Viral TikToks have spread false claims of mass child kidnappings in Virginia and a serial killer in Richmond.

Why it matters: State and local police have said neither claim is true, but the rumors are still straining resources.

State of play: In mid-August, dozens of TikToks saying mass child abductions were happening statewide led Virginia State Police to publicly debunk the claims.

• Days later, singer and Virginia native Chris Brown posted about "all these kids going missing" to his 144 million Instagram followers. The rumor also spread to YouTube and X.

In Richmond, conspiracy TikToks linking a string of homicides to a possible serial killer went viral this spring.

• One creator with nearly 3 million followers had a video viewed more than a million times.

What they're saying: VSP and Richmond police tell Axios they're not investigating a mass kidnapper or a serial killer, respectively.

• The uptick in viral crime rumors over the past year has led VSP to spend "valuable man-hours researching and debunking false claims," says agency spokesperson Robin Lawson.
• Richmond police spokesperson James Mercante tells Axios that investigating unfounded reports has "an impact on staffing and draw[s] resources from other assignments."

A TikTok spokesperson told Axios that the company didn't remove the related videos Axios shared because they were reporting on the theory, not promoting it, which doesn't violate community guidelines.

Between the lines: Many of these videos fall under...

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