Police say woman's claim to be missing girl was 'cruel hoax'

THORNTOWN, Ind. -- A woman who called the parents of a missing girl and claimed she may be their long-lost daughter was charged Wednesday with committing a cruel hoax.

Donna L. Walker, 35, of Topeka, Kan., was charged with identity deception and false reporting. Her whereabouts were not known on Wednesday, authorities said.

Walker called the parents of Shannon Marie Sherrill, who vanished in 1986 at age 6 as she played hide-and-seek, and also is believed to have contacted news organizations to spread word about the possible break in the case, said state police 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten.

He described her actions as a "cruel hoax."

Sherrill's father, William Michael Sherrill, broke down in tears during a news conference announcing that the call was a hoax.

"I wasn't expecting this at all," he said. "I thought they were going to bring Shannon in here."

Authorities had planned DNA tests to determine whether the woman was the child.

Bursten said investigators did not know a motive for the hoax. Walker had given three different fictitious names to investigators in recent days, he said.

Jody Ames, an aunt of the missing girl, said the last several days had been draining on the family.

"It's been a very big roller coaster," she said. "We've been up and down, we've hoped for the best. We still hope for the best. We can only hope and pray."

Shannon vanished Oct. 5, 1986, outside her mother's mobile home in Thorntown, about 30 miles northwest of Indianapolis. Hundreds of people scoured fields and wooded lots for three days after the disappearance.

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On the Net:

Center for Missing & Exploited Children: http://www.missingkids.com