Carson City mom accused of faking son's death for money

Investigators continue to unravel the bizarre circumstances surrounding a Carson City woman who was arrested Friday after she allegedly faked her 10-year-old son's death in order to generate money through community donations and a GoFundMe account, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong.

On Friday, April 14, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office was contacted to investigate the possibility of a fraudulent claim of a child’s recent death and concerns that the child could be alive and endangered at a South Carson Street motel.

Deputies made contact with the mother, Victoria Morrison, 31, who confirmed the child’s death (leukemia) on April 8, 2017, and that donations, including a “GoFundMe” account had been set up for donors. Other officers responded to the motel location where her son was found in good spirits and healthy, said Furlong.

Sheriff’s deputies returned to the mother and placed her under arrest, originally booking her for burglary and obstructing. Go here for the original story.

Working with the Carson City District Attorney, the charges eventually filed were for obtaining money under false pretenses and filing false statements. She remains in custody at the Carson City Jail and her bail is set at $20,000. Morrison’s son and siblings were released to the care of Child Protective Services.

The incident has been turned over to investigators who are currently collecting additional information that was learned over the weekend and throughout Monday, said Furlong.

Details are emerging that Morrison’s child had been diagnosed with a treatable childhood illness well over a year ago, but she used embellished medical information to convince the child, the schools, and the public that he was terminally ill, said Furlong. Her son is alleged to have not attended school in months.

His alleged illness was highlighted this past Christmas during Holiday with a Hero events in Carson City, and was afforded a charity helicopter ride. During the past month, Morrison informed everyone, primarily through social media, that her son had died and his body had been cremated. A memorial service was held in Churchill County.

The scam created by Morrison is rapidly unwinding and the details continue to emerge that are challenging investigators.

The extent to which Morrison went to convince others of her son’s death have investigators critically looking into who all knew that the scam was taking place, and what end possibilities could have been anticipated, said Furlong.

Current estimates of donations received is still being calculated, but weekend immediate estimates have suggested at least $2,000, said Furlong.

The bizarre details of this investigation are continuously being received by Sheriff’s detectives. Anyone with information regarding this fraud is encouraged to contact the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, Detectives Division at (775) 887-2500.

For more on this, and other Carson City stories, visit www.carsonnow.org.