Twitter Hoax Claims Body Found In Burned Cabin Belonged To A Female, Not Christopher Dorner

A Twitter hoax quickly gained traction on Wednesday, stating that a burned body found in the remains of the cabin did not belong to Christopher Dorner, but rather to an unidentified female. The hoax quickly swept Twitter under the guise of a fake screengrab from CNN. In the fake image, CNN’s news ticker was edited to read “Police: Charred remains are not Dorner. Body found confrimed [sic] to be female.”

The image quickly gained traction on Twitter after being shared by several Twitter accounts related to Anonymous, including @YourAnonNews and @Anon OpsLegion. Despite the misspelling of the word “confirmed” on the fake image, many seemed to buy into the hoax due to its association with Anonymous and a false endorsement from CNN.

"#BREAKING BURNED BODY IS NOT #DORNER. BUT FEMALE! #LAPDFAIL #FTP," read the tweet from @AnonOpsLegion, which was later deleted but lived on in numerous retweets throughout Twitter.

Buzzfeed has compiled a list of tweets spreading false information about the body found in the burned cabin as well a as a legitimate video of CNN’s reporting on the Dorner shooting debunking the Twitter hoax. In actuality, CNN’s news ticker read “Rogue ex-cop Dorner believed dead. Suspect first spotted by Fish & Wildlife officers.”

On Tuesday night, ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner was suspected killed in a firefight at a cabin in Big Bear, Calif. San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies surrounded the building, which was soon burned to the ground. Investigators found a single charred body in the burned cabin, which nearly every news organization believes is Dorner’s.

However, many conspiracy theorists and fans of the ex-cop have refused to believe that Dorner perished in the cabin. Dozens of Twitter users have been posting under the #TeamDorner hashtag to support the killer ex-cop and spout theories that Dorner is still alive and on the run.