EPPD: Woman persuaded child to make false report of sexual abuse after getting upset over phone call

A mother is accused of making her 7-year-old child accuse a man of inappropriately touching her, only to get him into trouble.

Police say Vanessa Macias, 33, was arrested and charged with false report.

Macias reported to police that back on July 3 while driving back from Elephant Butte, the child claimed the “acquaintance” had touched her.

A police report obtained by ABC-7 alleges the child was then subjected to physical and forensic tests as investigators tried to determine if she had been abused.

An advocate for sex abuse victims told ABC-7 it is rare for people to lie about sexual assault or abuse.

“There have been three major research studies that have looked at this across U.S. communities and the rate of false reporting lies between 2 percent to 10 percent,” Stephanie Karr, the executive director of The Center Against Sexual and Family Violence, said.

The center dedicates itself to preventing sexual and family violence and provides support for those dealing with the issue.

Karr said anyone falsely reporting rape creates consequences for those legitimately reporting a sexual assault. She says victims might feel people won’t believe them.

“Whether it’s the person making that report or in this case the alleged victim of that then puts a damper on those (willing) to come forward and talk about what has happened,” Karr said.

Two days after the claim was made, Macias took the child to UMC to undergo a SANE exam, police said. The child also underwent a forensic interview in which she did not make a clear claim that the “acquaintance” had sexually abused her both at Elephant Butte and in El Paso, according to the police affidavit.

The SANE exam is described as swabbing a cotton applicator on areas of the body indicated in the interview, a alternative light source may be used to look for saliva or semen on the body and may also require hair samples and photographs.

Child safety advocates say the process that is followed by a forensic interview can cause a negative psychological impact that includes anxiety, stress and medical trauma.

After the interview, police met with Macias to question her on the child’s claims. That is when Macias admitted to police that she told the child to say she was being touched by another person in order to get him in trouble, according to the police report.

Investigators said Macias said she told the child to lie because she had gotten upset at the “acquaintance” and wanted him to get in trouble after she saw another female communicate with him on the phone.

Macias told police that she was aware the claims could get the man in trouble but she did so anyway because she was upset, the report stated.

Karr said false accusations can give more power to those committing rape or sexual abuse.

“Incidents like this give perpetrators or aggressors of violence that much more ammunition or opportunity to impose coercion or intimidation upon their victims to say, ‘you know if you report they are not going to believe you because look false reports are everywhere,” Karr said.

Macias was arrested last Wednesday and booked into the El Paso County Jail on a bond of $20,000.

If you are interested obtaining information on the Center against Sexual and Family Violence you can click here