Runaway teen apologizes for telling lie

A teenaged girl who ran away last week and then told police she had been abducted has issued a public apology. In a press release today, 14-year-old Karen Williams explained why she left home, told where she was during her four-day disappearance and why she felt she had to lie about being kidnapped. Williams says she felt like no one in her family loved her and she was frustrated at school, so she decided to run away. She went to a friend’s house, staying there until Thursday although her friend tried to get her to go home. After that, she went to find her sister in Corozal and when she wasn’t home, Karen told her story of being abducted by three men to her brother-in-law, who then called her mother. She says when they all went to the police she continued to lie because she didn’t want to go back home. She says she was not abducted, raped or molested in any way and realizes now that telling a story was not the right thing to do with “all the things happening with young girls today.” Karen says she would like to apologize to her family, her friends, the police and everyone in the community who were worried about her. She is currently staying with Sheila Gabb.