Injured Tot’s Family Declines KFC Donation, Doesn’t ‘Feel Right’

Last month, the story of a disfigured girl allegedly booted from a Southern KFC outlet because her injuries were upsetting other customers went viral — and immediate outrage aimed at the chain predictably ensued.

For a few days in June, KFC was castigated on the social web after the story of 3-year-old Victoria Wilcher (told through her grandmother) circulated Facebook, Twitter, and the blogosphere.

According to grandma Kelly Mullins, she and Victoria were dining in at a Jackson, Mississippi KFC location when suddenly and traumatically, the pair were kicked out — with an employee citing Victoria’s scars as the reason.

Mullins’ story soon captivated the web, and few asked questions about the account. While the KFC employee’s alleged actions seemed nearly implausibly evil, the web bought the story hook, line, and sinker… and of course, the donations rolled in to the tune of six figures.

Among those opening their pockets was KFC, whose corporate offices pledged a generous $30,000 to Victoria for her plight. Soon after, however, the restaurant also conducted an investigation, and quietly punched some holes in Mullins’ story.

USA Today spoke with Bill Kellum, a Jackson attorney representing Victoria’s family following the KFC allegations. The paper reports that attempts to verify Mullins’ presence at the restaurant via CCTV footage, much less her alleged poor treatment at the hands of KFC employees, has come up short:

“Kellum also said Mullins remains upset about a story in the Laurel Leader-Call on June 23, quoting an anonymous source stating that KFC could find no video footage of Mullins and Wilcher at the restaurant on May 15. The source called Mullins’ claims ‘a hoax,’ which triggered angry public reaction directed at Mullins. Some people pulled their donation pledges.”

Kellum also confirmed that KFC’s donation was being rejected by the family of Victoria, and he said:

“With everything that’s happened, we just didn’t feel right about accepting their money… But we did tell them they were more than welcome to donate the money to the Frank Stile Foundation.”

The $30,000 pledged by KFC was only a small portion of the amount raised for Victoria before Mullins’ tale was questioned, and a GoFundMe take for more than $100,000 is set to soon be released to the family.

Kellum said the family plans to accept those donations, adding:

“The family is committed to having the money put in a discretionary trust account for Victoria with a third-party, non-family member designated as the trustee… They want to make sure every cent goes toward Victoria getting better.”

Following the KFC story media brouhaha, Victoria will be flown to Florida Monday to begin free treatment on her injuries.