UPDATE: Carson City woman booked for obtaining money under false pretenses, faking child's death for money

UPDATE SUNDAY: A burglary charge was dropped and charges were amended to include felony obtaining money under false pretenses, according to the Carson City Sheriff's Office.
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A 31 year-old Carson City woman was arrested Friday evening at 6:08 p.m. in the 3800 block of South Carson following an investigation into allegations that she had faked her child's death in order to profit from it.

Victoria Morrison was taken into custody after Sheriff's deputies had established the child was still alive, the arrest report said, and that Morrison was collecting money under false pretenses.

According to the report, deputies interviewed the reporting party who stated she had conducted a fundraiser on Morrison's behalf because of her child's terminal illness.

The reporting party said Morrison had recently created a Go Fund Me account this month because of the child's death. But Morrison's spouse had told her the child was still alive, sharing current pictures of the child alive. A current address for Morrison and the child was also shared.

A Sheriff's deputy then followed up with a welfare check to the address given by the reporting party. A call to the county coroner showed no record of the deceased child.

Contact was made with Morrison, who stated the child died a few days earlier in hospice care and had since been cremated.

The investigation continued at the county coroner's office to locate a death certificate from hospice care. None was found.

A phone call was then made to the property manager where Morrison was living. The manager reported that the deceased child had just been in to ask for a room key.

Another sheriff's deputy in the area of the residence was dispatched to the location. He was able to identify and make contact with the child, who confirmed their identity with the officer.

The child reported feeling fine, and that the mother and her boyfriend were planning to take them on a hunting trip over the weekend.

Law enforcement then contacted the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) and arranged for the child to be taken into state custody.

The child's teacher was also contacted, and it was discovered the mother received two Walmart gift cards valued at $100 apiece from the teacher after learning of the child's passing.

Morrison was recontacted by authorities later in the day at her residence. She again stated the child had died following hospice care and had been cremated. She confirmed a Go Fund Me account had been created by a friend on her behalf.

Deputies informed Morrison that contact had been made with the child, who was in fact alive and now in DCFS custody. Morrison was handcuffed at that point and transported to the Carson City Jail for booking. Bail: $20,000.

In other arrests:

— A 26 year-old Stagecoach woman was arrested Friday evening at 5:59 p.m. in the 3300 block of U.S. Highway 50 East for felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, a Carson City Sheriff's deputy said.

According to the report, Tierra Ward was taken into custody after law enforcement had conducted a business check of premises and made contact with the suspect in regards to her black backpack property left unattended at the business.

A Sheriff's deputy had located the backpack first and then questioned Ward, who was sitting alone in the vicinity and claimed the property as hers, the report said.

A K-9 unit was called in to conduct an exterior sniff of the backpack and showed a positive alert.

Ward admitted to having used needles in the bag. She reported her last use was a few days ago and she hadn't disposed of the needles yet.

A further search of the backpack found a small bag containing a clear powdery substance, which was field tested showing presumptive positive for methamphetamine.

Ward was handcuffed at that point and transported to the Carson City Jail for booking. Bail: $2,500.

All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.