[FACT OR FAKE #60] Did KFC Really Kick A Disfigured 3-Year-Old Out Of Its Restaurant?
Outraged readers across the country boycotted KFC — and donated generously to Victoria’s recovery — after hearing the girl was asked to leave a KFC franchise because her facial scarring "scared" other customers.
By Sadho Ram — 29 Jun 2014, 02:04 AM — Updated over 10 years ago
A few weeks ago, 3-year-old Victoria Wilcher was attacked by three pit bulls when they burst through the trailer of her grandfather's house
The little girl from Harrisville, Mississippi, was severely banged up; she broke her upper and lower jaws, nose, cheek bones, and right eye socket.
nydailynews.comShe completely lost her right eye, and underwent multiple surgeries
On 13 June, Victoria's grandmother, Kelly Mullins, told WAPT-TV that after she took the little girl to a KFC in Jackson for a snack, the two were asked to leave because the little girl's scarred face frightened diners
“I ordered a large sweet tea and her some mashed potatoes and gravy because she was hungry. She was on a feeding tube at the time, but I figured she could just swallow [the potatoes],” Mullins recalled. “They said, ‘We have to ask you to leave because her face is disrupting our customers.’ [Victoria] understood exactly what they said.”
wapt.com
A post about the incident that appeared on Victoria's Facebook support page, Victoria's Victories, got shared more than 2,000 times. The post read:
Does this face look scary to you? Last week at KFC in Jackson MS this precious face was asked to leave because her face scared the other diners. I personally will never step foot in another KFC again and will be personally writing the CEO.
wapt.com
Following the incident, KFC launched an investigation. KFC also promised to donate USD30K toward her medical care, no matter how the investigation turned out.
“We take this very seriously, as we have zero tolerance for any kind of hurtful or disrespectful actions toward our guests. Our investigation is ongoing, but we have been in touch with the family and are committed to doing something appropriate for this beautiful little girl and her family.”
theindychannel.com
KFC spokesman Rick Maynard added, “We will also work with the franchisee to take appropriate action at the restaurant once the specifics of the incident are determined,”
Mullins said the experience has made the little girl self-conscious, and said she won’t even look in the mirror anymore
“When we go to a store, she doesn’t even want to get out [of the car],” she said. “She’s 3 years old and she’s embarrassed about what she looks like. She’s embarrassed, and I hate it because she shouldn’t be. It ain’t her fault.”
wapt.com
While the Internet loved the story of a disfigured little girl bullied by a multinational food conglomerate, the Laurel Leader-Call in Mississippi is calling it a fundraising hoax — specifically, a "Kentucky Fried Hoax"
Customers order food at a KFC restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam on May 31, 2014
Image via washingtonpost.comApparently, the entire incident in the restaurant was cooked up as an elaborate publicity stunt to raise money
After the KFC franchise where the incident allegedly took place became suspicious of the timeline presented by Victoria's family, they hired an independent investigator, who has yet to release their final report.
leader-call.com
But a source tells the Laurel Leader-Call that the story completely falls apart upon basic fact-checking: Security footage does not put Victoria or her grandmother, who claimed to be with her, in the KFC (or even another KFC) the day the incident supposedly occurred. And apparently, no one made their order—for mashed potatoes and sweet tea—that day, either.
gawker.com
The family had been raising money on GoFundMe for Victoria's medical bills, and as The Clarion-Ledger reports, their widely-reported story gave a serious boost to donations: More than $135,000 has been raised through the online donation site, gofundme.com, since June 13. The fund was created by Bates on April 28. The funding before the chicken caper came from seven donors for a total of $595.
clarionledger.com
Las Vegas plastic surgeon Frank Stiles donated free surgeries after hearing the story
Image via nydailynews.comDoctors have even agreed to waive their fees—a Las Vegas surgeon offered Victoria's family free plastic surgery. And the Frank L. Stiles Foundation has pledged to cover all the costs of reconstructing Victoria's face. According to Bill Kellum, the lawyer representing Kelly Mullins, Victoria's grandmother, said that the family has not decided whether or not to take the money from KFC.
washingtonpost.comBut apparently, KFC will honor the donation even if the incident is proven to have been faked: Dick West, who is the president of West Quality Food, one of the largest franchisees in the KFC chain and the owner of the local KFCs, also declined comment. However, on Saturday night, he made his feelings quite clear on the Facebook page of a Jackson television station when he posted "When the allegation was first made, KFC pledged $30,000 to go to medical expenses and started an investigation to find the truth. They have pledged the money even if it is proven that the incident never happened. At this point their story is full of holes. Any thinking person who follows their timeline can see it. The event at KFC never happened."
gawker.com
But the family stuck to its story on Facebook. A statement on the Victoria's Victories Facebook page, likely written by her aunt, Teri Rials Bates, denied that the story was a hoax. She wrote:
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.
gawker.com
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.
washingtonpost.comSo, what really happened? Did KFC really asked the little girl to leave? How much of all this is FACT or FAKE?
FAKE: Hours after the family reassured the public that their story was true, KFC confirmed that two different investigations proved it was a hoax
An internal probe and an independent investigation found no evidence that fried chicken chain KFC asked a 3-year-old girl disfigured by a pit bull attack to leave a restaurant in Jackson, Miss., because her facial scars disturbed other customers.
washingtonpost.comKFC spokesman Rick Maynard said Tuesday the company considered the matter closed, according to the Associated Press. The announcement confirms a story published Monday in the Laurel Leader-Call, a local paper, based on anonymous sources who said the investigation cast doubt on claims made by the child’s family on Facebook picked up by the media.
nydailynews.comHannon Food Services, which operates the restaurant, said in a statement that it spent hundreds of hours reviewing surveillance video and interviewing employees. The company also hired an outside investigator to conduct an independent investigation.
washingtonpost.comHowever, KFC will honour its commitment to donate USD30,000 for Victoria's medical bills
“Like the rest of America, the KFC family has been moved by the story of Victoria’s injuries and recovery,” Maynard said. “We hope everyone keeps Victoria in their thoughts and prayers. She will certainly be in ours.”
washingtonpost.com