Background: Microscope photo provided by the National Cancer Institute shows human cells with acute myelocytic leukemia. (National Cancer Institute via AP)/Inset: Pamela Reed booking photo Noble County Sheriff’s Office
While thousands of families cope with the realities of cancer daily in the U.S., Pamela Reed, according to police in Ohio, saw an opportunity to make some cold hard cash by lying and pretending her own daughter was suffering from the disease.
In a statement posted on Facebook from the Noble County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio on Wednesday, authorities said they arrested Reed, 41, on Jan. 8 and charged her with theft by deception.
Court records show Reed was arraigned Tuesday and goes before a judge in Noble County again on Jan. 16 for a preliminary hearing. A public defender was assigned to her case. That attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Detectives said they were tipped off on Jan. 4 that Reed’s daughter might not actually be sick as her mother had claimed for weeks to various local organizations.
People “participated in fundraising efforts and had made monetary contributions to help the family offset medical costs,” the sheriff’s office said.
Reed allegedly collected $8,000 from unsuspecting donors in her Pleasant City, Ohio, community.
In an affidavit of facts obtained by Law&Crime Wednesday, authorities said Reed also lie about her daughter being blind in her right eye, having seizures and requiring a “port” for her impending cancer treatments.
A port is an implantable reservoir that allows patients to have drugs administered this way instead of through constant needle pricks, as is common in chemotherapy. They are a boon for patients, but not without their own difficulties and do not make administration of drugs painless.
A school administrator at the child’s elementary school raised the alarm, police said, when a regular eye exam led to them have “concerns” about the veracity of Reed’s claims.
Police also said an administrator had contacted a “provider” who confirmed the child did not have cancer or leukemia as Reed had claimed.
Authorities said the child missed more than 280 school days.
Police said during an interview with Reed, the 41-year-old woman admitted “that she had exaggerated and fabricated medical conditions to receive monetary donations from local organizations.”
She also allegedly told police during a Jan. 8 interview that her daughter “did not have cancer and she posted [statements on Facebook] because she liked the support given as a result,” the affidavit notes.
“Pamela posted numerous statements on Facebook about A.R. having cancer. There have been fundraisers, and donations collected to assist the Reeds with A.R.’s ‘cancer’ treatments. Zeps Against Cancer Organization reported they gave the Reed Family around $8,000 to help with the expenses of cancer treatments for A.R.”
Reed allegedly admitted to altering documents for a “provider,” presumably, a health insurance provider, to state her daughter had leukemia. She drew up the phony forms on her tablet at home, police said.
In addition to the child Reed allegedly exploited outright, police said she has another daughter who lived at home with her and A.R. That daughter, with the same initials, records show, is just 7 years old and was under the belief her sister “had cancer and was severely ill.”
Reed is married, though her husband’s name was not identified in records. He was not home at the time of her arrest and the children were subsequently “removed as there were concerns for their safety,” the affidavit states.
“I felt there was a substantial risk to the healthy and safety of both the children,” the affiant wrote.
Theft by deception is a fourth-degree felony. Reed’s bond was set at $50,000.
In a joint statement announcing her arrest, Noble County Sheriff Jason Mackie as well as Misty Wells, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, said: “We are extremely proud of the Children’s Services staff along with law enforcement collaborative efforts to quickly act for safety [of] these children.”
“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,” the statement said.
People who may have been victimized by Reed’s alleged scamming are asked to contact the Noble County Sheriff’s Office at 740-732-5631.
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