COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A woman did not lose an unborn child during a mass shooting at an Ohio gender reveal party as she'd led some to believe, police said Monday.
She was not pregnant in the first place, police spokesman Jim Love said. He said police would let a prosecutor determine whether the woman should face charges.
Police Chief Mark Denney said it's just one example of how much time investigators have "wasted following leads known to be lies."
"From the very beginning of this investigation, we have met significant resistance that is uncommon from victims of crime wanting a resolution," a news release from Denney said.
A gender reveal party is a kind of baby shower, in which an expectant parent or parents share the sex of their unborn child.
Love said the party, held July 8 at a home in suburban Cincinnati, was for the woman who falsely claimed she was pregnant.
Police believe two gunmen went inside and shot nine people, including three children, as the partygoers watched a movie. One woman died.
Another woman on crutches spoke off-camera with WCPO's reporter and photographer outside the home the next morning; she said she lost her pregnancy after she was shot in the leg. Family friends also indicated she'd been expecting.
No one has been arrested, and police haven't identified any suspects.
Denney said he wasn't trying to embarrass the woman, but wanted to give the public "a fair understanding of the challenges we have faced in the past nine days."
"The Colerain Police Department will not comment further on any other misleading information, other than to say we wish our time had been spent on true leads that would help us remove these dangerous criminals from the streets. "
WCPO will update this developing story.
