In a shocking twist following last year’s tragic Camp Mystic floods in Texas, a woman from Florida attempted to exploit the situation for financial gain. According to court documents, she posed online as the grieving father of one of the victims to solicit donations.

The accused, 28-year-old Maitlin Paige White from Crestview, Florida, allegedly set up a fraudulent GoFundMe account on July 8, 2025. In a deceitful move, she assumed the identity of Matthew Childress, whose daughter was among those who perished in the catastrophe.

Chloe Childress, Matthew’s 18-year-old daughter, tragically lost her life while serving as a counselor at the camp, just four days before White’s fraudulent activity came to light.

On July 10, Matthew Childress discovered the unauthorized account that was deceitfully using his name and a photo of his late daughter, prompting him to alert the authorities.

The court documents reveal that the fraudulent GoFundMe platform was soliciting donations under the pretense of supporting the Childress family during their time of mourning, adding an extra layer of distress to an already heartbreaking situation.

During their investigation, detectives said they uncovered a second online donation account in Childress’ name, this time on the Spotfund platform.

Investigators said that after they requested records from GoFundMe and Spotfund, they received White’s name, phone number, email address, and bank account details, all connected to the accounts she set up on July 8.

The affidavit states that when investigators spoke with Childress, who lives in Harris County, he confirmed he had not given anyone permission to create online fundraisers for him or to use his personal information or his daughter’s image.

According to the documents, when investigators contacted White, she admitted to creating the fake accounts in Childress’s name and using Chloe’s name and photo to collect donations.

The complaint says White told detectives she was a “single mother of two young children and was looking for a quick way to make some money.” She also said she linked her Chime bank account to the fundraising pages so the donations would go straight to her.

On July 11, Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen warned donors to the families of Texas Hill Country flood victims to be wary of impersonators in a Facebook post. In the message, he said a “scammer” was pretending to be Chloe Childress’ father and that the donations totaled around $1,500 before it was shut down. Court records have not confirmed whether or not the incident in the Facebook post is linked to White’s alleged crime.

Court documents state that the Harris County District Attorney’s Office charged White with a felony count of online impersonation on Jan. 2. The records also show she is not in custody and her bond has not been set.

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