Mum jailed after faking daughter's cancer to rake in thousands of donations

A mum has been jailed after she pretended her young daughter was terminally ill.

The bizarre story began when Lindsey Abbuhl, from Canton, Ohio, started telling friends that her daughter, Rylee, was seriously unwell.

The 35-year-old, who had herself claimed to have had a brain tumour in the past, would often share posts and updates of her daughter's condition on social media.

One such post read: "This little lady is my best friend! Continue to say prayers for her as we navigate through her medical concerns.

Facebook

"We don't know what her future holds, and we don't know if tomorrow will come for her each time we go to bed but the prayers and faith of all those we love helps keep us going!"

She later set up a GoFundMe page, raking in thousands of dollars by urging people to donate to her 11-year-old's cause.

Lindsey claimed that Rylee's central nervous system had failed and that she didn't have long left to live.

The page called on all of 'Rylees's Warriors' to get behind the cause, claiming that doctors were now more concerned for the young girl's 'quality of life rather than the quantity'.

Overall, Lindsey managed to make over $4,500 from donations through the page before it was was revealed to be a lie.

As well as the donations, though, the mother also held a number of charity events, securing free tickets for her and Rylee to Sea World, and being made guests of honour at a softball game.

Rylee had even asked some of her friends whether they would be pall bearers at her funeral.

However, it transpired last year that there was no evidence whatsoever that Rylee was terminally ill, and Lindsey lost custody of her daughter.

GoFundMe

Documents obtained by The Canton Repository showed that a medical expert had reviewed all of Rylee's records, looking at a whole range of things including her haematology, her genetics and neurology.

They concluded: "There is no evidence to support the mother's claim that Rylee is terminally ill."

Rylee was then left under the guardianship of her dad, Jamie Abbuhl, who divorced her mother five years ago.

Lindsey later admitted second degree child endangering and fourth degree theft.

She was sentenced to four to six years in prison and ordered to pay $8,529.90 to the victims as part of her plea deal.

Speaking during the hearing, Stark County Prosecutor Kyle Stone said: "Essentially, this plea was a way to bring closure to the several parties involved in this case.

"This was also the best way to avoid the possibility of further traumatising a child that has already been through so much."