OHIO CITY, OH – A 41-year-old Ohio woman stands accused of creating a fabricated narrative of her child suffering from cancer to solicit donations, according to authorities. Pamela Reed allegedly went to great lengths to make her lie believable, even shaving her seven-year-old daughter’s head and posturing her as afflicted with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and multiple health conditions. The scam enabled Reed to raise thousands of dollars and maintain a pretense of her daughter’s “treatment” via social media.
Mistrust arose when the child’s elementary school nurse discovered that the girl was not visually impaired in her right eye, contrary to Reed’s claims. The nurse reported her concerns to detectives at the Noble County Sheriff’s Office, triggering an investigation that confirmed that the child was not suffering from cancer.
Reed, from Pleasant City, was apprehended and initially tried to mislead investigators but eventually confessed to her actions. She admitted to exaggerating her daughter’s health circumstances to procure financial donations. Reed subjected her daughter to ongoing blood tests and orchestrated her missing school for over 280 hours due to these illusory medical conditions, investigators disclosed in charge documents.
The motive behind Reed’s fraudulent scheme was simply because she relished the support that came as a result, she confessed to authorities. In her elaborate deception, Reed is reported to have received approximately $8,000 to help cover the fictitious cancer treatment expenses. Reed also manufactured a public Facebook page, where she posted seemingly pitiful images of her daughter’s so-called cancer journey and pleas for aid.
Reed’s fabrications didn’t stop at leukemia. She falsely claimed that her daughter suffered from Severe Aplastic Anemia, a bone marrow-related disease. Authorities have yet to ascertain whether this was another falsified affliction.
Pamela Reed now faces charges of fourth-degree felony theft by deception, carrying a bond set at $50,000.