Kidnap reports rile DeKalb

It was a story to strike fear into every parent’s heart: a man in a white car was said to be cruising quiet DeKalb neighborhoods, trying to lure 12-year-old girls into his car.

For weeks, the alarm was sounded through email, Google groups, social media and TV news. With every fresh alarm, the tips to police multiplied. And then … nothing.

It’s natural and good for parents to be vigilant about their children’s safety, and the thought of a child snatched by a stranger is truly horrifying. But when fear starts to roil in cyberspace, well, that’s a different story.