False child abuse report against Pete Buttigieg deemed unsubstantiated in Michigan

After officers and a CPS worker responded to Pete Buttigieg's home in Traverse City, Michigan, law enforcement and Child Protective Services determined an anonymous report against him was false. The response forced Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, to separate from their 4-year-old twins for 24 hours while authorities moved ahead with a forensic interview.

Buttigieg said the family was told he could not be alone with the children until that interview was completed, and that the twins stayed with their grandparents during the investigation. He described the episode in a post on Substack as one of the darkest moments of his life, writing that his family was physically okay but harmed by the incident. He also said he was "beyond furious."

The anonymous caller claimed to have met Buttigieg years earlier at a conference in Alabama and alleged that he had confessed to "unspeakable violent crimes." Buttigieg said the accusation was easy to disprove because he had never been to the town where that supposed meeting took place. He said the family is considering civil or criminal charges and noted that filing a false report is a crime. Even after police concluded the report was false, Buttigieg said the case was not yet officially closed.

False reports are dangerous because they pull officers and Child Protective Services away from real emergencies and from children and families that need protection, Michigan State Police spokesperson Shanon Banner said.