Last May, police in the French village of St. Gervais came across a young boy who was hiding. When they asked why he was hiding, the boy launched into a story of how he had been abducted by a stranger in the nearby town of Bagnois and had only just managed to escape. As The Local reports, it wouldn’t be until after police officers launched a full investigation that they realized the 12-year-old hadn’t actually been kidnapped. He was just trying to skip out on a trip to the dentist.

(Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

The Local, relaying a report in the French newspaper Midi Libre, writes that that the boy gave a detailed description of the supposed kidnapper, down to his height and wardrobe. The child also described the car that the suspect was driving. He told police that he had been on his way to his dental appointment when a stranger forced him into his car and sped off.

Police, taking the boy’s word for it, began investigating the matter and spent an entire month on the case before coming to a realization: the boy’s story didn’t add up. When they pressed the 12-year-old on it, he finally admitted his story was complete fiction and that, in reality, he was just skipping out on a trip to the dentist. The Local didn’t mention why he was by himself on the way to his appointment at the time, and there was no mention as to how the parents reacted to these events.

More info: The Local