Central Texas grandmother arrested in medical child abuse case
FORT WORTH, Texas - A Central Texas grandmother is facing charges after allegedly medically abusing her 7-year-old granddaughter.
What We Know: Lisa Campbell-Goins, 56, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with the exploitation of a child, injury to a child, and unlawful restraint.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Campbell-Goins is from the rural community of Voss, Texas, in Coleman County. She was arrested by authorities in Tarrant County because her granddaughter was being treated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth.
The affidavit states Campbell-Goins began caring for the little girl when she was a baby because her biological mother was not able to care for her.
Campbell-Goins took the girl to Cook Children’s Medical Center in August 2023 because of severe dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea.
At the time, doctors found ulcers in her GI tract and damage to her lower intestine and colon. But they weren’t sure what was wrong with her because her "illness presentation did not match a known medical diagnosis," the affidavit states.
The doctors ended up giving her a gastric tube as a method for administering medication. The affidavit states Campbell-Goins pushed for them to feed her through the tube as well.
Lisa Campbell-Goins (Tarrant County Jail)
The little girl’s symptoms seemed to improve and then worsen, perplexing doctors.
Then, in January 2024, several of the girl’s family members contacted authorities because they suspected Campbell-Goins was poisoning her through her gastric feeding tube.
Campbell-Goins was asked to leave the hospital because she is not the child’s legal guardian.
Investigators said the little girl’s doctors, nurses, and hospital sitters began to notice improvements in both her behavior and health after her grandmother was out of the picture.
Following extensive interviews, investigators now believe the girl may have been poisoned with an alkaline substance, possibly Mean Green Degreaser cleaner.
A family member also said Campbell-Goins had a bottle of fingernail polish remover in her bedroom and in the victims bedroom.
They also believe Campbell-Goins gave her sedatives to control her and used a tent-style bed at home and in the hospital as a form of punishment and restraint.
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Tarrant County mom’s lies led to daughter getting feeding tube, report says
A Tarrant County mom was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly abusing her daughter by falsely claiming she had medical conditions, leading to treatments she didn’t really need.
Investigators say there was at least $600,000 in Medicaid fraud for unneeded medical intervention.
Past Accusations: During the course of the investigation, authorities learned that Campbell-Goins was also accused of medically abusing her son in 1999.
In that case, she was ordered to take parenting classes after she was caught over-medicating the boy and lying to doctors about him vomiting.
Campbell-Goins’ stepson also told investigators that she lied about his behavior to doctors when he was younger, leading to higher and higher ADHD medication doses.
"[The stepson] stated that he was on a multitude of different medications. [He] stated that he knew he didn't need that many medications and was ‘to the point of hallucinating and seeing stuff,’" the affidavit states.
What They're Saying: Campbell-Goins made regular social media posts updating people on the child's condition and allegedly set up a GoFundMe page to get donations.
"It's for some type of intrinsic need in the suspect. A lot of times that is attention and in our society today, what better way to get attention than social media? And so we often see them posting about child's health on social media," said Detective Michael Weber, Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.
What’s Next: Campbell-Goins is being held in the Tarrant County jail with a bond set at $150,000.
The affidavit states the little girl is now living with her maternal grandmother. She no longer has a gastric feeding tube, is eating on her own, and is gaining weight. She’s also been weaned off unnecessary medications and has started going to school.
Meanwhile, investigators are looking for anyone who may have donated money to Campbell-Goins through fundraising platforms like GoFundMe.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Michael Weber at 817-884-3749.