Meagan McCormic, 22, had the police in a spin on Christmas Eve, when she called in distraught and said her baby boy had gone missing, along with Camille, his French speaking nanny. She not only gave a tearful description of his brown hair, green eyes, single baby tooth, a temporary anchor tattoo on his arm, she even produced a photograph of him in a tiny necktie, his hair twirled into a faux mohawk. She even bought baby clothes, neatly tucked inside a drawer in her bedroom.

A frantic search ensued, but yesterday morning, McCormic's story fell apart, when she confessed to the Miami police that neither Riley nor his nanny existed, and that she had never given birth, having miscarried in March.

Apparently, the abduction report was an elaborate hoax, hoping to lure her former boyfriend from Massachusetts to Miami , in a bid to affect a reconciliation. McCormic is under arrest, charged with misdemeanor for filing a false police report and is being held at the Women's Detention Centre on a $500 bail.

Police became wary of McCormic's story when she could not give them the nanny's last name or address. After noticing numerous discrepancies in her statement, they confronted her and she confessed to finding the little boy's picture on the Internet. After estimating the expense of a search that involved 20-police officers and detectives, the police are considering demanding reimbursement from McCormic.