In a tragic and controversial case, a 20-year-old woman from Texas, Angel Lynn Marie Varner, faces murder charges for the death of her 7-month-old son, Jackson Knight Blackmon. In a twist that has added to the public outcry, Varner reportedly set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her son’s funeral, just a day before her arrest.
The incident unfolded in Amarillo, Texas, where police were called to a duplex on Monday. Upon arrival, they discovered the lifeless body of baby Jackson in the home. An autopsy later revealed that the infant had succumbed to blunt force trauma, as per court records cited in a report by KFDA.
Further reports from KFDA indicated that Varner confessed to the police about her actions leading to Jackson’s death. She admitted to pressing on the baby’s stomach until he stopped crying and subsequently threw him to the floor.
The day Jackson died, Varner took to Facebook to announce his passing on a page dedicated to him. Her post, which included a photo of Jackson, expressed shock and grief, stating, “My poor baby… He’s no longer with us… I don’t know the details… But he’s gone….”
Varner then made a subsequent public post on Tuesday on the same Facebook page. In this post, she mentioned that she had started a GoFundMe campaign to cover the funeral expenses for Jackson, specifically mentioning plans for cremation. The post included a link to the GoFundMe page, which has since been deactivated.
On GoFundMe, the name of the fundraiser organizer is always displayed, and in this case, it was listed as “Angel Varner is organizing this fundraiser.” This revelation raised eyebrows and led to public outrage, as highlighted by a Facebook user’s comment on Varner’s post: “Wait, didn’t the baby’s ‘mother’ admit to killing him? Smdh. The audacity of some people!”
A spokesperson from GoFundMe responded to the situation, as reported by KVII, stating that the fundraiser had been removed from their platform. They assured that all donations had been refunded, and Varner, the organizer, did not receive any of the funds raised. Attempts to access the GoFundMe page now result in a “Fundraiser not found” message.
Jail records from the Potter County Sheriff’s Office confirm Varner’s arrest on Wednesday on murder charges, adding another layer to this deeply unsettling and tragic case.