JOHNSON COUNTY — The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that after an extensive investigation, the alleged attempted child abduction reported late last month in Goreville has been found to be untrue.

Officials say there was no such incident or person of interest. It was a false report. The reporting party is getting the assistance they need.

The sheriff’s office reported that at 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 27, deputies responded to an attempted child abduction on West Collins Street in Goreville.

It was reported that an unknown black male with a shaved head attempted to abduct a 10-year-old girl from her backyard. The report went on to say the child was able to fight the individual off causing them to release her.

Illinois State Police deployed a canine in an attempt to track the subject down. Multiple county and state units responded to the area and searched for the subject.

The sheriff’s office asked those living in the West Collins Street area or in the general area with a camera system to check their footage for anything related to the incident.

Once again, the sheriff’s office says the attempted child abduction in Goreville on Sept. 27 was false.