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12-year-old girl charged in Volusia after writing threatening school messages to herself, deputies say

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Published  March 7, 2026 8:37pm EST
Volusia County News
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • A 12-year-old has been charged after deputies said she used a Snapchat account to threaten to shoot up a Port Orange middle school.
    • The girl told deputies she was "dared" to make the threats to herself, according to officials.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A 12-year-old girl is now facing charges after officials said she was the person behind messages threatening to shoot up a middle school, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said the Silver Sands Middle School student initially reported that someone sent her a message demanding her to send explicit images over Snapchat or else he'd shoot up the school, according to officials.

Deputies said the threatening messages included pictures of guns and details about her class schedule.

Officials then contacted Snapchat and the phone carrier for information during their investigation in conjunction with the Port Orange Police Department.  The investigation later revealed the girl created the Snapchat account and sent the messages to herself using photos of guns from the internet. She later told deputies she was dared to do it, according to officials.

The girl faces charges of making a false report and unlawful use of a communications device.

Volusia County NewsPort Orange