An Ohio woman raised thousands of dollars to help a child fight cancer when the child in question was healthy and cancer-free, police said. Investigators said Pamela Reed, 41, admitted to exaggerating and fabricating a child's medical conditions to receive monetary donations after her arrest earlier this week.
The Noble County Children's Services and the sheriff's office received information on Jan. 4 about a child who was being publicly represented as battling cancer, police said. Administrators at the child's school raised concerns after Reed provided documentation saying the elementary-aged student was diagnosed with cancer and was blind in her right eye, according to court records.
The school raised concerns after healthcare professionals conducted an eye exam on the child and school administrators said the child had already missed over 280 hours of school this year, according to court documents.
On Monday, Reed was arrested and charged with fourth-degree felony theft by deception; her bond was set at $50,000, police said.
"We are extremely proud of the Children's Services staff along with law enforcement collaborative efforts to quickly act for the safety of these children," Noble County Sheriff's said in a Facebook post. "Child abuse and neglect isn't always cut and dry, cookie-cutter scenarios."
On Sept. 2, Reed created a GoFundMe account with a goal of $5,000 to help a sick child, according to the Daily Jeffersonian, part of the USA TODAY Network. Over two months, $2,184 was raised, with the last donations being made two months ago, the outlet reported.
Reed updated the GoFundMe post on Sept. 24 and claimed the child was diagnosed with pre-leukemia cells after developing bruises, the Daily Jeffersonian said. Reed told her followers the child underwent two failed bone marrow transplants at the age of 2 and was later diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, brain tumors, stage 4 kidney disease, and blindness in one eye.
Several community organizations made fundraising efforts to help cover the child's medical expenses and received a generous donation of $8,000 from one of the organizations involved, the Daily Jeffersonian said.
Reed used social media to promote fundraisers and seek donations. Her final post at 9:37 p.m. on Jan. 6 announced the start of another 10-week treatment for the child the next day, the paper reported.
Noble County Sheriff's deputies arrested Reed, of Pleasant City, Ohio, on Jan. 8 on allegations that she fabricated medical conditions to receive money from local organizations, police said.
Reed admitted to the wrongdoing during questioning and was taken to the Noble County Jail.
