VIDEO: Woman Who Claimed Family Abused Daughter Arrested

The woman who accused a family of abusing their daughter in a video filmed at Costco in Palm Desert, California, was arrested for allegedly giving false information to authorities.

“In the video filmed on Aug. 20, Angelica Marie Mendez can be overheard saying that a Black girl accompanied by her white family members was being denied food and that the family was ‘probably using her as a slave,'” Patch.com reported Sunday.

Mendez also said in the clip “the sheriffs are on the way” and that she called police because “I’m not about to watch this go by.”

“These serious allegations set in motion hundreds of staff-hours, by several law enforcement agencies, in two separate states,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release Saturday.

The department also shared a photo of Mendez on Facebook Tuesday and said she used social media “to spread false information, criminal accusations, and racial bias against what is by all accounts a happy and healthy family.”

“Unfortunately, many members of the public accepted Mendez’ social media posts as truth before our investigation was complete,” the department continued:

The investigation into this incident involved four independent investigations in two states. All four investigations determined that the allegations were false and made up by Mendez. The reckless actions of Mendez caused this family to suffer through death threats, closure of the father’s business, and unnecessary stress and drama to the child.

Following a request from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, police in Gilbert, Arizona, contacted the family.

“Gilbert officers contacted the family and found the child to be safe and in good health,” the police department said in a Facebook post:

Through the investigation and subsequent interviews, it was found that the child had refused to eat the day of the video recording due to an upset stomach. The Arizona Department of Child Safety conducted its own separate investigation into the incident. No evidence of any crime has been established.

Mendez was arrested Saturday and booked at the John Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of reporting a false crime and giving false information to an officer.

However, Mendez was released the same day once she posted $25 bail, the Patch.com report concluded.