What A Tangled Web

When even the truth is just another lie. I caught this item over at Memeorandum this morning. It seems a blogger built a big following with a completely fabricated series of lies:

By Sunday night, when “April’s Mom” claimed to have given birth to her “miracle baby” — blogging that April Rose had survived a home birth only to die hours later — her Web site had nearly a million hits.

There was only one problem with the unfolding tragedy: None of it was true.

Not the pregnancy, and not the photos posted on the blog of the supposed mother and Baby April Rose, swaddled in white blankets. The baby was actually a lifelike doll, which immediately raised the suspicion of loyal blog-followers.

“I have that exact doll in my house,” said Elizabeth Russell, a dollmaker from Buffalo who had been following the blog. “As soon as I saw that picture, I knew it was a scam.”

By Monday, outraged followers on dozens of Christian parenting Web sites unmasked “April’s Mom” as a hoaxer, and hundreds more vented their anger.

“She needs to be exposed and held accountable,” Russell said.

Sensing people were close to establishing her identity, “April’s Mom” on Monday raced in vain to delete her Web site and Twitter and Facebook accounts.

But it was too late. The online community found out her true identity: Beccah Beushausen, 26, a social worker from Mokena.

But the “truth” is just another lie:

In response to a June 12 article in the Chicago Tribune and a related Associated Press story about “April’s Mom”, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-baby-hoax-12jun12,0,5601624.story, the National Association of Social Workers has confirmed that the troubled young woman who created a huge online following with a fictitious account of her pregnancy IS NOT A SOCIAL WORKER. According to sources at the NASW Illinois Chapter, Beccah Beushausen is not licensed in the State of Illinois as a social worker and is not a member of the National Association of Social Workers.

The social workers are, understandably, quite angry at having this person counted among their ranks. They are demanding a correction from the Chicago Tribune.

People have been defrauded by this woman – and it is not over yet. At some point, some behaviors cross over into pathology. It appears that point was reached and passed some time ago by this woman.