‘Missing’ woman charged for falsely reporting own murder: cops

A North Carolina woman who was believed to be missing has been arrested after allegedly tricking her friends, family and police into thinking she had been murdered, police said.

Margaret Frances “Maggie” Elizabeth Sweeney, 37, of Franklin, was reported missing on Friday after one of her friends told the Franklin Police Department that she was either going to be killed or already dead.

Sweeney, however, was found safe the next day in a neighboring town, with Sgt. Randy Dula discovering that the missing woman had allegedly made an anonymous third-party tip about her death to her worried friend and the Department of Social Services.

“Sweeney’s actions caused our department, as well as other departments, many hours of work which could have been spent on other matters,” the department said in a statement. “Family, friends, and the community as a whole were also very concerned and worried about Sweeney’s welfare.”

Sweeney was ultimately charged with filing a false report to a police station, falsely reporting a death or serious injury by telephonic communication and obstructing law enforcement officers.

It remains unclear why Sweeney allegedly tried to fake her disappearance and death, with her lashing out at police for posting an update on her case on Facebook.

“Social media has us believing we’re entitled to know about people/situations that have nothing to do with us,” Sweeney wrote in the comments section. “In place of support, we ridicule those that do not answer questions that make them uncomfortable.

“I decide when/what/with whom I confide in. No one for a long time,” she added.

Sweeney declined The Post’s request for comment.

The case is reminiscent of that of Carlee Russell, who threw the community of Hoover, Alabama, into a frenzy last month after allegedly faking her own kidnapping.

The 26-year-old nursing student had made headlines after she vanished on Interstate 459, where she was heard screaming in a call to relatives when supposedly stopping to look for a lost toddler.

Russell, however, turned up days later with a harrowing story of escaping her kidnappers, with police disputing her claims over a string of evidence allegedly showing she was preparing a fake kidnapping.

She was charged with one count of false reporting to law enforcement and one count of falsely reporting an incident.