MARTINS FERRY — A Martins Ferry man was jailed after allegedly claiming, and then recanting, that he had killed another person in a video shared online.

Jefferson County resident Shawn Antill has been missing since December 23, 2017. Antill was last seen exiting a vehicle along U.S. 250 in Harrison County and has been considered an active missing persons case ever since.

Martins Ferry resident Joseph Pyle Jr. allegedly took to social media recently to confess to murdering Antill.

According to a report from the Martins Ferry Police Department, at 3:33 p.m. March 31, dispatchers received a call from a detective with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. As a result, officers were sent to the 500 block of Kuckuck Lane to speak with a man regarding the death of another individual and his possible involvement. The man was brought to Martins Ferry Police Department headquarters to speak with the detective from Harrison County “due to the severity of what was said to Martins Ferry Police,” the report states.

“It’s a missing persons report. It happened approximately seven years ago. Shawn was reported missing out of Harrison County and was a resident of Jefferson County,” Harrison County Sheriff’s Office Detective Morgan Knight said Monday. “This person from Martins Ferry claimed online that he had killed him, due to some comments being made during the video. And he said, ‘Yeah, I did it,’ but then recanted his statement and said, ‘No, I have no idea who he even is.'”

Following the release of Pyle’s video, Martins Ferry police officers went to the 500 block of Kuckuck Lane to speak with Pyle regarding his possible involvement in Antill’s disappearance. Antill was then brought to the city police headquarters to speak with Knight.

“There was a call last week, but it wasn’t what you think it is. The person wasn’t involved with what he was claiming to be involved with. However, we did effectuate an arrest on him for making those claims,” Harrison County Sheriff Mark Touville said.

He added that Pyle was charged with making a false alarm and was taken to the Harrison County Jail.

“He claimed on a live YouTube video that he had killed Shawn, and he admitted that he did say that. However, he said that he never met Shawn or any of his family,” Knight said. “I interviewed him at our office in Harrison County, and he told me the same thing. I mean it’s really just a dumb decision on his part.”

Knight added that Pyle’s video has since been taken down from social media.

Anyone who has any information regarding the whereabouts of Shawn Antill is asked to contact the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office at 740-942-2197.