Springfield Women Who Spread False Rumor About Haitians Eating Pets Admit They 'Don't Have Any Proof’

Mar. 15, 2025

An aerial shot of Springfield, Ohio.Photo:Getty

Getty

Two women from Springfield, Ohio, are speaking out about the unverified gossip they helped spread, which fueled a viral conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants eating people’s pets.

Springfield resident Erika Lee appeared onNBC Newson Friday, Sept. 13, to express regret over the impact of a rumor she posted on Facebook, which she had no idea would become a national news story.

“It just exploded into something I didn’t mean to happen," she told the outlet.

“I’m not a racist,” Lee added, saying that she is mixed race and part of the LGBTQ+ community. “Everybody seems to be turning it into that, and that was not my intent.”

Lee said that she has pulled her daughter out of school over fears for her safety and is now also concerned for the Haitian community.

“If I was in the Haitians’ position, I’d be terrified, too, worried that somebody’s going to come after me because they think I’m hurting something that they love and that, again, that’s not what I was trying to do.”

According toNewsGuard Reality Check, Lee shared a baseless rumor that she heard third-hand about a pet cat in Springfield going missing, then later being found outside a Haitian family’s home hanging upside down and being butchered.

The post was shared on a private Facebook page called “Springfield Ohio Crime and Information." Lee told NewsGuard she was “just trying to inform people, you know, again, not saying Haitians as a whole [are] bad.”

Kimberly Newton, the woman who told Lee the story about the cat in the first place, explained to NewsGuard that she first heard the rumor from “an acquaintance of a friend.”

“I’m not sure I’m the most credible source because I don’t actually know the person who lost the cat,” Newton admitted. “I don’t have any proof.”

During theSept. 10 presidential debate, Trump, 78,alleged that immigrants are “eating pets,“amplifying the conspiracy theory.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people who live there, and this is what’s happening in our country,” Trump claimed.

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A note on the front door of Fulton Elementary School on Sept. 12, 2024, after it was evacuated due to a bomb threat.ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty

ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty

Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine recently spoke out about the baseless rumors that are still spreading about the Haitian population in Springfield.

“There’s a lot of garbage on the internet. You know, this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. There’s no evidence of this at all,” DeWine said during an appearance onABC’sThis Weekon Sunday, Sept. 15.

“Hate groups coming into Springfield, we don’t need these hate groups,” DeWine continued. “I saw a piece of literature yesterday that the mayor told me about from purportedly the KKK [Ku Klux Klan].”

He continued: “Springfield is a good city. They are good people. They’re welcoming people.”

source: people.com