Woman is not mother of kids cited in GoFundMe that drew over $200K
Dasha Kelly raised thousands of dollars online to prevent an eviction after an interview with CNN last week, but the North Las Vegas woman’s claim that she was the mother of three children was not accurate.
Kelly claimed to be the mother of three young girls, but she is not, according to CNN. “She says she originally described herself to CNN as a mother because she considers herself to be like one to them,” the news outlet said.
The news outlet said the children are cared for by their mother, Shadia Hilo, and their father, David Allison, who is Kelly’s boyfriend.
Kelly had created a GoFundMe campaign to raise $2,000 to prevent an eviction but she was able to raise more than $220,000, noting plans to create a savings account for each child.
GoFundMe said in a statement it placed the funds on hold after receiving reports last week questioning the authenticity of the fundraiser. Attempts by the Las Vegas Review-Journal to reach Kelly have been unsuccessful.
“Our Trust & Safety team has spoken with the organizer and required that an update be publicly posted on the fundraiser to provide more information to donors,” according to the company. “In addition, GoFundMe has proactively notified all donors with directions on how to request a full refund. After (Aug. 23), GoFundMe will release the funds, minus any refunds.”
Kelly did provide an update to her GoFundMe page Monday, saying that GoFundMe would issue a full refund for any donor upon request through Aug. 23.
She also said the revelation that she is not the mother doesn’t change her “need for donations to avoid eviction, and I will be using the funds to get back on my feet and support my family.”
Kelly said in the post that she still plans to set money aside in a savings account for the children.
Contact Subrina Hudson at shudson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @SubrinaH on Twitter.
