The mysterious case of the mumfluencer accused of ‘faking her baby’s brain tumours’ to rake in cash, sympathy and likes
“MY baby’s head is covered in tumours,” is the harrowing admission Allanah Harris made to her 1.1 million TikTok followers that sparked an outpouring of support.
The mum and influencer, 33, was sharing an update about her one-year-old daughter's battle with painful brain tumours and epilepsy - and her fans flooded the post with compassionate comments.
Only now, two months later, the mum-of-four is embroiled in astonishing controversy amid people accusing her of drugging little Daisy in a bid to induce tumour-like symptoms - a ploy to garner sympathy, attention and likes on social media.
It has also been claimed that the mum might have needlessly put her daughter through two brain surgeries and countless hospital stints as part of the “sick” ploy.
Allanah has hit back at the claims and earlier this week in an interview with 9News, saying: “It is so unfair and it’s getting addressed at the moment with the proper counsel. I can’t speak too much.”
An investigation is currently underway by child protection services.
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However, a GoFundMe appeal set up by Daisy’s grandmother Karen George in August, titled “Support Daisy and her family during this trying time”, has since been taken down - it remains unclear by who.
The fundraiser racked up £12,616 (AUD$24,348) in donations for the ‘poorly’ tot to help the Harris family foot hospital bills in their home of Queensland, Australia.
It said: “Daisy was once a bright and bubbly little girl that has recently taken an unfortunate turn and has now put herself in what appears to be a comatose state for over 100 hours.
“Unfortunately, there aren’t any medications or stimulants that are safe for Daisy to have to help her wake. Daisy has encountered countless needles and blood tests while ‘asleep’ and doesn’t so much as bat an eyelid.
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“The doctors are still bending over backwards trying to understand why Daisy decides to completely shut down with no response and put herself into a comatose state.”
In July this year, another fundraiser was started by a friend of the family to go towards the cost of Daisy’s treatment. They claimed the tot was “already suffering the most traumatic medical conditions yet” and added that a “long medical journey is ahead”.
The heartfelt plea for cash raised £269 (AUD$340) of the £7,907 (AUD$10,000) target, while a third GoFundMe appeal organised in September by a local gym raised £1,065 (AUD$2,057) as well.
But startling rumours soon began to swirl online about Allanah fabricating the story surrounding Daisy’s health when the family went silent on social media in October.
It is alleged that the mum-of-four even managed to dupe doctors into performing two unnecessary brain surgeries on Daisy.
Allanah’s three other young children have been removed from her care while an investigation by Australian child protection services takes place, it is understood.
Meanwhile, claims that Daisy had never been as seriously unwell as her mum made out were said to be substantiated by documents seen by news outlet .
‘Eliciting Sympathy’
Internet sleuths were quick to pounce on the speculation alleging Allanah of "drugging" little Daisy, which blew up earlier this week [November 18].
Daisy’s dad Brock, 27, has since distanced himself from his wife.
He said in a statement on his Snapchat account: “The children have been taken into custody under speculation I potentially had something to do with this.
“On everything I have ever known and ever loved, I had no idea what Allanah was doing. Allanah, you win."
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Allanah Harris began posting on TikTok in 2021. Fast forward three years, and she's currently under investigations following allegations that she drugged her one-year-old daughter, Daisy.
23 April 2023: Daisy Harris is born to parents Allanah and Brock
October 2023: Little Daisy begins experiencing seizures and periods of unresponsiveness, according to later reports on the Harris family social media channels
27 June 2024: Docs say that Daisy's brain is "covered in tumours", according to a video posted by Allanah
16 July 2024: Daisy experiences a seven minute seizure that left her unresponsive, according to a video posted by Allanah
30 August 2024: Allanah asks "for prayers" on Instagram after claiming Daisy had gone into cardiac arrest. She also reveals that the tot was scheduled to have brain surgery
16 September 2024: Allanah shares with Instagram that Daisy's has now undergone two brain surgeries in the space of a week
30 September 2024: Daisy is moved "into palliative care", according to an update posted to The Harris family social media accounts
October 2024: Allanah goes silent on social media, particularly on the Harris family accounts which now have collectively over one million followers
18 November 2024: Rumours erupt on social media alleging that Allanah had been drugging little Daisy with benzos to elicit tumour-like symptoms. Brock openly distances himself from his wife in a Snapchat post claiming that he had "no idea what Allanah was doing"
19 November 2024: Local news reports claim that child protection services in Queensland, Aus are investigating a "high profile" family
20 November 2024: The GoFundMe appeal set up by Brock's mother, Karen George, is taken down. 9News gets a statement from Allanah where she slams speculation as "unfair"
Little Daisy was born to influencer parents Allanah and Brock in April 2023 but has reportedly spent most of her life in and out of hospital.
Allanah claims that the tot was diagnosed with epilepsy, infantile spasms (a rare but serious type of seizure that occurs in babies and young children) and tuberous sclerosis (a rare genetic disease that causes noncancerous tumours to grow in the brain and other organs).
