A Florida woman is accused of attempting to exploit the tragic Camp Mystic floods by fraudulently seeking donations online, according to court records. This incident emerged shortly after the disaster in Texas last year.
Court documents reveal that Maitlin Paige White, a 28-year-old from Crestview, Florida, allegedly set up a GoFundMe page on July 8, 2025, masquerading as Matthew Childress.
The fraudulent account was created just four days after Childress’ 18-year-old daughter, Chloe, tragically lost her life in the floods while she was serving as a counselor at Camp Mystic.
On July 10, Matthew Childress reported to authorities that an account had been set up using his identity and featuring a picture of Chloe, the documents state.
The fraudulent GoFundMe page reportedly solicited donations from the public under the guise of supporting the Childress family during their time of grief.
Further investigation by detectives led to the discovery of a second fraudulent 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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