An Australian woman has pleaded guilty to fabricating her young son’s cancer diagnosis and deceiving the public into donating money for his supposed treatment.
Michelle Bodzsar, 45, appeared via video link from Adelaide Women’s Prison before the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, Oct. 16, where she entered guilty pleas to multiple charges.
Under a plea deal, Bodzsar admitted guilt to one count of engaging in acts likely to cause harm to her son and ten counts of deception, according to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), 7News Adelaide, and Adelaide Now.
Initially arrested in December 2024, Bodzsar had faced more than 60 additional charges, including criminal neglect. Prosecutors later withdrew those counts following her guilty pleas to the remaining charges, ABC reported.
According to prosecutors, Bodzsar falsely claimed that her six-year-old son was suffering from eye cancer — a lie she also made the child believe. To maintain the illusion, she allegedly shaved the boy’s head, wrapped him in bandages, and placed him in a wheelchair to suggest he was undergoing radiotherapy, ABC and 7News Adelaide reported.
Bodzsar then posted photos of her son online, appealing for donations to fund his supposed treatment. Her campaign drew roughly $7,000 in contributions from members of the community and her son’s private school. The scheme began in mid-November 2024 and ended less than a month later, on Dec. 13, according to the outlets.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(686x398:688x400):format(webp)/adelaide-magistrates-court-101625-5ac2f3b6f1b94c3aa26ea837758853d4.jpg)
In one Facebook post, Bodzsar wrote that it was “unbearable” to see her son “go through this,” ABC reported. “Time is passing day and night with screams of angst when taking your medicine, and a body full of heat I can not [sic] explain to you,” she wrote in a public message addressed to her son. “I will take the pain away from you as much as I can so you do not have to feel it.”
Authorities launched an investigation after receiving reports about the alleged illness. Police later confirmed that the boy was not undergoing any medical treatment. “We believe this farce illness is causing significant and serious psychological harm to the child and their sibling,” officers said at a press conference, according to News.com.au.
Bodzsar’s husband, Ben Miller, was also arrested and charged, but prosecutors dropped all charges against him earlier this year, according to reports.
During her court appearance on Oct. 16, Bodzsar reportedly remained expressionless until after entering her plea, when she put her head in her hands and appeared to cry, 7News Adelaide reported.
The South Australian woman will remain in custody until her next scheduled court appearance in late November for a pre-sentence hearing.
