CLEVELAND — A post circulating around social media warning women in and around Cleveland about sexual assault has been debunked by the Cleveland Division of Police.
Viewers reached out to News 5 about a social media post detailing a rash of sexual assaults in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood.
One caller said the assaults were not deadly but all happened within blocks of each other.
An example of one of the posts is embedded below and says the person committing the alleged crimes is “one man because the same DNA has been found on all of the crime scenes, but he has no criminal record so no one knows who he is.”
A New 5 Cleveland staff member received a post with a similar message about alleged sexual assaults, but the post has since been deleted.
When News 5 reached out to the Cleveland Division of Police about the posts and if there were any police reports to corroborate the social media chatter, a spokesperson for the department released the following statement:
“This post has several issues. For starters, the whole thing about DNA is false. It takes us weeks to months to get back DNA. We have no information to suggest there is a serial rapist at this time.”
News 5 also reached out to the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, which released the following statement:
"We are not in a position to share much information. What I can say is Cleveland Police Department is in the best possible position to answer your questions."
If you ever need help, the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center crisis and support hotline is: 216-619-6192 or 440-423-2020. The center can be reached by call or text.
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