A six-year-long ruse finally came crashing down when a school nurse discovered that a seven-year-old girl was not actually blind in her right eye as her mother Pamela Reed had claimed.
Because Reed had said the blindness was the result of her daughter's fight with leukemia, the nurse contacted the girl’s healthcare provider only to learn that AR, as the girl is referred to in court documents, "did not have cancer or leukemia, and she never had cancer or leukemia," according to an affidavit filed in Noble County Court in Ohio. In fact, the girl was perfectly healthy.
Since AR had missed more than 280 hours of classes this school year alone, the district reported the case to the police, who discovered that Reed had a far more sinister scheme than just keeping her daughter home from school.
Image credits: Noble County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
Image credits: Our "Rae" Of Sunshine - Team Addey Rae/Facebook
Via a Facebook page with over 1,000 followers, Reed had scammed concerned community members out of thousands of dollars by posting regular fundraisers for treatment. A charitable organization even donated $8,000.
However, what really horrified social media was the lengths Reed went to to convince everyone, including her own family members, that her daughter was sick. In addition to falsified healthcare records, Reed changed the labels on prescription bottles so they appeared to be cancer medication. She even went so far as to give AR seizure drugs when the girl wasn't actually ill.
The nurse contacted the girl’s healthcare provider only to learn that AR, as the girl is referred to in court documents, "did not have cancer or leukemia"
Image credits: Our "Rae" Of Sunshine - Team Addey Rae/Facebook
To maintain the lie, Reed shaved her daughter's head to make her look like she was in cancer treatment and posted images on the Facebook page of the girl receiving medical care, including one of an ultrasound and another of AR as a toddler with a nose tube.
A post from April 2020 even shows a pile of blood-filled vials, causing some to speculate what fake "treatments" Reed was subjecting her daughter to.
Via a Facebook page, Reed had scammed concerned community members out of thousands of dollars by posting regular fundraisers for treatment
Image credits: Our "Rae" Of Sunshine - Team Addey Rae/Facebook
AR's mother made her miss over 280 hours of classes this school year alone
Image credits: Our "Rae" Of Sunshine - Team Addey Rae/Facebook
In the posts, Reed pleads for support. "[AR] could use some prayers going into the next few weeks…" she captioned a photo that appears to be of AR having blood drawn. "Pray we get some much needed answers!"
In addition to falsified healthcare records, Reed changed the labels on prescription bottles so they appeared to be cancer medication
Image credits: Our "Rae" Of Sunshine - Team Addey Rae/Facebook
After these revelations, the Noble County Sheriff's Office arrested Pamela Reed on charges of "theft by deception." As a fourth-degree felony, this carries up to 18 months in prison and up to a $5,000 fine, according to Ohio law. Social services also removed the rest of Reed's children from her home over "concerns for their safety."
While she waits for her preliminary hearing on January 16, Reed, held on a $50,000 bond, was transported to Noble County Jail, where many social media commenters believe she belongs.
"I am so glad someone reported their concerns and saved this baby," a reader commented
