Mom accused of faking 5-year-old son's illness for disability checks

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia mother is accused of faking her child's illness to collect disability checks.

Investigators say Teresa Lynne Roth, 34, of Hall County, made her 5-year-old son take 28 unnecessary medications and undergo unnecessary medical treatments for nearly two years.

Roth's son was on numerous medications, in a wheelchair and on a feeding tube as his parents drew disability checks on his behalf, according to police. Investigators say the boy was not sick and Roth's actions jeopardized his well-being.

The case started back in 2016 when the boy was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Doctors were treating the then 3-year-old boy for several illnesses, that investigators now say were all made up. When health care officials became suspicious of the mother, they alerted the Department of Family and Children's Services. DFCS removed the boy from the home in October 2018 and called the Sheriff's Office.

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"It's messed up, you know? It's not normal," said Lt. Scott Ware with the Hall County Sheriff's Office.

After a four-month investigation, deputies charged Roth with first-degree child cruelty. They arrested her Thursday at her Gainesville home.

The boy is now in DFCS custody and is doing much better, according to police.

Investigators say there could be more arrests as they dig into the case.

Cox Media Group