Mother charged for poisoning daughter to fraudulently secure donations
An Australian mother has been charged with poisoning her one-year-old daughter and posting videos of the infant’s distress to solicit donations on GoFundMe, according to police and local media reports on Thursday.
The 34-year-old woman allegedly went to great lengths to secretly administer prescription and over-the-counter medications to the child without medical authorization, Queensland Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said.
Hospital staff in Brisbane grew suspicious when the baby was treated for a serious mental condition in October last year and alerted authorities. Police responded quickly to protect the child and initiated an investigation, Dalton explained.
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Though local media identified the woman as the baby’s mother, police did not officially confirm this.
The woman is accused of filming and posting footage of the baby’s “immense distress and pain” between August and October 2024 in order to raise funds from online followers, Dalton added.
Tests conducted this month confirmed the presence of unauthorized drugs in the child’s system. As a result, the woman was charged on Thursday with 11 offenses.
Dalton condemned the alleged crimes, stating, “There are no words to describe just how repulsive offences of this nature are… There is no excuse for hurting a child, particularly one so young and entirely dependent on adults for care and love.”
The woman allegedly raised over AU$60,000 (US$37,000) through GoFundMe, which is now working to return the donations to contributors, Dalton said.
She is scheduled to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.
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