Nassau sheriff says teens disappeared for days as part of a social media challenge

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office believes teenagers are deliberately disappearing for days to earn praise online.

Right now, deputies are searching for 15-year-old Natalie Neaves.

Her mother, Shelley Neaves, believes she may be taking part in the so-called "48-hour challenge."

“I don’t know if I’m going to find her in a ditch, I don’t know if I’m going to get a call that she’s at the morgue, so it’s not funny, and it’s not worth it to your family and people that love you,” Neaves said.

Neaves said what's even more disturbing is that there's a chance her daughter is doing this for fun.
Two other West Nassau High School teens disappeared this week.

Sheriff Bill Leeper believes the two were participating in the "48-hour challenge."

“Talking to some students at school, they had overheard them talking about this game that has been going around encouraging people to go missing for a couple of days to, I guess, develop some type of point system on social media,” Leeper said.

Walter Spiewak said his granddaughter was involved.

“We were all worried to death,” Spiewak said. “It was scary.”

Neaves said her daughter has never run away from home, and hopes this new trend isn't the reason why.

“[Saturday] will be 48 hours,” Neaves said. “So I’m hoping she comes home, but it’s a sick game if that’s what they’re doing.”

Leeper is hoping the State Attorney’s Office will pursue charges of filing a false police report against those teens.

Cox Media Group