Texas Teen Wanted For Snapchat Videos Allegedly Threatening To Spread COVID-19

Police in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton began a search Monday for an 18-year-old woman who posted videos on social media about intentionally spreading COVID-19 while she awaited her test results.

The Carrollton Police Department posted on its social media accounts that Lorraine Maradiaga was wanted on charges of making a terrorist threat.

“We have no confirmation Maradiaga is actually a threat to public health,” Carrollton police said on Facebook. “We are, however, taking her social media actions very seriously.”

Fort Worth NBC-affiliate KXAS said it had obtained the videos and described Maradiaga's alleged actions but didn’t share the videos online.

Maradiaga's Snapchat videos of her driving went viral over the week. The videos start with Maradiaga in a drive-thru test center. KXAS noted that one of the nurses at the test center can be heard in the background telling Maradiaga to wait at home for the results.

Maradiaga’s next video reportedly shows her out driving again, saying she is on her way to Walmart.

“I’m here at Walmart about to infest every (expletive), because if I’m going down, all you (expletive) are going down,” Maradiaga said. It was followed by another video of Maradiaga coughing into the camera and saying that anyone wants “to get the coronavirus and (expletive) die, call me.”

“I’ll meet you up and I will shorten your life,” she said.

A Carrollton police spokesperson said officers on Sunday went to Maradiaga’s home but she was not there. Her family has cooperated with authorities and expressed hope that she turns herself in.

The Carrollton Police Department has asked that anyone with information about Maradiaga’s whereabouts to contact law enforcement immediately.