FACT CHECK: Police Officer ‘Missing’ In Osceola, Iowa Was Actually Fatally Shot In New York City In March 2024

A post shared on Facebook alleges a police officer by the name of Jonathan Diller has gone missing in Osceola, Iowa. 

Verdict: False

The claim is inaccurate. Diller was shot and killed during a traffic stop in New York City.

Fact Check: 

About a dozen minors were allegedly illegally hired to work at a meat processing plant in Iowa, according to CNN. Children under the age of 18 are banned from working jobs with hazardous conditions, which some argue can be found at meat processing plants, the outlet reported.

A Facebook post claims Diller went missing in Osceola, Iowa and is possibly in “extreme danger.” The post shows an image of a man who can be assumed to be Diller holding a baby.

“HELP FIND HIM – Police Officer Jonathan Diller went missing yesterday morning here in #Osceola His truck was found last night with his son inside but unfortunately, there is still no sign of him. He is 5’9” and 165 lbs,” the post reads, in part. “A silver alert has been issued for Jonathan who is considered to possibly be in EXTREME danger and in need of medical assistance.”

The post is inaccurate, however. 31-year-old Diller was shot and killed at a traffic stop in March 2024, the first New York Police Department (NYPD) officer to be killed in the line of duty in two years, according to AP News. (RELATED: Did the North Carolina State Police Issue A Statement Threatening The Arrest Of FEMA employees?)

The image seen in the post originated from an X post made by the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York requesting prayers for Diller’s family after his passing. 

Police Officer Jonathan Diller was more than a hero. He was a father, a husband, a son. NYC lost a protector, but this family has lost far, far more. We need your prayers and support — for Jonathan’s family and for every #BlueFamily still waiting for a hero to come home. pic.twitter.com/xsVcMfFLXx

— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) March 26, 2024

A spokesperson for the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (DCPI) referred Check Your Fact to a NYPD statement explaining Diller’s death. Diller and several other officers approached a vehicle illegally parked at a bus stop, and an occupant who refused to exit the vehicle shot Diller at point-blank range in the torso below his bulletproof vest, the statement reads. He underwent emergency surgery but succumbed to his injuries.