No, this isn’t a photo of a missing Texas couple

Recent Facebook posts have urged social media users to “flood” their feeds with a photo of a supposed missing couple. One such post said the pair had been last seen in Wise County, Texas. 

“FLOOD YOUR FEEDS ~ MISSING!” the Sept. 23 post said. “Our Dad, Raymond Peterson aged 80 drove out last night with our step mom Sophie and they still haven’t returned. They were last seen in #wisecounty He doesn’t know where he’s going, he has chronic memory loss. There is a silver alert activated on them. Please help bump this post so we can get them home safely”

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

That’s because it’s not a real missing persons case. 

Other Facebook posts featuring the same photo and narrative say Raymond Peterson and his wife Sophie were last seen in other places around the United States, such as “Northeast Montana.” The Wise County, Texas, post appeared on a “swap and shop” Facebook group page, and the Montana post on a “buy sell trade” group.

But the people in the photo aren’t the Petersons and they’re not missing. 

The photo shows Daniel Menard, 79, and Stephanie Menard, 73, who disappeared in August from a nudist resort in Colton, California. Authorities found their remains under the home of a neighbor, who was charged with two counts of murder. 

We rate claims this photo shows Raymond Peterson and his wife, Stephanie Menard, a couple missing from Texas, or any other state, False.