A depraved Ohio mother is accused of faking her child’s cancer diagnosis and shaving her head so she could raise money and keep it for herself, police said.
Pamela Reed, 41, was charged Monday with theft by deception after claiming her seven-year-old daughter, Addey Rae, had acute myeloid leukemia, along with a range of other conditions.
The mother raised a lot of money and posted heartbreaking photos of her child’s treatment online.
Suspicions arose last week when the nurse at her child’s elementary school discovered that Addey was not blind in her right eye, as Reed had said. The nurse then tipped off detectives from the Noble County Sheriff’s Office, sparking an investigation.
“After obtaining information, Sheriff Mackie, along with detectives and children’s services, began an investigation into the allegation. They were able to confirm that the child did not have cancer,” the sheriff’s office said.
Pamela Reed, 41, was arrested and charged with theft by deception after allegedly claiming her daughter Addey Rae had acute myeloid leukemia, along with a range of other conditions
Addey’s elementary school nurse tipped off detectives after discovering the child is not blind in her right eye — another health condition Reed claimed her daughter had
Addey is seen in April lying on a hospital bed while having an ultrasound scan of her back. The mother created a public Facebook page called ‘Our “Rae” Of Sunshine-Team Addey Rae”, where she posted sad images of her daughter
Reed also said Addey suffered from frequent seizures and would need a port implanted for her cancer treatments in the future.
She then shaved her daughter’s head, subjected her to constant blood tests and caused her child to miss more than 280 hours of school, according to charging documents.
It is unclear why medical staff did not determine the child’s actual health status.
Reed, originally from Pleasant City, Ohio, was taken to the Noble County Jail, where she initially tried to lie before coming clean and admitting that “she exaggerated and fabricated medical conditions to receive monetary donations.”
The school nurse then called Addey’s primary care physician, who referred to the child as “AR,” and confirmed that she “did not have cancer or leukemia, and that she never had cancer or leukemia.”
Addey’s doctor also revealed the plethora of documents the mother had handed over to the school to prove her daughter’s alleged cancer was all false.
Reed later confessed that she would take other prescriptions and repackage them in boxes of cancer drugs and give Addey anti-seizure medications.
She also claimed that her daughter suffered from severe aplastic anemia, a disease that caused the bone marrow to not produce enough blood cells for the body. It is unclear whether that disease was also faked.
The corrupt mother then told authorities that she continued to carry out the plan “because she was happy with the support it gave.”
Reed shaved her daughter’s head, subjected her to constant blood tests and caused her child to miss more than 280 hours of school, documents say.
It has since been learned that the donations did not go towards Addey’s medical expenses and instead went directly into Reed’s pockets, as she received approximately $8,000 from a local organization “to support the costs of cancer treatment.”
The mother received approximately $8,000 from a local organization “to support cancer treatment costs,” the news release said.
She also created a public Facebook page called ‘Our “Rae” Of Sunshine-Team Addey Rae’, where she posted sad images of Addey during her ‘cancer journey’.
The page has been up since October 2017, when the child was about 20 months old, and along with photos, Reed also posted fundraising links and flyers that read, “All proceeds will benefit Addey’s trip.”
It has since been learned that the donations did not go towards Addey’s medical costs, but went straight into Reed’s pockets.
While all recent posts have been deleted, one post from April showed a pile of blood-filled vials and Addey lying on her stomach while she got an ultrasound of her back.
The message read: ‘Our little girl is one of the strongest little girls on the planet! 22 tubes of blood today and ultrasounds…she was so brave through it all…Miss Addey, Mom, Dad and her sisters are so ready for this nightmare to be over!’
Records showed that Addey’s sister also had the impression that her sibling was ill.
The Facebook page in Addey’s honor has been in existence since October 2017, when the child was about 20 months old
Reed’s husband was not in the house at the time of her arrest and it is unclear whether he was part of the plot
Reed is married, but her husband is not mentioned in any records and was not present at the time of the arrest. Law & Crime. It is also unclear whether he was part of the plot or not.
All of their children were “removed from the home due to concerns for their safety,” the documents said.
Theft by deception is a fourth-degree felony and Reed’s bond was set at $50,000.
“We are extremely proud of Child Protective Services personnel and the joint efforts of law enforcement to act quickly for the safety of these children,” the Nobel County Sheriff’s Office said.
‘Child abuse and neglect is not always a simple scenario. If you, as a professional or as a member of our community, feel that something is not quite right, please do not hesitate to report it. The courage and dedication of this team is inspiring.’