Ohio mother shaved her little girl's head and faked cancer diagnosis for years: 'She liked the support'

An Ohio mother was arrested Monday for passing her little girl off as a moribund cancer patient for years in order to scam anyone keen to help, according to the Noble County Sheriff's Office. Pamela Reed of Pleasant City has been charged with theft by deception, a felony of the fourth degree.

The NCSO and Noble County Children's Services received a tip on Jan. 4 concerning the con. The elementary school nurse at the victim's school tipped off detectives after she discovered Reed's daughter was not blind in her right eye as Reed had claimed, reported the New York Post.

The nurse contacted the child's provider who revealed, "AR did not have cancer or leukemia, and she never had cancer or leukemia."

Sheriff Jason Mackie, detectives, and Noble County Children's Services subsequently launched an investigation into the claim, discovering the child was cancer-free.

In addition to providing the school with false medical documents, charging documents alleged that Reed shaved the victim's head, subjected her constant blood tests, fed her anti-seizure medication, and caused her to miss over 280 hours of school in the 2023-2024 year already. Even the victim's sister appears to have been misled into thinking the girl had cancer.

Among Reed's many shakedowns was a hog roast and bake sale on Oct. 21, claiming all proceeds would go to benefit her 7-year-old daughter's supposed "Acute Myeloid Leukemia journey." Reed also raised money through a since-deleted GoFundMe campaign.

Investigators later discovered that one local organization had provided the family with roughly $8,000 to help with medical bills.

Reed has been posting to social media about her daughter's fake condition since at least October 2017, drumming up sympathy and donations and even going so far as to sell merchandise in her daughter's name. In one instance, she prompted the now-8-year-old victim to say in a video that she hated cancer.

In September, Reed claimed, "Due to all the horrible chemotherapy Addey has a few discolored teeth....and was made fun of by a few kids for them."

"Today has been a rough day mentally for our warrior and the last few days have had some new pains that we are hoping is just that, pain and no more spread," Reed wrote in a Dec. 31 post.

"Tuesday starts another 10 weeks of an even harder treatment and so many other medicines," Reed wrote just before her arrest. "No child should have to fight his hard for anything,u as parents are the ones who handle all the hard stuff."

On numerous occasions, Reed claimed her daughter was receiving treatment at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The 41-year-old mother was arrested on Jan. 8, then taken to the Noble County Jail where the NCSO indicated she admitted "that she had exaggerated and fabricated medical conditions to receive monetary donations from local organizations."

Reed reportedly told authorities she kept up the scam "because she liked the support given as a result."

The Post indicated it remains unclear whether Reed's husband was in on the scheme, but noted her two children were removed from the home.

Judge Jennifer Arnold of the Noble County Court set Reed's bond at $50,000.

"We are extremely proud of the Children’s Services staff along with law enforcement collaborative efforts to quickly act for safety these children," Mackie and Noble County Children's Services said in a joint statement. "Child abuse and neglect isn't always cut and dry, cookie cutter scenarios. If you as a professional or as a member of our community feel like something just isn’t quite right, don't hesitate, make the report."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!