As the manhunt for a double child molester continues on the island of Funen, police have announced that reports of a possible third child being abducted yesterday have turned out to be false. 

Fears that the rapist had struck again yesterday were heightened when a 10-year-old girl in the town of Nyborg said she heard another girl call for help while a car resembling the red sedan reportedly being driven by the suspect also appeared nearby. However, no child was reported missing, and after police searched the area using dogs and a helicopter without picking up any traces of the girl, they called off the search.

Police officials said even though the tip had been uncertain, they were not taking chances after the sexual assaults of two 11-year-old girls have apparently been carried out on Funen by the same man in the past two weeks.

The first incident took place in the village of Vester Skerning on October 26 when the victim was forced into the back of a car by a white male between the ages of 45 and 50, sexually assaulted and later released. The second victim was abducted and attacked in the same manner on Wednesday.

Police continue to stop all red cars in the area, and have received hundreds of possible leads.

Henrik Justesen, a spokesperson for the South Funen Police, encouraged people to continue calling in.

“If there are any red cars parked near an area where there are children, we want to know about it,” Justesen told DR News. “Otherwise, if anyone notices suspicious behaviour, we would very much appreciate any information that they may have.”

Twelve men have been taken in for questioning, and many more have been asked to supply the local authorities with their DNA.