Questions raised over story of little girl 'asked to leave KFC'
You may have seen the story last week of the little girl who was asked to leave a KFC. Questions have now been raised over details of the story with a source inside the investigation claiming it may have been a hoax and that the little girl may never have been in KFC at all.
Three-year-old Victoria Wilcher was attacked by three of her grandfather's pitbulls back in April. She suffered multiple facial injuries including a broken nose, cheekbone and jaw. She also lost her right eye and was left with various scars on her face.
Her story went viral after a post went up on a Facebook page called Victoria's Victories dedicated to her recovery. In the post, her grandmother, Kelly Mulllins, claimed that they had been asked to leave a branch of KFC in Jackson, Mississippi by an employee because Victoria's scars were 'disturbing the customers'.
The internet reacted with outrage, KFC apologised, launched an investigation into the incident and promised to donate $30,000 towards Victoria's medical bills.
Victoria received widespread support and a fundraising page set up to accept donations has since raised over $135,000. The family has also received numerous gifts and the promise of free surgery from a Las Vegas plastic surgeon.
However, the ongoing investigation has raised questions over the truth of the story.
In a statement released on Friday, KFC said they had hired a third-party investigator after an internal review failed to come up with answers.
"Since we have so far not been able to verify the incident in our internal investigation, we have also hired a third-party consultant to conduct an independent investigation to help us resolve this matter," the spokesman said.
"In addition, regardless of the outcome of the current investigation, KFC Corporation has committed $30,000 to assist with Victoria’s medical bills."
According to the Laurel Leader-Call, a Mississippi newspaper, sources deep in the investigation have spoken of their doubts over the story.
In the original Facebook post, Mullins said she had taken Victoria to KFC on March 15th and ordered mashed potato and sweet tea before they were asked to leave.
The source told the Laurel Leader-Call that security footage from multiple branches was reviewed and no one matching the description of Victoria or her grandmother could be found on the day in question. Receipts were also checked and no orders included mashed potatoes and sweet tea on May 15.
There is also confusion over what branch of KFC they visited. Victorias's aunt, Teri Rials Bates, posted this statement to the Facebook page:
“Thank you for your support for Victoria. If you would like to file a complaint its the KFC on State Street in Jackson MS.”
That store has apparently been closed for several years. Teri has since said that she made a mistake and that the incident actually took place in the Woodrow Wilson branch.
KFC have said they will not comment until the final results of the investigation are revealed later this week.
The family is denying the hoax claims, saying on their Facebook page:
"I promise its not a hoax, I never thought any of this would blow up the way it has. The article circling the web calling this a hoax is untrue. The article it self say the investigation is not complete. It is not over until KFC releases a statement. The media outlet running this story is not connected with KFC. The family has not asked for anything, a attorney is handling all the media publicity for the family pro bono. Please do not believe untrue media. I have personally watched this family go without to provide for Victoria. They have not and would not do anything to hurt Victoria in any way."
