Alleged Modesto Baby Funeral Scammers May Be Trying Same Scheme In SoCal
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Two Northern California women accused of running a scam that collected money for a baby's funeral could be in San Diego County.
The North County Times says two women spotted Wednesday at a San Marcos shopping center held signs asking for funeral donations. The signs had a baby's picture that may have been pulled from the Internet.
The women left but San Diego County authorities issued an alert saying they're wanted for questioning.
The Times says the women resembled a pair arrested two months ago in Modesto on suspicion of fraud for running an alleged scam that netted them hundreds of dollars a day.
The women in Modesto, 27-year-old Tiffany Lyon of Modesto and 20-year-old Chasity Doll, pleaded not guilty and are free on bail.
Lyon and Doll told two officers that their son, Justin Michael Farrell, died at a Modesto hospital on June 6 from a heart condition while they were on vacation.
When officers asked for specific details about where the child died, the doctor's name, or the child's city of birth, the women evaded the questions, authorities said.
After checking for recent infant deaths in the area, investigators questioned the women further and discovered the picture had been downloaded off the internet, according to the Modesto Police Department.
Authorities said the two women collected $640 in donations before officers discovered the ruse. Both suspects were arrested for taking money under false pretenses and conspiring to defraud the public.
