Police in Wisconsin say a disturbing YouTube video investigated for clues into the 2009 disappearance of a missing teenage girl is fake.
Investigators "identified the video producer/camera man, actor and actress in the video," the Antigo police said in a statement, adding that that the department, "has been able to identify that this video is 100 percent fake."
The video, titled “Hi Walter! I got a new gf today!” was posted in 2009 and had gone relatively unnoticed until recently. The viral video captured the attention of the Antigo Police Department before Youtube took it down Tuesday.
Police say some believed the footage was connected to a missing person case from that same year, when 15-year-old Kayla Berg vanished after being dropped off at her boyfriend’s house in Wausau, Wisconsin. The footage was posted two months to the day after Berg went missing.
In the bizarre video, a man is seen talking to the camera, addressing someone named Walter.
“Hi Walter, I was at the mall today and guess what happened? I met the most wonderful girl,” the man starts off saying.
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After that, he describes shopping with the girl before saying, “and then we got kind of tired at the mall and I brought her back to my place.”
“I know she hates cameras, Walter, but I’m going to show you her anyways. You ready?” he says.
The footage then cuts to a scene in what appears to be a basement. The man opens a door to a bathroom where a young woman is seen tied up, crying and screaming.
Antigo police say they are “actively investigating the origin of this video.”
"It's got some similarities and that's enough for us that we need to at least investigate it thoroughly," Chief Eric Roller said.
The video, titled “Hi Walter! It’s me Patrick!” was the only one posted to the YouTube account, hiwalter.
The caption in the profile reads, “My videos to Walter. My friend which can not seem to find me.”
While there are some who say the video is fake or has been debunked, few have offered proof.
Berg’s mother, Hope Sprenger, told a local TV station she believes the girl in the video is her daughter, saying “[it] sounded like her, looked like her, it gave me chills.”
Sprenger said the clothing also looked like what she believes her daughter was wearing when she disappeared, according to WAOW TV.
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The FBI is offering $20,000 for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case.
Editor's Note: Because of the highly disturbing nature of the footage, NBC Chicago and its sister stations have chosen not to embed the video or link to it.
