We were all disgusted when we heard that 3-year-old Victoria Wilcher, whose face had been disfigured by a pit bull attack, was asked to leave a KFC restaurant because her appearance was "scaring" other diners.Like the rest of us, KFC was appalled as well and offered to donate $30,000 toward her medical bills. This morning, however, news broke that the whole thing might have been a hoax and that the family possibly fabricated the whole thing.
The family stood by their story and said that we would see when KFC concluded their investigation. Well, they have and it's not looking good. In a statement this afternoon, a spokesperson for Yum! Brands (which owns KFC) said:
"Like the rest of America, the KFC family has been moved by the story of Victoria's injuries and recovery. After the alleged incident was reported to us, two investigations took place, including one by an independent investigator. Neither revealed any evidence that the incident occurred and we consider the investigation closed. We are honoring our commitment to make a $30,000 donation to assist with Victoria's medical bills. We hope everyone keeps Victoria in their thoughts and prayers. She will certainly be in ours."
In short, there is absolutely zero evidence to confirm that the alleged incident took place. Surveillance footage and register transactions both contradict the family's claim as well.
We applaud KFC for standing by the commitment they made (even if they did get duped), but what about all of the people who donated over $134,000 to the GoFundMe page that was set up for her? We reached out for comment and they provided us with the following statement from their CEO:
In lieu of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the 'Victoria's Victories' online fundraising effort, GoFundMe has temporarily suspended the campaign until the full truth is made clear. Donors wishing to request a refund may do so at: http://www.gofundme.com/
