Influencer Allegedly Poisoned Her Baby

An Australian influencer has been charged with poisoning her own baby in an alleged scheme to get donations. Police say the unnamed 34-year-old Queensland woman claimed her one-year-old daughter had a terminal illness and that she was documenting the child's health struggles on social media, but the truth was the girl's suffering was caused by her mother, not a disease. The woman is accused of drugging the child, causing "immense distress and pain," and then filming her for her followers, the BBC reports. In October, when the girl was admitted to a hospital, doctors alerted authorities that they suspected the child was being poisoned, People reports. The child ultimately tested positive for unauthorized medications.

Her mother faces five counts of administering poison with intent to harm, three counts of preparation to commit crimes with dangerous things, and one count each of torture, making child exploitation material and fraud. Police say her motivation was gaining followers and donations from those followers, and that she raised more than $37,000 USD through the scheme. "No words for how repulsive offenses of this nature are," says a police detective, who adds that the little girl is now "safe and doing well." GoFundMe is working with authorities to return money to donors, ABC.net reports. (More Australia stories.)