According to NBC News, Erika Lee, a resident of Springfield, Ohio, regrets a Facebook post she made that falsely suggested Haitian immigrants were responsible for local pets disappearing and eating them. She admitted to having no firsthand knowledge of the claim, which quickly spread online, fueling misinformation.
“It just exploded into something I didn’t mean to happen,” Lee said. The rumor was amplified by other posts, including a misattributed photo. Despite local police confirming no evidence of such crimes, the false claims went viral, even reaching national attention during a presidential debate.
Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, repeated the baseless allegations. Lee has since deleted the post and expressed fear and remorse over the fallout.
Click play to listen to the AURN News report from Clay Cane. Follow @claycane & @aurnonline for more.
