An Australian woman has been arrested and charged for allegedly poisoning her infant child, then pretending that the child had a severe illness in order to boost social media attention.
"[There are] no words for how repulsive offenses of this nature are," Queensland Police Det Insp Paul Dalton told reporters on Thursday.
On Oct. 15, the 34-year-old Queensland resident's child was admitted to a hospital in critical condition after having suffered an intense medical episode. The child had been experiencing "severe emotional and physical distress and harm".
Test results obtained in January demonstrated that the infant tested positive for unauthorized medications, reported BBC. Doctors informed law enforcement of the incident, which led to a months-long investigation.
The woman was later charged with torture, administering poison, making child exploitation material and fraud.
From August to October, the woman obtained unauthorized medications in a plethora of ways, including using leftover medication from another person they had been living with, which she would then administer to the child with no approval.
She then photographed and filmed the child in "immense distress and pain", posting photos and videos on social media while claiming that her child suffered from a severe terminal illness.
She raised A$60,000 (£30,500; $37,300) in donations through GoFundMe using this narrative, a sum the site is now attempting to repay to donors.
Additional investigation indicated that the woman acted alone and that there was no evidence to levy a charge against anyone else.
The woman is due at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.
Originally published by Latin Times.
