A woman in Michigan was arrested for falsifying information that led to a police investigation. The 20-year-old made a false report by claiming that two black men had attempted to assault her. She claimed that this happened while she was on the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail.
Madison Mackenzie Wright, 20, was walking the famous trail alone at midnight on Monday. Wright claimed that’s when she was “confronted by two male subjects who approached her from a wooded area north of the trail.”
Police say woman’s report of attack by 2 men on St. Johns trail was false https://t.co/vmV3VT0u3Z
— Lansing State Journal (@LSJNews) June 13, 2025
She alleged that one of the two men grabbed her while the other swung at her with a pocketknife they had been carrying. She waited for 12 minutes after the alleged attack to call the police. The authorities shared how they tried to search the trail at 1:05 a.m. and found nobody there. This was 45 minutes after the alleged attack happened.
Upon interrogation, Madison described the men to be 6 ft tall and black. She also revealed that they were wearing hooded sweatshirts and black pants. The St. John’s police found out that the woman was lying after they decided to hold a follow-up investigation.
“Always trying to blame our men,” one user wrote after the news broke out. “So much for believing all women,” another added. The police department of St. John’s urged citizens to refrain from believing everything they read on social media.
“Wright also told police the men made attempts to grab her and slash at her with a pocketknife. She described the men as Black, 6-foot tall, thin, wearing black hooded sweatshirts, black pants”. Always trying to blame our men. So much for believing all women😅
— Indestructible (@blm_angie) June 13, 2025
“The St. Johns Police Department would like to assure the community that the safety of the City is a fundamental priority,” the statement said. The statement also addressed how the false report from Wright led to “significant concerns” within the community.
The police department also urged people to rely on the information released by the department. “Which will be distributed in a timely and situationally appropriate manner,” the statement concluded.
After Wright reported the attack, the police department decided to add more patrols to the trail for precaution. The fake incident was blown out of proportion when a Facebook user wrote that her niece’s friend was confronted by “three guys with knives.” The woman also noted that the girl “was lucky and got away but was beat up and very traumatized.”
The Facebook post led to many citizens accusing the police department of concealing information from them. “And we feel so safe in our little town. It can happen anywhere,” one user wrote.
Citizens expressed their disapproval of Wright when they eventually found out that she had lied about the incident. “Can she get additional time added for adding that dash of racism into her false report?” one user inquired.
“Ok, now. Take your guns home, put away the pitchforks and torches, and wait for the real facts till you all want to throw the SJPD under the bus. When something that appears to be serious often it may very well be. Investigations obviously bring out the truth,” another wrote. The same user noted that Wright needed “some help” and hoped that she would receive it.
