A woman in Las Vegas, Dasha Kelly, had claimed to be the mother of three children, who’d fallen on hard times and was facing eviction. She was able to raise $200,000 on GoFundMe, as her story went viral, and captured the attention of news outlets nationwide. Now, it turns out that Kelly isn’t the mother of these kids at all, according to CNN.
The original amount requested on GoFundMe was $1,900. After hitting $200k, a woman named Shadia Halo claimed to be the actual mother of these children. Kelly ended up telling CNN’s Nick Watt that she was actually the babysitter.
Kelly had posed as the mother because she sees herself as that role to the children.
“And yes, Shadia Halo is their mother,” added Watt in the CNN report. “We have seen the birth certificates. And now we know that Dasha Kelly is dating the girls’ father.” Halo was upset over Kelly seemingly claiming to be the girls’ mother, and Kelly clarified to CNN that she described herself as their mother because she sees herself as a maternal figure in the children’s lives.”
A GoFundMe spokesperson has since come out and said that this account has been frozen for now. Information about the mother needs to be verified and that no money had been used from the donations. Anyone who donated are eligible for refunds as well.
Kelly also explained herself further, as she maintained that the kids see her as a mother figure. Her partner is also supposedly the children’s father.
“I’ve been contacted with some concerns around my relationship to the girls mentioned on my fundraiser, and I’d like to clarify a couple things. The girls recognize me as a mother figure in their lives, but I am not their biological mother. My partner is the children’s father whom I do not live with, and I take care of these girls in my home for periods of time, and have for the last couple years. I’ve loved these girls unconditionally, and have been out of the kindness of my heart. I treat them as my daughters, and care for them in this way.”
Kelly still does need the funds to avoid being evicted, though. She does plan to put money aside for the girls in a savings account.
“This detail doesn’t change my original need for donations to avoid eviction, and I will be using the funds to get back on my feet and support my family. As mentioned in my last update, I will also be putting money aside for the girls in a savings account.”
Flip the page, for Now, This news video of how Kelly raised this money.
