"He got defensive. He knows": Maui missing children trafficking conspiracy goes viral amid rising death toll

The Maui wildfire continues to leave behind a trail of disaster, turmoil, and pain as the death toll continues to rise. So far, the fires have caused the deaths of 114 individuals, most of whom are yet to be identified. About 1000 people are also currently missing in Maui.

However, a harrowing interview with the Maui mayor, Richard Bissen, showcased a clash between him and journalists who wanted to know the exact number of potentially missing children. Bissen did not seem to cooperate and the interview left netizens stunned. It also resulted in allegations of child trafficking and accusations of incompetence being leveled against Bissen and the government.

Several netizens reacted to @ImMeme0's tweet about the situation and shared their thoughts on the same.

The Maui mayor was on the receiving end of major backlash (Image via Twitter)

---

Netizens allege child trafficking in Maui as video featuring Mayor goes viral

The video of reporters pressing Mayor Richard Bissen for answers went viral on social media. "I don't know," said the mayor when asked how many children are currently missing. After reporters asked him if he really did not have an estimate of how many kids were missing, the mayor seemingly ignored the question by saying:

"I guess we can end this right now."

On being bombarded with more questions about the topic, he further stated:

"It always takes one or two to ruin it for everybody."

During the interview, one of the reporters countered Richard Bissen by saying that the same could be said about him. They doubled down by stating that the mayor had been a "disaster." The reporter could be heard exclaiming:

"You’ve been the worst mayor we could possibly imagine."

Bissen asked the reporters why they weren't waiting for their turn and one of them responded by asking him why he wasn't giving them the right answers.

Independent journalist Nick Sortor was one of the reporters who questioned the mayor. On August 19, he took to social media and claimed that he was being constantly harassed in Maui because of his questions. He also mentioned that was being stalked and sent death threats.

The video of the interview went viral on Twitter and left a bad impression on netizens, who began to level a plethora of allegations against the mayor. Twitter user @aussiearamean alleged that the natural disaster was used to round up and traffick several children. They also accused the American Red Cross, the UN, and other non-profit agencies of doing the same.

Netizens alleged that the mayor and his officials knew the exact number of missing children but refused to reveal the same due to sinister ulterior motives. They criticized the mayor and called him "despicable" and "shameful" as they reacted to @ImMeme0's tweet.

---

Maui's missing children

In a CBS News interview, Hawaii Governor Josh Green stated that more than 1000 people were still unaccounted for, including children. Hawaii officials reported that a large number of those who are unaccounted for may actually be children who were left at home as schools were closed.

"We're sharing here internally that it's possible that there will be many children," Green said.

Maui resident, Mike Cicchino spoke to NewsNation about how he and his wife had to jump into the ocean to save themselves from the fire. Cicchino revealed that there were no immediate warnings, texts, or sirens that warned citizens about the fire or instructed them about what to do.

Cicchino initially tried to escape with his wife and dogs but couldn't do so as they were engulfed by flames. They then had to resort to jumping into the ocean, where they survived for several hours before they were rescued by the coast guard.

Mike Cicchino told the outlet:

"I saw babies out there that I never saw again."

Mike revealed that while he was in the water, he saw people desperately clinging to their children. After he was rescued, he went back to help the coast guard and took the headcount of the kids. However, the babies he had initially seen were not there anymore.