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It’s a finger-lickin’ fraud.
A Mississippi woman’s story of her disfigured 3-year-old granddaughter being discriminated against and kicked out of a Jackson KFC in May was made up, an investigation has found, the Laurel Leader-Call reported.
Kelly Mullins has raised more than $135,000, received free surgeries for her granddaughter and drawn $30,000 from KFC itself after claiming an employee at the fast-food joint ordered little Victoria Wilcher out because of her severe scarring.
“They just told us, they said, ‘We have to ask you to leave because her face is disrupting our customers,’” Mullins told WAPT-TV of the alleged May 15 incident. "(Victoria) just cried the whole way home ... She won't look in the mirror."
Facebook/facebook
Las Vegas plastic surgeon Frank Stiles donated free surgeries after hearing the story.
Enlarge
Victoria's Victories/Via Facebook
Victoria Wilcher, 3, lost her right eye in the attack, among other severe injuries.
Enlarge
The blond-haired, blue-eyed girl was nearly mauled to death in April by three pit bulls owned by her grandfather. Donald Mullins and his girlfriend, Rita Tompkins, were charged with child endangerment after the April 10 incident, the paper reported.
“Victoria had bites all over her body but the most damage was to her sweet little face,” the girl’s aunt, Teri Rials Bates, wrote on a gofundme.com site that has raised more than $135,000 for the girl. “She had a broken upper and lower jaw, broken nose, cheek bones (sic) and right eye socket. She lost her right eye completely and the ability to move the right side of her face.”
Details of the attack itself were not under investigation. But a look into Mullins claims of what actually happened at the Woodrow Wilson Drive KFC location on May 15 are peppered with inconsistencies, an investigation by KFC found, the Leader-Call reported.
WAPT/WAPT If the story was made up, it's unclear if Mullins would face charges for lying about what happened at KFC.
In fact, the woman and the little girl did not even visit that location, or another Jackson location, a review of surveillance tape found.
Mullins told WAPT on June 12 that she and the girl visited the store after a doctor’s appointment at a nearby KFC, where the grandmother “ordered a sweet tea and mashed potatoes and gravy.”
But a review of transactions on May 15 at both Jackson locations found those items weren’t included in the same order at any point. And no one matching the description of Mullins or little Victoria visited either restaurant, the Leader-Call reported.
“It just didn’t happen,” the source told the newspaper.
The grandmother’s tall tale went viral after a post to a Facebook page dedicated to the girl’s recovery mentioned the KFC incident and a plan to boycott the restaurant. A local TV news piece followed before it gained steam, attracting national attention in newspapers, on websites — including the Daily News — and national television shows.
And once the story went wild, more than $135,000 was donated for medical costs. Before the news pieces, only $600 was raised for the little girl on the gofundme.com site.
Victoria's Victories/Via Facebook The little girl before she was attacked by three pit bulls on April 10.
On Saturday, Las Vegas plastic surgeon Frank Stile flew out to Jackson after hearing the story and pledged to donate the costs of covering the expensive reconstructive procedures, likely in the tens of thousands of dollars.
But the lie also produced some ugly incidents: Employees and managers at both Jackson locations have faced death threats, harassment and have had drinks thrown through the drive-thru window, sources told the local newspaper.
The official findings of the investigation are expected next week, and the grandmother’s attorney told the Leader-Call he would not comment until the results are released.
WAPT KFC has pledged $30,000 to the family, but has also launched an investigation into the grandmother's claim.
“You can write what you want to, but until I hear from them, I have no comment,” Bill Kellum told the paper.
The KFC corporate headquarters declined to comment, but Dick West, who owns the local Jackson KFC franchises, posted on Facebook about the incident on Saturday.
“When the allegation was first made, KFC pledged $30,000 to go to medical expenses and started an investigation to find the truth,” he wrote. “They have pledged the money even if it is proven that the incident never happened. At this point their story is full of holes. Any thinking person who follows their timeline can see it. The event at KFC never happened.”
