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Claim: Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating local dogs and cats

Veracity: FALSE

Reality: In early September of 2024, Springfield Ohio resident Erika Lee made a post on social media which relayed a baseless rumor she had heard from a friend's acquaintance that their daughter's friend saw a Haitian woman butchering a pet cat hanging from a tree. The claims turned out to be false, however the post had been repeatedly shared by others around social media, being embellished with additional untrue details and convincing many people that the story was true. Additional false "copycat" stories appeared, most notably of immigrants eating pets in Dayton Ohio, which were similarly debunked.

Liars: References: