Background: Grant Superior Court 2 in Marion, Ind. (Google Maps). Inset: Alanna Lin Brown (Grant County Sheriff”s Office).
An Indiana woman is facing charges of fraud and child neglect after authorities allege she had a feeding tube inserted into her daughter solely to receive financial benefits.
Alanna Lin Brown, 32, was released on bail following allegations that she deceived a local charity by falsely claiming her toddler required a feeding tube. According to court documents obtained by WXIN, a local Fox affiliate, Brown took her daughter to the emergency room in April, asserting that the child was aspirating while eating and needed the medical device. The 3-year-old was diagnosed with moderate malnutrition.
The girl’s father, a preschool teacher with experience in childcare, expressed skepticism regarding claims that his daughter had difficulty eating normally.
Investigators, as detailed in the court documents, interviewed individuals familiar with Brown, many of whom doubted the child’s supposed health issues, which Brown asserted had been ongoing since the girl was 3 months old. A friend of Brown reportedly told police that the young girl did not require a feeding tube and had eaten a meal at McDonald’s without any trouble. The same friend also claimed that Brown received payments from a local organization that aids children and senior citizens with medical needs.
Court documents reveal that Brown allegedly received $96,688.44 from LifeStream Services, a charitable organization, over a period of 22 months, as reported by WXIN journalist Angela Ganote.
According to the affidavit, police discovered video evidence showing Brown visibly upset and discussing her financial challenges if her daughter were to be removed from the feeding tube. A Ring camera purportedly captured Brown saying, “Now, I got to refigure my bills… because I’m not going to lose a f—ing payment from her so she can eat.”
The girl’s father told police that he did not think the toddler needed a feeding tube, but also said that Brown did not allow him to attend doctor’s appointments for the girl. According to court documents, he told police that when his daughter was in his custody for 10 days back in March, she not only ate without the tube the whole time, but she gained weight.
Police spoke to a doctor who had provided care for the girl and raised concerns about Brown’s alleged treatment of the girl, explaining that in Brown’s care, the girl continued to lose weight. When the girl was removed from Brown’s care in October, she reportedly started gaining weight.
Authorities alleged that Brown lied about her daughter’s condition in order to receive money. Brown was charged with fraud and neglect of a dependent causing bodily injury. She posted $2,000 bail after being booked into the Grant County Jail. Her next court date is scheduled for Dec. 5.