It's unclear if Kelly Mullins would face criminal charges if found to have made up the incident.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...r-hoax-report-article-1.1841151#ixzz35YC12snC
A Mississippi woman’s story of her disfigured 3-year-old granddaughter being discriminated against and kicked out of a Jackson KFC in May was made up, an investigation has found, the Laurel Leader-Call reported.
Kelly Mullins has raised more than $135,000, received free surgeries for her granddaughter and drawn $30,000 from KFC itself after claiming an employee at the fast-food joint ordered little Victoria Wilcher out because of her severe scarring.
“They just told us, they said, ‘We have to ask you to leave because her face is disrupting our customers,’” Mullins told WAPT-TV of the alleged May 15 incident. "(Victoria) just cried the whole way home ... She won't look in the mirror."
Las Vegas plastic surgeon Frank Stiles donated free surgeries after hearing the story.
Enlarge
Victoria Wilcher, 3, lost her right eye in the attack, among other severe injuries.
Enlarge
The blond-haired, blue-eyed girl was nearly mauled to death in April by three pit bulls owned by her grandfather. Donald Mullins and his girlfriend, Rita Tompkins, were charged with child endangerment after the April 10 incident, the paper reported.
“Victoria had bites all over her body but the most damage was to her sweet little face,” the girl’s aunt, Teri Rials Bates, wrote on a gofundme.com site that has raised more than $135,000 for the girl. “She had a broken upper and lower jaw, broken nose, cheek bones (sic) and right eye socket. She lost her right eye completely and the ability to move the right side of her face.”
Details of the attack itself were not under investigation. But a look into Mullins claims of what actually happened at the Woodrow Wilson Drive KFC location on May 15 are peppered with inconsistencies, an investigation by KFC found, the Leader-Call reported.
In fact, the woman and the little girl did not even visit that location, or another Jackson location, a review of surveillance tape found.
Mullins told WAPT on June 12 that she and the girl visited the store after a doctor’s appointment at a nearby KFC, where the grandmother “ordered a sweet tea and mashed potatoes and gravy.”
But a review of transactions on May 15 at both Jackson locations found those items weren’t included in the same order at any point. And no one matching the description of Mullins or little Victoria visited either restaurant, the Leader-Call reported.
“It just didn’t happen,” the source told the newspaper.
The grandmother’s tall tale went viral after a post to a Facebook page dedicated to the girl’s recovery mentioned the KFC incident and a plan to boycott the restaurant. A local TV news piece followed before it gained steam, attracting national attention in newspapers, on websites — including the Daily News — and national television shows.
And once the story went wild, more than $135,000 was donated for medical costs. Before the news pieces, only $600 was raised for the little girl on the gofundme.com site.
On Saturday, Las Vegas plastic surgeon Frank Stile flew out to Jackson after hearing the story and pledged to donate the costs of covering the expensive reconstructive procedures, likely in the tens of thousands of dollars.
But the lie also produced some ugly incidents: Employees and managers at both Jackson locations have faced death threats, harassment and have had drinks thrown through the drive-thru window, sources told the local newspaper.
The official findings of the investigation are expected next week, and the grandmother’s attorney told the Leader-Call he would not comment until the results are released.
“You can write what you want to, but until I hear from them, I have no comment,” Bill Kellum told the paper.
The KFC corporate headquarters declined to comment, but Dick West, who owns the local Jackson KFC franchises, posted on Facebook about the incident on Saturday.
“When the allegation was first made, KFC pledged $30,000 to go to medical expenses and started an investigation to find the truth,” he wrote. “They have pledged the money even if it is proven that the incident never happened. At this point their story is full of holes. Any thinking person who follows their timeline can see it. The event at KFC never happened.”
It's unclear if Kelly Mullins would face criminal charges if found to have made up the incident.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...r-hoax-report-article-1.1841151#ixzz35YC12snC
