The story of a 3-year-old girl being asked to leave a Mississippi KFC restaurant because of her disfigured face might be a hoax, according to a third party investigation.
Kelly Mullins, grandmother of Victoria Wilcher, the child who was left with facial scars after three pitbulls attacked her in April, alleged that a Jackson KFC told them to leave because the girl's disfigured face "scared" the other diners. The incident happened June 12. "I personally will never step foot in another KFC again and will be personally writing the CEO," Mullins wrote on Victoria's Victories Facebook Page.
The allegations went viral and Victoria received overwhelming support resulting in more than $135,000 in cash, offers for free surgeries and even $30,000 from KFC itself. Frank Stiles, a Las Vegas plastic surgeon donated free surgeries to the girl hearing the story.
According to the Leader-Call, the review of surveillance tape shows that no child matching Victoria's description visited the fast-food chain May 15. The sources, on condition of anonymity, said that tapes were viewed in both the Meadowbrook and Woodrow Wilson KFC locations in Jackson.
Following the KFC incident, Mullins told ABC News affliate WAPT TV in Jackson June 12 that: "I ordered a sweet tea and mashed potatoes and gravy. I sat down at the table and started feeding her and the lady came over and said that we would have to leave, because we were disturbing other customers, that Victoria's face was disturbing other customers."
Here's the twist - a review of transactions stated that the food items Mullins claimed to have ordered were not included in any of the day's order; neither were they part of a larger order. "It just didn't happen," the source told the Leader-Call.
Dick West, the owner of the local Jackson KFC franchises issued a statement Saturday on Facebook saying that the incident never happened. "When the allegation was first made, KFC pledged $30,000 to go to medical expenses and started an investigation to find the truth," he wrote. "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."
A statement claiming the story was not a hoax was posted on Victoria's community page on Facebook. "I promise it's not a hoax, I never thought any of this would blow up the way it has," the statement read.
Although the KFC incident garnered support for the little girl, the employees at the food chain encountered public wrath. The managers and the workers at two the KFC stores in Jackson faced death threats and harassment. Some customers even threw drinks on the workers through drive-thru window.
Full report on the incident from KFC is expected this week.
