Shivangi Sinha
Over the years, many fraud cases have emerged in which individuals fabricate serious medical illnesses. People sometimes lie about conditions like cancer or other life-threatening diseases for various reasons. These schemes often deeply affect many who come into contact with such people. Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Curious Case of… The Woman Dying for Attention’ explores a similar case of Sarah Delashmit. The documentary features interviews with people who knew the woman, as well as those who say they were targeted by her, sharing their alleged experiences and how they were profoundly impacted.
Sarah Delashmit Allegedly Admitted She Faked Illness on Online Support Forums
Sarah A. Delashmit was born in the 1980s and grew up in Highland, Illinois. She had a fairly ordinary childhood and was raised by a single mother. In 2003, while she was a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, she allegedly claimed to be a leukemia survivor and said she had attended a special camp for cancer survivors as a child. Former roommates later alleged that she faked symptoms, alongside claims of her pulling out her own hair to draw sympathy from those around her. Around the same time, Sarah became active in online forums for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Investigators later alleged that she used multiple aliases, creating different identities, and falsely claimed either to be an adult living with muscular dystrophy or to be raising a child diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy.
Andrea Smith, a volunteer and advocate on some of these forums, began noticing inconsistencies in Sarah’s stories and reported her concerns to the FBI. The matter was allegedly dismissed as a minor issue, and Andrea was advised to contact the Highland Police Department instead. Police reportedly issued Sarah a warning, and according to accounts in the documentary, she allegedly acknowledged posting false information on the forums. In 2005, Sarah connected with Erin Johnson, a woman with cerebral palsy, while presenting herself as an able-bodied counselor at a California disability camp. Erin shared that Sarah quickly formed a close friendship with her.
Over the next 12 years, they shared much of their lives. Erin later alleged that Sarah repeatedly fabricated serious illnesses, including cancer and even Ebola, and also invented a husband named Jake as part of her deception. Erin alleged that Sarah introduced her to “Jeff,” as her husband’s supposed best friend. Not long after, Erin said she and Jeff began dating online, alleging that Sarah later claimed her husband and Jeff had been in an accident in which “Jeff” lost his life. Erin alleged that Sarah then comforted her through the grief. It was only later that Erin discovered “Jeff” was not real and came to believe that the person she had been communicating with was reportedly Sarah posing as him all along.
Individuals Who Accused Sarah Delashmit of Deception Confronted Her on a Show
By 2012, Sarah Delashmit was working in the neonatal intensive care unit at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She told colleagues she was expecting twins and even went to work with pillows stuffed under her clothes. Months later, she claimed to have lost the pregnancy, but the truth eventually surfaced. In 2014, she surrendered her nursing license amid findings that she had fabricated pregnancies. Sarah resurfaced in 2015 when she attended Camp Summit in Dallas, Texas, presenting herself as a muscular dystrophy patient. She used a wheelchair and claimed to live with paralysis from the waist down, requiring assistance with mobility, bathroom needs, and even menstrual hygiene. She reportedly received about $2,500 in aid and returned to the camp again in spring 2016.
During that time, she formed close friendships, and many people felt deeply connected to her. However, an anonymous tip later alerted organizers that she had been faking her illness. Organizers later alleged that upon being confronted, Sarah reportedly stood up from her wheelchair and walked away. In 2017, she began attending events with the Young Survival Coalition, posing as a breast cancer survivor. She attended a Florida conference in 2017, where she met Elisabeth and Brian Hickox and quickly became close friends with them. She visited their home several times and claimed to have a husband and children. Over time, she told them elaborate stories, including that she was being stalked and had once been chased and shot at. She lied to them about sustaining a bullet wound to her leg.
The Hickoxes grew suspicious and contacted a friend at the Highland Police Department, only to learn that no such incident had been reported. By then, Sarah had allegedly scammed a muscular dystrophy charity out of $3,885 and a breast cancer charity out of $1,500. Unsure how to proceed, Elisabeth Hickox eventually appeared on ‘Dr. Phil,’ alongside other alleged targets, to confront Sarah about the claims. In front of the cameras, she admitted that she was a lonely person with what she described as a “lying addiction” and promised that she would seek professional help. However, according to the series and victim accounts, she didn’t follow through on that commitment.
Sarah Delashmit is a Mother Living in Highland Today
Based on testimonies from several victims, Sarah Delashmit was indicted in March 2020 on multiple counts of wire fraud and mail fraud. In October 2020, she pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud, related to internet and email schemes involving camp aid and other fundraising efforts, and one count of mail fraud for incidents that occurred between 2015 and 2019. Prosecutors also presented evidence in court of deceptive behavior dating back to 2006. In January 2021, Sarah was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay fines and restitution totaling thousands of dollars to her victims.
After completing her sentence, Sarah was released from federal custody in March 2022. According to the investigation highlighted in the series, she settled down in Highland, Illinois, and reportedly has a child of her own. While she has made a few friends within the community, she largely maintains a low profile. Some reports suggest she has held jobs at an Amazon fulfillment center, DoorDash, and possibly Southwest Airlines. However, her nursing license remains suspended. Since her release, Sarah appears to prefer staying out of the public eye and has shown little interest in revisiting or discussing her past conviction publicly.
