The story of Lacey Spears, “the worst mother in America,” who killed her son for likes on social networks

There is nothing worse than a child getting sick. Mothers who have the fate of raising a child with serious health problems evoke sympathy and a desire to help. Over the five years of his life, Garnett Spears ended up in a hospital bed two dozen times. The list of his ailments took up several pages, and the boy's mother, Lacey Spears, seemed like a heroine. It seemed that the woman was fighting with all her might for the life of her baby, but when Garnett died, the terrible truth was revealed.

Garnett Spears died in hospital on January 23, 2014. His inconsolable mother Lacey accepted condolences on social networks and instant messengers. There were a lot of people who wanted to support the woman, because she is a famous blogger. For several years, Lacey spoke on forums and on social networks about her struggle for her son’s life.

But she lost this battle and her grief knew no bounds. Heartbreaking posts by a mother who lost her most precious possession received hundreds of likes and comments. A year later, the police came to Spears’ home and took her away in handcuffs. A woman has been charged with murdering her own son.

Lacey Spears was born in the small town of Decatur, Alabama. There she graduated from school and spent several years living independently. Then she got pregnant and gave birth to Garnett. Soon after the birth, she and her son moved to Florida to live with Lacy's maternal grandmother.

A fair question arises: who is the boy’s father and why is he not with his family? After moving to sunny Florida, Lacey began communicating with relatives and neighbors. She told different stories about her son's father. For example, a woman told her neighbor that she was raped by her own father, after which she became pregnant. Then Lacey allegedly had to flee Alabama so as not to be near the rapist.

On another occasion, Spears said that Garnett's father was a police officer who died heroically while on duty. But in reality everything was much more prosaic. Lacey gave birth to her child with her boyfriend Chris Hill. They dated for only a short time - the guy ran away, considering her too strange.

Shortly after moving, Lacey discovered women's forums. She was interested in those where mothers discussed their children’s illnesses, treatment and care. The woman became a regular in such communities, simultaneously joining several thematic groups on social networks. She began to talk about Garnett's illnesses, devoting a significant part of her time to this. Then it seemed to her that this was not enough and Spears started her own blog, which she called Garnett's Journey.

Lacey did not have any special literary talent. Her posts were monotonous and primitive. The woman talked about her son’s illnesses, described her moral torment and responded to comments. But they sympathized with Spears and wrote words of support, because from the outside she looked like a mother exhausted by her son’s illnesses, stoically carrying her cross alone.

In January 2013, Garnett's health once again deteriorated and he was hospitalized for the umpteenth time. A few days later he fell into a coma and died of cerebral edema. A post appeared on Lacy's blog: "Garnett left on his great journey today at 10:20." Spears was bombarded with condolences - subscribers and ordinary users wanted to support the mother who had lost her only son.

Meanwhile, experts examined the boy’s body and found a high sodium content in the tissues. It was several times higher than the permissible limit. Police obtained a search warrant and went to Spears' home. There they found a substantial supply of baby food, to which questions arose. The laboratory found that a huge amount of sodium chloride, that is, ordinary kitchen salt, was added to the product.

It also turned out that Lacey fed her son through a tube, although there was no such need. After examining Spears’ computer, investigators learned that after the birth of her son, the woman was interested in the effects of salt on the human body online. In particular, she requested dosages that were dangerous to the health and lives of children.

A year later, Lacey Spears was arrested and charged with the premeditated murder of her son. During the investigation, it turned out that the only motive for the slow poisoning of the child was popularity on social networks. Lacey loved being admired and considered a heroic mother.

The woman's lawyer tried to prove that doctors were to blame for Garnett's death. Allegedly, due to negligence, they allowed dehydration of the body, which caused death. But the only argument in favor of his ward’s innocence was the incident with the socks. The lawyer had at his disposal a video recording in which Lacey carefully pulled two pairs of socks onto her son’s feet. This happened shortly before the child's death. “If she was planning a murder, then why was she afraid that the boy would get cold feet?” Of course, the court ignored this argument.

The outcome of the trial was expected. Lacey Spears was sentenced to life in prison. Journalists dubbed her "America's worst mother." It’s hard to disagree with this, because the woman took the life of her son for the sake of likes and comments.

No less terrible is the story of the American Gypsy Blanchard, whom her mother almost healed to death.