Pete Buttigieg was forced to spend a night apart from his four-year-old twins after an anonymous child abuse allegation triggered an investigation by Michigan State Police and Child Protective Services (CPS) in late June 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The allegation was found to be false and politically motivated, officials said [1, 2, 3].
The claim stemmed from an anonymous caller who said they spoke to a woman alleging Buttigieg admitted to "unspeakable violent crimes" at a conference in Alabama years ago. Buttigieg has denied ever attending such a conference [1, 2, 3].
A responding police officer expressed belief that the report was politically driven and would not be referred for prosecution [1, 3]. But amid the investigation, Buttigieg and his husband Chasten sent their children to their grandparents’ care, separating from the twins for about 24 hours [2].
Buttigieg described the experience as "among the darkest hours of my life" and likened the false CPS report to "swatting," a hoax emergency call that prompts armed police responses. He said, "Now imagine the same concept, but with Child Protective Services instead of a SWAT team" [1, 2].
He expressed anger and sadness that their 4-year-old children were drawn into a political attack. "They do not know or care what a Democrat or a Republican is," Buttigieg said of the twins, Joseph August and Penelope Rose, whom he and Chasten adopted in 2021 [3].
Michigan State Police spokesperson Shanon Banner warned that "False reports are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and Child Protective Services workers from responding to legitimate emergencies and protecting vulnerable children and families" [2].
The incident occurred shortly after Buttigieg shared family photos on social media for Father’s Day on June 21 and during Pride Month, raising concerns about anti-LGBTQ motives behind the claim [2, 3]. Buttigieg publicly disclosed the ordeal in a Substack post on June 26 [2].
