‘It’s hard to believe’: Fake GoFundMe account set up after death of 8-year-old Ky. boy

The Whitely County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a fake GoFundMe account that claims to raise money for the family of an eight-year-boy who died in a freak accident on Monday.

“Our community is mourning the loss of this very special 8-year-old, Eli Hill, who passed away this week after a tragic accident … It’s hard to believe that some people can be so cruel but his parents are reporting a fake ‘Gofundme’ account has been set up asking for donations,” the sheriff’s office said.

Officials said Eli’s parents “want everyone to know they are not asking for donations and to please DO NOT donate to the fake account. If you see the fake account please report it.”

Eli, a second grader, died when he was shooting basketball at his Corbin home when he retrieved something to stand so he could dunk a basketball. While in the process of trying to dunk the ball, the backboard came off and a pole struck the boy in the chest.

He was transported to University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.

(UPDATE) GoFundMe issued the following statement on the fake account:

“GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and we cooperate with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing. Our team acted quickly to remove the fundraiser, refund donors, and ban this account from using our platform for any future fundraisers. GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee offers a full refund in the rare case when something isn’t right.”

(Photo: Eli Hill)

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com