According to the GoFundMe appeal set up by Daisy’s paternal grandmother Karen, the tot also suffered with an unspecified disorder or disease in her brain and focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), a congenital brain abnormality affecting its cells.
However, the new allegations claim Allanah used benzodiazepines - a depressant drug used to treat conditions like anxiety, insomnia and seizures - to induce severe symptoms in an otherwise healthy Daisy.
Medical Interventions
Allanah is said to have deliberately given her daughter the drug - which can cause vomiting and weight loss as well as seizures - to elicit sympathy and donations from fans on social media.
It was earlier this year that Allanah started sharing her daughter’s ‘plight’ with her followers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. But both profiles have since been deleted.
The mum-of-four talked about feeling let down by doctors and shared heart-wrenching posts about her fears surrounding Daisy’s health.
In August, Allanah said Daisy had been rushed to hospital after losing consciousness, claiming the tot had spent over 100 hours in a “comatose state”.
In September, she shared how Daisy had been readmitted to hospital after becoming lethargic and visibly unwell.
Allanah divulged specific details of tumours which were supposedly "pressing against Daisy’s brain", and revealed how she was feeling "heartbroken’"because the youngster had to endure two exploratory brain surgeries in just one week.
She penned on Facebook back in September: “It breaks my heart to even write this but Daisy’s condition has worsened and will require the second surgery tomorrow to remove five more tumours.
“Two brain surgeries in under a week is not something I ever thought I’d need to deal with as a parent.
Two brain surgeries in under a week is not something I ever thought I’d need to deal with as a parent. Cuddle your babies a little tighter tonight
Allanah Harris
She added: “Cuddle your babies a little tighter tonight.”
Alongside Daisy’s health updates, Allanah painted a picture of a happy family life with husband Brock and their three other children - James, seven, Chaise, three, and Ellie, two.
After sharing news of Daisy’s second brain surgery and still no improvement in her health, Allanah said she was setting up palliative care at home for the toddler, a type of care which focuses on improving the quality of life.
Then suddenly, the Harris family went quiet.
Chilling Clues
It’s understood that nurses raised the alarm after seeing Allanah’s videos on social media and believing there could be fabrications in her version of events.
Local news outlets have waded into the speculation and claim the hospital made a referral to the police with the suggestion that Daisy was being drugged amid her hospitalisation.
A toxicology report was done, though it isn’t known whether this was before or after rumours began swirling, which is said to have confirmed the presence of benzos in Daisy’s system.
The family’s silence is what continues to fuel intrigue about Allanah, with armchair detectives now seriously questioning her version of events.
I remember seeing Allanah’s videos and thinking ‘she looks really happy opening parcels while her baby is sick’
Internet Sleuth
“I remember seeing Allanah’s videos and thinking ‘she looks really happy opening parcels while her baby is sick’ and feeling really judgemental,” one internet sleuth penned on X (formerly Twitter).
Other sleuths believe the mum-of-four was uncharacteristically chipper on social media, and stated that they would’ve been unable to post videos if they were in the same situation as the Harris family.
If the claims prove to be true, what would drive a wife and mother of four young children to carry out such a callous act?
One theory circulating online is that Allanah may have a type of Munchausen syndrome, a psychological condition where a sufferer pretends to be ill or deliberately produces symptoms of illness in themselves.
Mysterious Motives
In the case of Munchausen’s by proxy, a parent or carer exaggerates or deliberately causes symptoms of illness in a child, a rare form of child abuse.
According to NHS guidance the parent or carer tries to convince doctors that the child is ill, or that their condition is worse than it really is.
“The parent or carer does not necessarily intend to deceive doctors, but their behaviour is likely to harm the child,” it states. “The child may have unnecessary treatment or tests, be made to believe they're ill, or have their education disrupted.”
One of the most famous cases of Munchausen’s by proxy is Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a woman who was subjected to years of abuse by her mother Dee Dee who fabricated her daughter’s illnesses.
It is so unfair and it’s getting addressed at the moment with the proper counsel. I can’t speak too much
Allanah Harris
Among these were leukaemia, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, intellectual disabilities and a host of other conditions, with Dee Dee falsely stating she required a wheelchair, feeding tube and constant medical care.
Social media sleuths have drawn comparisons with Gypsy’s situation and that of little Daisy Harris and that Allanah may have the same condition.
But in contrast, others believe it would be nearly impossible to fake the entirety of Daisy’s illnesses.
One observer waded into the speculation on Reddit, writing: “The tuberous sclerosis complex is not something you can fake. It is generally visible under the skin with a type of light that shows the 'tumour' like objects under the skin and in the eyes.
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“And seeing her appearance, the daughter looks like she suffers from seizures and is suffering from some kind of medical condition that is causing global developmental delay, including potentially autism.
“For those parents who know this, it's just something you can't unsee when you've first seen it.”