A Georgia mother has been left devastated after discovering that scammers are impersonating her online, using intimate photos and videos of her late daughter from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to solicit fraudulent donations. Lexi Copley, who shared her pregnancy journey and the birth of her daughter Landry on social media to build a supportive community, found herself targeted by heartless fraudsters just two days after her baby's death.
The Shocking Discovery
Lexi received an alarming message on TikTok alerting her to an imposter account using her name, her family photos, and images of baby Landry. The fraudulent profile included a PayPal link requesting donations to "save" the infant, despite Landry having tragically passed away. "I thought, there's no way," Lexi told 11 Alive News, describing how the discovery "sent me spiraling."
The grief-stricken mother expressed her anguish: "You're taking something that was so vulnerable for he and I to do and share our child with the world for prayers. And asking for money to save her life when she's not even here anymore."
A Journey of Faith and Struggle
Lexi and her husband Joseph's difficult journey began when they received a devastating diagnosis at about 15 weeks of pregnancy. Their baby had a rare cloacal malformation, a bladder obstruction affecting only 1 in 25,000 newborns. Despite being given a poor prognosis, the couple refused to terminate the pregnancy, instead leaning on their faith and hoping for the best possible outcome.
"It was very hard on both of us," Lexi recalled. "We kind of just prayed about it and we were like, God's going to take care of us."
Finding Community Through Social Media
As a coping mechanism, Lexi turned to TikTok and Facebook to document her pregnancy struggles and Landry's birth. She quickly gained tens of thousands of followers who offered prayers and support. "The only way to get through it was to have people pray for us," she explained. "So I posted for the first time about what we were going through."
She added: "I probably would have been in a dark hole if I was just at home and it was just me and Joseph. But other people were rallying beside us. It helped."
Landry's Brief Life and Tragic Passing
Doctors had warned the couple that their baby likely would not survive delivery. "They basically told us when she did come out that she would breathe, maybe not even cry, and that would be it," Lexi said. "That's what we were preparing for, if she even made it out alive."
Lexi was admitted to the hospital at just 30 weeks and spent three weeks there before delivering baby Landry by C-section. Against expectations, Landry showed remarkable resilience. "They handed her to me and her oxygen just came up," Lexi remembered. "They said she was dying...and she started doing better."
For four months, Landry fought for her life in the NICU at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Lexi continued sharing updates online, including photos and videos from the hospital. Just as she was set to go home, Landry suffered a pulmonary hemorrhage in late December and died.
"We didn't understand," Lexi said through tears. "All the things that she had overcome and how many miracles we'd seen, and that happened. It shattered us. I can't even put it into words."
The Fight Against Online Scammers
Two days after Landry's death, Lexi discovered the imposter account soliciting donations. "I don't want people to think that I'm out there scamming people for money," she emphasized. "We never asked for money. I would never do that."
She immediately reported the account and urged her followers to do the same. Lexi also filed a report with the Haralson County Sheriff's Office to establish a paper trail, though authorities acknowledged limitations in pursuing online scams that originate globally.
Corporal Robin Hood explained the challenges: "These kinds of scams can be anywhere on the globe. Once we find out it's out of the country, it's really hard for us to follow through with anything. It's always going to be out there and it's going to be impossible to stop."
Determination to Raise Awareness
As imposter accounts continued to appear, Lexi vowed to fight back and raise awareness about these cruel scams. "I think anybody else would have just let it go, but I'm not going to let it go," she declared. "I just want it taken down."
"Maybe they thought we were so sad that we were just going to give up," she added. "I'm in that hole of grief, but I know it's our job to keep our baby's name alive."
The heartbreaking case highlights the vulnerability of grieving families on social media and the increasing sophistication of online scammers who exploit personal tragedy for financial gain.
