Pete Buttigieg says false CPS report split him from his twins

Pete Buttigieg says an anonymous false report to Michigan Child Protective Services forced him and his husband, Chasten, to separate from their 4-year-old twins for about 24 hours in June 2026. Police and CPS quickly determined the allegation was untrue, but the ordeal required forensic interviews and left the family shaken.

Key Takeaways

• A caller falsely told Michigan CPS that Buttigieg had confessed to violent crimes and that his children were at risk.
• Authorities required forensic interviews of the twins and barred unsupervised contact until the process finished.
• Michigan State Police and CPS concluded the report was false and said it diverted resources from real emergencies.
• Buttigieg described the episode as politically motivated swatting and said he may pursue civil or criminal charges.

What happened at Pete Buttigieg's Michigan home?

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote in a June 26 Substack post that a Michigan State Police officer and a CPS worker came to his Traverse City home after an anonymous report alleged he posed a danger to his children. He and Chasten were told the twins would need forensic interviews the next day without any family present.

Buttigieg said he was not allowed to be alone with the children until those interviews were complete. The couple sent the 4-year-olds to stay with grandparents overnight while authorities investigated.

Why were the children separated from their parents?

Standard child-protection procedures drove the separation, not a finding of guilt. Buttigieg said officials told him he could not be alone with the twins until forensic interviews finished, so the family complied while investigators worked.

He called the experience “among the darkest hours of my life” and said he could not learn the full allegation until after the children's interviews. The next day, investigators explained what the anonymous caller had claimed.

What did the anonymous caller allege?

According to Buttigieg, the caller told CPS that a woman claimed she met him at a conference years ago in Alabama, where he allegedly confessed to “unspeakable violent crimes.” The caller said the children remained at risk.

Buttigieg said he had never been to the Alabama town cited in the story. A Michigan State Police officer told him the report appeared politically motivated and would not be referred to prosecutors, The New York Times reported.

How did authorities respond?

Michigan State Police said in a statement that they and Child Protective Services “responded and determined the report was false.” The agency warned that false reports are dangerous and pull officers and CPS workers away from legitimate emergencies involving vulnerable children and families.

Buttigieg praised the responding officials as courteous and professional, even as he argued their time was wasted on what he called a “cruel, politically motivated hoax.” He compared the tactic to swatting — false emergency calls meant to trigger an armed response — but said this time the child welfare system was used instead.

False reports targeting public figures have surged in recent years, a pattern covered widely in our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries section. Buttigieg said making such a report is a crime and that he is exploring legal options to hold whoever filed it accountable.