Texas mother accused of medically abusing toddler and creating fake GoFundMe account
07/18/2023 2:39 pm PDT
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas (TCD) -- A 27-year-old mother is in custody after allegedly subjecting her 3-year-old daughter to medical abuse and sending her to several hospitals in multiple states.
In a July 17 news release, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office said Jessica Gasser had multiple unnecessary medical procedures performed on her child for an "unknown amount of time." Officials arrested Gasser last week in Rusk County and booked her into the Tarrant County Corrections Center without bond.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KDFW-TV, Gasser lied to hospital staff about her daughter’s medical history, causing them to draw the child’s blood 28 times. Gasser even reportedly took her daughter to multiple hospitals all over the country, including Texas, Louisiana, and Ohio.
In March, Gasser allegedly told medical staff her daughter was not eating and losing weight, so providers administered a feeding tube. KDFW reports that Gasser told doctors she was giving her daughter a sufficient amount of calories. Doctors reportedly believed Gasser was lying because the child was still not gaining weight, and they reported the mother to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
According to KDFW, Gasser also set up a fake GoFundMe account to raise money to send her child to the Cleveland Clinic for medical treatment.
A company called Miracle Flight, which provides flights to children with medical complications, reportedly flew Gasser and her daughter from Dallas to Cleveland. In the paperwork for Miracle Flight, KDFW reports that Gasser listed her daughter’s diagnoses as gastroparesis, a condition that interferes with the stomach’s ability to empty properly.
During a search of Gasser’s phone history, authorities reportedly observed that she Googled such phrases as "Is lying to a doctor about a child illegal," and "Can you be prosecuted in a different county than you reside."
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Gasser messaged a friend and said she would erase all of her social media posts and private messages regarding her daughter’s health.
Gasser reportedly went by the username MedicalMamaJess on social media and had thousands of followers.
The Sheriff’s Office has asked people to come forward if they’ve had any contact with Gasser or know anything about the medical abuse allegations.
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