A mother's account on national television that she injected her 8-year-old daughter with Botox is under scrutiny after reports surfaced Thursday that she made up the story for money.
ABC's "Good Morning America" and "Inside Edition" said Thursday they were launching investigations into Sheena Upton's story, which aired a week ago, after she told TMZ.com that she told the fabricated story for the promise of payment.
ABC News said it was "vigorously investigating her most recent statement and rapidly shifting story. 'Good Morning America' has repeatedly questioned Upton, members of her family and other sources who again and again stood by the Botox story. 'Good Morning America' says it is solely interested in getting to the truth.
Adding to the swirl of confusion, Upton appeared on the programs as "Kerry Campbell" and said she was a part-time esthetician who lived in San Francisco.
She now says her name is Sheena Upton and she lives in Southern California. California records do not list her as a licensed cosmetologist.
TMZ.com later posted a videotaped interview with Upton, in which she said the Botox story was a sham setup by The Sun, a London tabloid that published a story about Upton's alleged Botoxing earlier this year. She says the paper paid her $200.
Upton claimed in the video that the Sun had her pose holding a syringe to her daughter's face in local nail salon for a story about a mother-daughter day at the spa.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Right after these stories were revealed, Child Protective Services got involved and took custody of the girl.
Upton said she took her daughter to UCLA Medical Center to be tested to prove it was a hoax, and that she never gave the child any Botox injections.
