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HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Days after the deadly Camp Mystic floods last year, a woman from Florida reportedly tried to collect money online by pretending to be the father of one of the victims, according to court documents.
Records state that 28-year-old Maitlin Paige White from Crestview, Fla., created a GoFundMe account on July 8, 2025, using the identity of Matthew Childress.
Only four days prior, Childress’ 18-year-old daughter Chloe died in the tragic floods while working as a counselor at Camp Mystic.
On July 10, Childress notified authorities that someone had created the account using his name and a photo of Chloe, according to the documents.
The court records allege the GoFundMe account was asking for the public to make cash donations to support the Childress family in the wake of the tragedy.
During their investigation, detectives said they uncovered a second online donation account in Childress’ name, this time on the Spotfund platform.
Investigators said that after they requested records from GoFundMe and Spotfund, they received White’s name, phone number, email address, and bank account details, all connected to the accounts she set up on July 8.
The affidavit states that when investigators spoke with Childress, who lives in Harris County, he confirmed he had not given anyone permission to create online fundraisers for him or to use his personal information or his daughter’s image.
According to the documents, when investigators contacted White, she admitted to creating the fake accounts in Childress’s name and using Chloe’s name and photo to collect donations.
The complaint says White told detectives she was a “single mother of two young children and was looking for a quick way to make some money.” She also said she linked her Chime bank account to the fundraising pages so the donations would go straight to her.
On July 11, Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen warned donors to the families of Texas Hill Country flood victims to be wary of impersonators in a Facebook post. In the message, he said a “scammer” was pretending to be Chloe Childress’ father and that the donations totaled around $1,500 before it was shut down. Court records have not confirmed whether or not the incident in the Facebook post is linked to White’s alleged crime.
Court documents state that the Harris County District Attorney’s Office charged White with a felony count of online impersonation on Jan. 2. The records also show she is not in custody and her bond has not been set.
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