It sounds like something straight out of the TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
A series of viral social media posts claim five women in Detroit have been found dead with tea bags stuffed in their mouths — allegedly the work of a serial murderer dubbed the “Tea Bag Killer” in retaliation for using a controversial smartphone app to gossip.
But Detroit police say there is absolutely no truth behind the lurid tale.
“This is not true,” was a DPD spokesperson’s reply to a request for comment by Metro Times.
The claims are in reference to a smartphone app called Tea. Launched in 2023, the app is billed as a “safety tool” for women to anonymously share information about men. The women-only app allows users to run background checks on men before going out on dates with them, who they can also rate with red or green “flags.”
One such social media post on Facebook had been shared more than 2,000 times as of Wednesday afternoon. “Detroit police are on high alert as the city reels from a string of chilling murders tied to the controversial gossip platform, The T.E.A. App,” the post claims.
“Five women-all of whom recently used the app to expose men for cheating, abuse, or other wrongdoing-have been found dead within the last two weeks,” the post continued. “Each victim was discovered with Lipton tea bags stuffed in their mouths, a disturbing calling card that has led investigators to believe a serial killer is targeting outspoken users of the app.”
The Facebook post even quoted a fictitious Detroit detective.
“He’s sending a message,” reads the quote, attributed to a “Detective Jerome Halston of the Detroit Homicide Division.” It adds, “This isn’t random. These women were silenced-literally-for speaking out. This is calculated, personal, and ritualistic.”
According to DPD, there is no detective employed by the department named Jerome Halston. (Nevermind the fact that cops tend to not speak with such certainty without anything being proven in court.)
The viral social media post also quoted a non-existent report from “Channel 7 News,” which included an interview with an alleged survivor who said, “I posted about my ex cheating, and a few days later someone sent me a photo of a Lipton box with my name on it. I thought it was a joke… until the first girl died.”
The Facebook post contains other colorful claims, including this: “A screenshot believed to be posted by the killer under an anonymous burner account simply read: ‘Y’all talk too much. Steep in silence.’”
According to the post, “Authorities are urging anyone using the T.E.A. App to be cautious and avoid posting identifying information. As the city mourns and fears mount, social media users have dubbed the suspect the ‘Tea Bag Killer.’”
It even included an alleged over-the-top statement from DPD: ‘This is not just gossip anymore. This is murder.’”
It’s not clear who is behind the viral fake story. In social media comments, many users expressed skepticism, and one woman who posted it eventually walked it back.
“Idk how true it is , seen a lot of ppl post it but yall better be careful!” she wrote. “True or not This is a reality that does happen unfortunately!”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
