A reported carjacking that prompted a multi-agency investigation across several counties and states has turned out to be fabricated, according to the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department.
At approximately 1:43 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, deputies and investigators responded to Highway 18 near Mohr Road, just south of Brandon, after Marlena Druscilla Carter reported she had been carjacked. Carter claimed her vehicle had broken down and that two men stopped to help her before allegedly stealing her car and fleeing the area.
A BOLO was issued across Rankin, Smith, and Simpson counties, and law enforcement reviewed traffic cameras near the scene, but Carter’s vehicle was nowhere to be found. Investigators later contacted the vehicle manufacturer and were able to trace the car’s location—revealing it had been in Bellflower, California, for an extended period of time, disproving Carter’s account.
With help from the California Highway Patrol, authorities were able to locate and recover the vehicle. It had been parked in Bellflower, CA, and was not recently stolen as Carter claimed.
Marlena Druscilla Carter has been charged with felony Fraudulent Statements and Representations. She is currently being held at the Rankin County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.
The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department emphasized the importance of using investigative resources wisely and warned against filing false reports.
