Arkansas State News by Evan Green, Southern States Bureau Chief
According to authorities, an Arkansas woman faked her adopted son's illness so the entire family could make money. Her family raked in thousands from the community as the adopted son endured painful and unnecessary medical procedures.
Authorities allege that Kristy Schneider deliberately engaged in conduct that posed a substantial risk of physical injury to her son before charging her with endangering the welfare of a minor.
The Arkansas Attorney General, Leslie Rutledge, is also suing Schneider and her husband Erik for fraud for allegedly collecting thousands of dollars in donations.
In a publicly accessible journal on CaringBridge, Kristy Schneider chronicled the medical complications of her adopted son.
His health declined, necessitating a feeding tube after he suffered his first seizure at the breakfast table.
According to the complaint, the boy was hospitalized six times in almost three months over the course of one year.
Multiple specialists and the placement of a pacemaker in the young boy's body convinced Kristy that hospice care was the best course of action.
To honor the boy, who loved law enforcement, law enforcement agencies lined the route to the hospice facility in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Upon entering the hospital, the boy seemed to be in better health than he had been in months. The Schneiders, instead of being thrilled about the development, ordered the feeding tube to be reinserted.
An evaluation by medical professionals at the Mayo Clinic determined that Kristy Schneider's son was not feeling the pain she had described.
The department of children's services hotline also received several calls regarding Kristy causing her son's illness knowingly, leading to an investigation.
He had just been hospitalized for an infected port when he was taken into state care.
Doctors determined that the boy had been a victim of Munchausen by proxy, an instance of a caregiver falsely reporting a patient's condition or harming a person for personal gain.
In addition to the boy undergoing numerous medical procedures, the community provided complimentary ambulance rides, round-trip flights to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, as well as meals and cash to help the family.
It is estimated that the Schneiders received approximately $31,895 in donations.
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