In August 2025, TikTok was flooded with videos claiming that many children were being kidnapped in Virginia. The videos were scary and emotional. Some said there was a “mass kidnapping” happening. Others showed photos of missing children, strange cars, even ice cream trucks out at oddly late times of night. These videos spread quickly, causing many in Virginia to panic upon seeing them. Some videos showed images from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and claimed those missing children were abducted by strangers. Others went further, showing ice cream trucks driving oddly late at night, suggesting they were tied to the kidnappings. People shared the videos with urgent captions, warning others to keep their kids inside. Because so many people saw and believed these videos, public fear grew. Many asked local police to confirm whether there was a mass kidnapper. Some media outlets also jumped in. The alarms caused significant stress, particularly for parents and communities, necessitating a quick response from law enforcement. Virginia state police issued a public statement making it very clear that there is no evidence of mass kidnappings happening in Virginia, and no active investigations into such events. They said the videos were rumors and misleading.
They explained that between August 3 and August 9, 88 children were reported missing in Virginia. But 88 is actually below the state’s average weekly number of 98 missing children in 2025. Most of these cases are runaways, not kidnappings. The police also noted that Virginia reports all missing child cases to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That makes Virginia appear to have more missing child listings compared to states that do not forward every case. Because Virginia is very proactive in reporting, it can look even worse on paper, even when the situation isn’t abnormal. Police also addressed claims about ice cream trucks. Some videos showed ice cream trucks driving late at night or in unusual locations, suggesting that these trucks were being used by criminals. But the Virginia State Police claim that there is no evidence that ice cream trucks are involved in any missing child case. Additionally, Virginia has state alerts like CODI and AMBER alerts for children in danger. Not all missing child cases qualify. In 2025 so far, Virginia has issued 25 CODI alerts and just 2 AMBER alerts, and all of the children involved in those alerts were found. Richmond, the city often named in the viral posts, also saw rumors about a “ serial kidnapper”. Some TikTok videos claimed that a single criminal was taking children in clusters across Richmond and its surroundings.
But Richmond police denied any suspect or active case fitting those claims. They said they found no proof supporting a serial kidnapper narrative. Because the rumors were strong and spread so fast, the police and the missing children organizations handled many calls from worried citizens. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also commented. Its vice president, John Bischoff, said that social media rumors blossom once they spread, even when they are false. He encouraged people to rely on trusted sources. This entire event demonstrates how quickly misinformation can cause panic. What started as a few viral TikToks turned into state police needing to issue clarifications. It also shows that statistics without context can be misleading, and that rumors linking ice cream trucks or “ serial kidnappers” to missing children don’t match verified evidence.
