other witnesses who were present during the sale showed that the envelope was never on the table “at any time,” and that the proceeds of the cookie sale were kept in a cash box on the same table, police said.

Later interviews with Medina showed “inconsistencies” with her story including the fact that she told detectives that the stolen funds were not proceeds of the cookie sale and were actually money submitted by the Girl Scouts to pay for future events such as roller skating and a “Daddy-Daughter dance,” police said.

Medina told police that she was planning to deposit the money in a bank when they asked her why she brought it to the mall, officials said.

Following an interview with authorities Tuesday, "Medina agreed with the findings, speculating that perhaps the envelope containing the money was accidentally discarded with the trash as the scouts cleaned up the area,” police said.

A statement by the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey said that they were “surprised and very saddened at the turn of events” and that Medina was fired.

“The Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey expects the highest standards of fiscal responsibility and ethical behavior from our volunteers, in keeping with our mission, our values, and our Girl Scout Promise and Laws,” the statement said. “To that end, GSCNSJ has removed this troop leader from her position as a Girl Scout volunteer.”

The organization said it was working with police and donations will be returned “upon request."

After the story was made public, several people expressed interest in replacing the “stolen” funds including Michael A. Falcon, chief operating officer of the Brain and Spine Institute of New York and New Jersey, who offered to replace the entire amount.

Medina told NJ Advance Media in an email that any donated funds had to be accompanied by a letter to the troop’s fund development department, which would document the receipt of their receipt and “ensure the money is sent to the troop.”

It is not known if any donations were made to the troop.

Girl Scout Multi Level Troop 80062 includes six leaders and 34 girls – Daisies, Brownies, Juniors and Cadettes. The girls range in age from 5 to 12.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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