After an extensive investigation, the Owensboro Police Department determined there is no indication the recent “TikTok Challenge” threat, which made reference to a school with the initials “OMS,” had any connection to Owensboro, according to a statement from Owensboro Public Schools.
“OPD has conducted extensive interviews and coordinated with TikTok’s corporate office during their investigation and has determined that there is NO INDICATION that the original threat originated in Owensboro or was a reference to our specific building,” according to a statement Wednesday morning from Owensboro Public Schools. “They have also determined that NONE of our students were involved in this incident.”
The threat — which police and school officials said at the time appeared to be part of a social media challenge — made reference to a school with the initials “OMS,” though it was unclear where the source of the threat came from. According to the OPD, they received information in reference to the social media post at approximately 11:20 p.m. on Dec. 15.
They immediately began interviewing multiple individuals and securing search warrants for social media platforms. They also had additional officers present on OPS property for the remainder of the week.
The Wednesday statement from OPS continued, “As we mentioned before, this was another example of the ‘TikTok’ challenges that have been popping up across the nation and our district has to treat each and every threat to our students or schools as if it is real until we know otherwise. We encourage parents and guardians to continue to monitor your student’s social media habits and talk to them about the dangers and consequences of these ‘challenges.’
