Super mooch Ohio mother, 34, loses custody of her 11-year-old daughter after faking the child’s terminal illness for three years to milk donations – including a trip to Sea World and softball games
Ohio mother, 34, loses custody of her 11-year-old daughter after FAKING the child’s terminal illness for three years to get donations – including a trip to Sea World and softball games
Abbuhl has been accused of faking her child’s illness for three years to get donations
Lindsey Abbuhl said her daughter was terminally ill with nervous system failure Fundraisers were held for the 11-year-old from Canton, Ohio and tickets donated
Rylee was told by her mother that she was dying from an incurable disease
The child’s father Jamie Abbuhl, who divorced Lindsey in 2017, raised the alarm, on Friday was granted custody of Rylee amid an investigation into Lindsey Child support services found no medical evidence that Rylee was ill

An pre-teen girl from Canton Ohio has been placed into care after her mother built up a mooching scheme that claimed that the little girl was terminally ill to raise money and secure freebies, in a severe case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Lindsey Abbuhl told the community in Canton, Ohio, that her daughter Rylee had a terminal condition, resulting from a failure of her central nervous system. Abbuhl, 34, described her daughter’s medical condition as a central nervous system malfunction. It had prematurely ended Rylee’s softball career, the mother said. Worse yet, it would end her life.
Three years ago Abbuhl began fundraising for living and ‘medical expenses’, taking Rylee frequently to the doctors and telling her she was dying.
Charity events were held in Rylee’s honor, and the pair secured free tickets to Sea World.
They were made guest of honor at a Texas A&M softball game, and a GoFundMe set up by a friend received $4,500.


Rylee Abbuhl, at a very young age, even began asking friends to be pall bearers at her funeral.
On Friday a court reported that they had found no evidence of any illness.
A neglect and abuse complaint filed by Children Services in Family Court alleges Lindsey ‘has been using Rylee’s ‘medical condition’ to obtain funding for trips, housing and other expenses for the last several years.’
The document, obtained by The Canton Repository, notes a medical professional reviewed all of Rylee’s medical records involving neurology, genetics, gastrointestinal, hematology, rheumatology, pulmonology and podiatry and concluded:
‘There is no evidence to support mother’s claim that Rylee is terminally ill,’ they concluded.
Rylee has seen a counselor for the past three years to learn how to ‘process her own death,’ the report stated.
The counselor recently learned Rylee was not terminally ill.
‘[Lindsey] also told the counselor, who is going on maternity leave, that Rylee may not be alive when the counselor returns,’ the complaint states.
The court granted full custody to Rylee’s father, Jamie Abbuhl, who had divorced Lindsey in 2017 and raised the alarm.
‘It needed to be done,’ said Christine A. Johnson, attorney for Jamie Abbuhl.
Lindsey is being criminally investigated for child abuse by authorities in Stark County.
The story starts with Lindsey telling friends and neighbors that her daughter, who is home-schooled, was sick.
Lindsey’s flirtation with Munchausen syndrome goes back years, having once claimed that she herself had a brain tumor, and had even interviewed families to adopt Rylee after she died.


The family seemed beset by bad luck, and Lindsey would document her daughter’s hospital visits on social medial.
‘This little lady is my best friend! Continue to say prayers for her as we navigate through her medical concerns,’ she posted.
‘We don’t know what her future holds, and we don’t know if tomorrow will come for her each time we go to bed but the prayers and faith of all those we love helps keep us going!’
Lindsey Abbuhl turned her daughter’s alleged terminal ailment into a full on mooching machine. A supervisor at a bowling lane, Lindsey would organize bowling fundraisers and arranged a ‘Rylee’s Warriors’ youth softball tournament in Plain Township in April, to cover medical costs.
‘Come out and join a short fun league! 10 weeks long — will skip the Sunday of Easter.
‘Part of the weekly money goes to the bowling alley, the rest goes to Rylee. Message me if you’d like to sign up!’
In December, Wishes Can Happen sent Lindsey and her daughter on a trip to Key West, Florida.
Outreach to the dying kid continued as coaches and players from softball teams at Malone and Walsh universities joined for a ‘Rylee Day’ at Hall of Fame Fitness Center, an event surrounding an indoor exhibition game between the two Stark County schools.

Local media covered the February 26 event, and Lindsey spoke of how much it meant to her daughter.
‘She has two months,’ Lindsey told The Canton Repository as she watched her daughter throw out the first pitch, then joined the Malone dugout to call pitches for the game.
Lindsey said Rylee’s organs were shutting down and the main goal for her was ‘quality of life.’
Personalized videos to Rylee were sent from the likes of pro star Sierra Romero, as well as dozens of colleges from Penn State to UCLA.
Softball players at Rylee’s favorite team, Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, took her on a virtual tour of campus, including a stop at the scaled-down replica of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, where an Irish player lit a candle for Rylee, then shared a prayer from the chaplain.
Texas A&M’s softball team invited Rylee to fly out to College Station; she and her mother visited Sea World on the trip – All part of Rylee’s bucket list, Lindsey claimed. Rylee’s father on the other hand, was growing increasingly alarmed.
He said she suffered from slow digestion and constipation.
‘If she needed my heart, I’d give it to her today,’ he said.
‘As far as her going to die: no.’

Overtime people within the community also began contacting the newspaper, The Canton Repository, and questioning Lindsey’s motives.
When asked, Lindsey declined on multiple occasions to release her daughter’s medical records for The Repository to review. She also was reluctant to allow physicians at Akron Children’s Hospital, where she said Rylee had been treated, to speak to the newspaper.
‘She has a whole team of doctors working on her,’ Lindsey said.
Lindsey said they medical team had performed multiple tests on her daughter, but were unable to determine the root of her illness.
She said her daughter regularly suffered nighttime seizures, could barely eat, was on pain medications and was nearly always exhausted.
‘That’s sad people have to cause drama,’ she’d said.
‘Rylee sits in during her doctor appointments; she knows what’s happening to her.
‘So calling me a liar is calling her a liar.’

Child services visited on Thursday, and Rylee was taken to a family friend.
Kate Marksell told the paper that her daughter became friends with Rylee, and told of Lindsey’s tearful breakdown over the fact Rylee had been diagnosed with leukemia.
‘She was always trying to have more tests run,’ Marksell said.
Yet Rylee appeared healthy, and continued to play, eat and travel. On social media posts, Rylee would be climbing a mountain of steps to go sledding, while supposedly fighting for her life.
Marksell then watched a mini-series, The Act, on Hulu which tells the true story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mom, Dee Dee. The Missouri woman for years pretended her daughter was seriously ill to win sympathy and attention, in a condition known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
‘I think Lindsey is very sick and needs help,’ Marksell said, adding she needs to be held accountable for damage she’s done.
‘She thrives on attention, but doesn’t know how to get it.’
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