‘Created the Reddit account’: Reporter fabricated abuse claims against parents of missing teen that interfered with search, prosecutors say

The lawsuit of a missing Arizona teen became adjacent much analyzable by the actions of a section newsman who allegedly dispersed false claims astir the boy’s parents, prosecutors said.

Molly K. Ottman, 50, was indicted by a expansive assemblage connected charges of obstruction of a transgression probe and fraudulent schemes, according to a property merchandise by the Navajo County Attorney’s Office. The merchandise stated that the charges came down connected May 6, successful the midst of an probe into missing teenager, Jarrett Brooks, 18, who was last seen connected July 4, 2023 erstwhile helium was 16 years old.

Ottman, who is employed by the section paper Mountain Daily Star, allegedly alerted authorities aft the teen went missing that societal media posts “alluded to intersexual enactment betwixt Brian Brooks and a insignificant child,” per the attorney’s office. Brian Brooks is the begetter of Jarrett Brooks, and Ottman allegedly told constabulary that a Reddit relationship posting those messages belonged to the missing boy’s father.

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According to prosecutors, Ottman contacted the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office astir the posts successful October 2023. Investigators past dedicated their resources to looking into the parents of the missing teen — including a hunt astatine the Brooks household location — and a backstage researcher whom the Brooks’ had employed to assistance them find their son.

Both the prosecutor’s bureau and the sheriff’s bureau yet determined that it was allegedly Ottman herself who was down the Reddit posts that she claimed belonged to Brian Brooks, “having created the Reddit relationship and fraudulent posts.”

Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon stated successful the release, “A 16-year-old lad was missing and each of instrumentality enforcement’s vigor and resources should person been capable to stay focused strictly connected the hunt for that young man. Diverting attention, resources and clip to fabricated grounds creates unwarranted distractions during time-sensitive investigations.”

The State 48 News, a local, online quality outlet, reached retired to Ottman who denied the claims, saying, “It’s perfectly untrue. It volition beryllium a not blameworthy plea and it’s perfectly not true.” She besides told the outlet that she was inactive employed by the Mountain Daily Star.

Ottman covered Jarrett Brooks’ disappearance, writing successful January 2024, “Social media groups person been precise progressive with speculations astir what’s going connected with the Jarrett Brooks case.”

She besides covered and photographed the Brooks’ location portion the hunt warrant was being carried out.

The Daily Mail spoke to Brian Brooks aft Ottman’s indictment was announced, who told the outlet, “We had a sit-down gathering with the sheriff and helium has not erstwhile said he’s sorry.” He besides said that helium is inactive the taxable of unfounded net conspiracy theories.

According to the Daily Mail, the backstage researcher the Brooks household had employed, Harter Investigations, utilized to employment Ottman, until she was “let go.”

The Daily Mail noted that Brian Brooks and his woman Laura Brooks, the missing boy’s mother, person antecedently been convicted of enactment crimes. They were accused of engaging successful intersexual acts successful beforehand of teenage babysitters and giving them intoxicant to get them to articulation them, which the teens denied. Brian Brooks was subsequently jailed and mislaid his occupation arsenic the section occurrence chief, portion Laura Brooks pleaded blameworthy to 3 counts and was besides jailed, though her clip down bars was punctuated by weekdays astatine work.

Jarrett Brooks was past seen connected the greeting of July 4, 2023. According to prosecutors, helium was reported arsenic a runaway aft his parents grounded him.