A 23-year-old woman from Halton region has been accused of faking cancer and using a bogus illness to raise funds for her own use.
The suspect was remanded into custody Saturday after making a brief court appearance via video link.
Investigators were alerted to a woman's suspicious behaviour back in June 2010 after a concerned citizen called police.
A two-month police probe concluded that the young woman does not suffer from a terminal illness.
Police allege the woman shaved off her hair and eyebrows in an effort to convince people she was suffering from cancer. Authorities also allege the woman organized fundraisers in Burlington to help raise money for cancer charities along with several people who legitimately believed her to be terminally ill.
The suspect may have been faking cancer since January 2009, according to Staff Sgt. Anthony Odoardi.
The suspect became aware of the police investigation and turned herself into police.
Ashley Kirilow, 23, was taken into custody at an Oakville police station. She is charged with three counts of fraud under $5,000.
Police are still trying to determine how much money the woman was able to raise and what exactly she did with the cash.
"The investigation is continuing and additional charges may be pending," Odoardi told CP24.com in a telephone interview Saturday.
Kirilow will next appear in a Milton courtroom on Monday for a bail hearing.
The woman once lived in the Burlington area though her family lives in Hamilton and Brantford.
Previous to her recent arrest, she was not known to Halton police, Odoardi said.
A Facebook group denouncing the woman's alleged farce as 'despicable' has more than 1,000 people listed as members.
