Nocatee’s Facebook pages were ablaze with concern over the weekend after residents reported two people traveling in a suspicious white van and using adorable puppies to engage with spooked local children.
Some posters were worried that the pair — a man and a younger boy — were engaged in a brazen human trafficking operation and had identified Nocatee and its environs as a hunting ground.
Pictures of the van — including zoomed-in shots of a license plate and images of a man holding a puppy — spread quickly across multiple pages as residents brainstormed rapid countermeasures.
Some began clamoring for 24-hour resident patrols and increased law enforcement presence in light of the threat.
One person posted what they said was the driver’s name, along with a lengthy list of criminal offenses, while others said they saw a mattress placed in the van’s rear.
It was unclear if any residents spoke with the duo during their appearances at several locations on both Saturday and Sunday.
The St. Johns County Sheriffs Office was alerted to their presence and conducted an investigation.