Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Faking Daughter’s Cancer
A mother pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Wednesday to theft and child endangerment charges alleging she faked her 7-year-old daughter’s leukemia to obtain donations.
The girl’s father and grandmother also pleaded not guilty to theft and other charges alleging the family obtained or tried to obtain about $31,000 in donations.
Judge Roger Wilson ordered Teresa Milbrandt to undergo psychological evaluation.
Robert Milbrandt said their daughter, Hannah, is doing well. She is in a foster home, and he is allowed supervised visits.
Police said Teresa Milbrandt shaved her daughter’s hair, gave her sleeping pills to make it appear she was receiving chemotherapy, made her wear a protective mask and put her in counseling to prepare for death.
Police learned in December the girl did not have cancer.
Charges against Teresa Milbrandt include endangering children, felonious assault and grand theft. Her husband was indicted on charges that include grand theft, complicity to felonious assault and complicity to endangering children. He said he believed his wife when she said their daughter had cancer.
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