When a scary example of ‘don’t believe everything you see online’ comes to life. A Pennsylvania couple has been accused of allegedly starting a GoFundMe page claiming they lost their newborn son hours after his birth to extort donations from friends and relatives.
According to affidavit of probable cause obtained by WTAE, WIBW and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday, the accused couple Kaycee Lang, 23, and Geoffrey Lang, 27, of Friedens have been were charged with theft and deception for scamming people which according to the police the baby never existed.
The couple allegedly claimed their non-existent baby “Easton Walt Lang” was born at Conemaugh Health System in Johnstown on July 3. However, hours later, they claimed, he tragically died which they shared on their social media profiles and starting a GoFundMe page for donations to help pay for a personalized urn.
Smelling something fishy regarding Kaycee’s pregnancy and the baby’s death the police were called by a friend after the boy’s memorial upon which they were busted.
At Easton’s memorial, the friend Dilascio confronted the Langs, who reportedly denied the allegations.
“I knew that this was fake,” Dilascio told WTAE. “I couldn’t go and sit and watch this go on and know the truth.”
Upon investigation police were unable to find any records of Kaycee’s pregnancy, or Easton’s birth and death. They however found a newborn look-alike doll allegedly used in photos, according to the probable cause statement.
GoFundMe will be refunding the collected $550 to all the people who donated to the grieved couple through the site.
The couple is scheduled to appear in court in October.