A social media influencer from Queensland, Australia, has been charged with poisoning her one-year-old daughter in a bid to elicit donations and grow her online following, authorities have revealed.
The woman claimed to document her baby girl’s struggle with a terminal illness, but detectives allege she was administering unauthorised medications and filming the child’s resulting “immense distress and pain” for her social media content.
Doctors raised concerns in October after the baby was hospitalized following a serious medical episode.
Police began investigating the 34-year-old woman, leading to charges of torture, poisoning, creating child exploitation material, and fraud.
Detective Inspector Paul Dalton described the case as “repulsive,” telling reporters on Thursday, “There are no words for how abhorrent offences of this nature are.”
Between August and October, investigators allege, the woman administered multiple prescription and over-the-counter medications to her daughter without authorization.
Authorities claim she went to great lengths to acquire the drugs and conceal her actions, even using leftover medication meant for another individual in the household.
The investigation began on 15 October, when the baby was brought to the hospital suffering from “severe emotional and physical distress and harm.”
Subsequent tests confirmed the presence of unauthorised substances in January, police said.
The woman reportedly raised A$60,000 (£30,500; $37,300) through a GoFundMe campaign, which the platform is now working to refund, Det Insp Dalton confirmed.
While police considered other individuals during their inquiries, they found no evidence implicating anyone else in the alleged abuse.
The accused is scheduled to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.
Source-BBC
