Six year old Naomi Tyrrell loves to smile. “She has best friends that push her and hold her hand.
She’d like the most popular girl in her class,” said Leon Tyrrell.
But unlike her classmates, Naomi spends each day battling a rare and terminal illness called Niemann-Pick Disease.
It’s hard to imagine how anyone could exploit this little girl’s illness for their own personal gain, but Shelton police say that’s exactly what Stephanie Hartmayer did.
She’s accused of taking nearly 5 thousand dollars that was supposed to go to the foundation that looks for a cure.
“It was shocking. I could not believe that someone who knew Naomi and saw what we were going through, could actually do that,” said Lorna Tyrrell.
Police say Hartmayer organized two soccer themed fundraisers for Naomi and the national Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation in Wisconsin.
“Goals for Naomi” raised $4200 on the field, but instead of going to the foundation, police say Hartmayer kept it all for herself.
The Tyrrell’s say they’ll never forget the outpouring of support from the Shelton community and hope people continue to give to the Foundation.
“We’re just terrified that because this happened someone would say oh don’t contribute to that cause because the money is not going to get to the right place,” said Leon Tyrrell.
