Lies about Haitians killing pet cats spreads from Springfield, Ohio, to Bangor, Maine

Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, have been plagued by baseless claims that they’re killing and eating residents’ pets after Republican presidential nominee and former President Trump repeated the lie during a Sept. 10 debate with Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris.

A recent Instagram pulls the red string from Springfield, Ohio, to Bangor, Maine — more than a thousand miles away. 

"16 pets have suddenly disappeared in Bangor, Maine," the Sept. 23 post said. "No remains were found. Experts don’t believe an animal did this. Bangor just had an influx of Haitians."

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The post includes video from an Aug. 29 News Center Maine broadcast about "at least 16 cats" that had disappeared from a Bangor neighborhood, Fairmount.

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"Bangor’s animal control officer, Trisha Bruen, said she believes the cats were killed by wildlife," the reporter says in the segment. "She said it’s also possible some cats ran away and will return or were stolen. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, though, does not believe wildlife is the cause — foxes, coyotes and fishers have always been in the area."

The news story does not mention Haitians. 

Sgt. Jason McAmbley, a Bangor Police Department spokesperson, told PolitiFact that authorities "have no reason to believe any specific ethnic group that numbers approximately a dozen people in the greater Bangor area are responsible for the disappearance of the missing cats."

McAmbley also shared a statement from Bruen, who said she believes both wildlife and humans are to blame for the missing cats, which "must be close to 20 by now." 

"It is likely multiple species are responsible, as well as people, are responsible," she said in the statement.

We rate claims that Haitian migrants are behind the recent disappearance of cats in Bangor, Maine, Pants on Fire!