Franklin Police Arrest 37-Year-Old Woman for Faking Her Own Murder

A 37-year-old North Carolina woman was arrested Monday after allegedly faking her own murder, police said.

Margaret Frances Elizabeth Sweeney, who also goes by Maggie, 37, allegedly “made anonymous third-party false reports” to both a friend and the Department of Social Services last Friday, claiming she had been murdered, the Franklin Police Department said in a Facebook post.

Sweeney was arrested on Monday for false report to a police station, false report of death or serious injury by telephonic communication and obstructing law enforcement officers. Officers found Sweeney on Saturday in a nearby town, and arrested her two days later.

The Franklin Police Department issued an alert on Friday asking for help in locating a woman with brown hair and brown eyes, which was when Sweeney was first reported missing.

The police said in a statement that Sweeney’s alleged actions “caused our department, as well as other departments, many hours of work which could have been spent on other matters.” They condemned her alleged actions for distracting police from other duties.