Pete Buttigieg and his children were subject to a CPS and police investigation after an anonymous report was determined to be false

Pete Buttigieg, who lives with his husband and their twin four-year-old children in Traverse City, Michigan, described the experience in a Friday Substack post as "the ugliest thing that has happened to me since my career in service began." A police officer and CPS worker came to his home and informed him of an anonymous report alleging his children were at risk.

According to Buttigieg's account, as reported by Politico, the anonymous caller claimed to have met him several years ago at a conference in Alabama and reported him to CPS for committing "unspeakable violent crimes," asserting the caller believed his twins remained at risk. The children were placed with their grandparents and underwent forensic interviews without family present. Buttigieg wrote that for roughly 24 hours, he was not permitted to be alone with his children while the investigation unfolded.

Michigan State Police spokesperson Shanon Banner confirmed the agency responded to an anonymous report and determined it to be false, adding in a statement that "false reports are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and Child Protective Services workers from responding to legitimate emergencies." Buttigieg said he was told the case would "take a bit longer" before it is officially closed.