Texas Mom Pleads Guilty to Faking Son’s Illness, Forcing Him to Undergo 13 Unnecessary Surgeries

Kaylene Bowen-Wright, A 35-year-old mom in Dallas, Texas, has pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury to her child after she faked her son’s illness, lied to doctors about her son’s symptoms, and had him undergo unnecessary surgeries.

For more than eight years, Kaylene pretended her son was ill, though he was perfectly healthy. In 2017, her son Christopher was removed from her care after a Child Protective Services investigation.

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In total, Kaylene brought Christopher to the doctor more than 323 times and had him undergo 13 major surgeries. However, after an investigation, it was discovered that Christopher did not have any illnesses. Kaylene, though, had made a number of unfounded claims about Christopher’s health, including that he had terminal cancer, needed a lung transplant, and was confined to a wheelchair.

Ryan Crawford, Christopher’s father, became concerned about Kaylene’s focus on his health shortly after he was born. Kaylene began bringing her son to the doctor’s when he was an infant after claiming he was severely allergic to milk. She claimed that any time he would have milk, he would throw up immediately. However, Ryan claims he never saw his son throw up. 

Crawford became further concerned when Kaylene claimed doctors told her Christopher would never walk and needed a feeding tube. However, Ryan had not seen any signs that either was true.

Kaylene even raised thousands of dollars to cover her son’s medical expenses after setting up a crowdsourcing campaign.

After years of unnecessary doctor’s appointments and surgeries, Ryan’s concerns were addressed and Kaylene was brought to justice. After pleading guilty, Kaylene now faces up to 20 years in prison. She will be sentenced in October. 

Christopher, 10, now lives with his dad Ryan and is healthy and happy, according to reports.