No evidence that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets

Context

There is no evidence that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are abducting and eating pets, despite baseless claims this week made by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance, Elon Musk, and others online. 

One example (archived here) shared on X (formerly Twitter) on September 9 claimed without evidence that there have been "multiple stories of wildlife being stolen & eaten, including cats & ducks" in Springfield. Trump aired the narrative during the ABC News presidential debate a day later.

However, local police and city officials have said that there are no credible reports of such an incident.

In fact

A local newspaper, Springfield Sun-News, reported on September 9 that a post had gone viral on a private Facebook group. The report said the social media user claimed their neighbor's daughter's friend had lost a cat. The poster claimed that the cat was found hanging from a branch at a neighbor's home being carved up to be eaten.

The newspaper reported that Springfield police had not received any reports of pets being stolen or eaten after the claim gained traction.

The Springfield Police Division sent Logically Facts a link to a recorded press statement by Bryan Heck, the city manager for Springfield. 

In the video, Heck said, "It is disappointing that some of the narrative surrounding our city has been skewed by misinformation circulating on social media and further amplified by political rhetoric in the current highly charged presidential election cycle." 

Bodycam video 

Social media users also shared a video (example archived here) of police bodycam footage where officers interact with a woman. In the video, a police officer can be heard saying, "This cat's deceased," while detaining the individual.

However, the bodycam video shows a woman not based in Springfield, but in Canton, police said to Logically Facts.

Lieutenant Dennis Garren, a spokesperson for the Canton Police Department, said, "She is not an illegal immigrant. She is a US citizen. She has lived in Canton for all or most of her life. This is unrelated to the allegations about Springfield, Ohio." 

A court record associated with the name identified by police in an email to Logically Facts shows that the woman was arrested for animal cruelty and the case was filed by Canton police, not in Springfield. 

AI-generated images

An AI-generated image (archived here) of Vice President Kamala Harris also surfaced online. It depicts her standing beside cats and geese outside a restaurant called "Kamala's Haitian Grill" with a sign saying, "We'll cook anything."

An X post of the AI-generated image of Kamala Harris. (Source: X/"Fake" label by Logically Facts)

While some commented that they were aware the image was inauthentic, others questioned its authenticity. One social media user said in the comments, "Is this a joke? If not, she is." Another added, "Omg, is this real?"

Close-up of the warped features seen in the AI-generated image, including a distorted chair, warped people, and warped animals. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

It’s a fake, however. Several of the animals have warped and distorted faces and proportions, the people in the background are warped, and a chair is merging into a pole, all clear indicators of AI-generated images.

The verdict

There is no evidence that Haitians in Ohio are eating cats or pets. Springfield police have said they have no reports of pets being stolen and eaten.