Boston Marathon Bombing Hoax Spreads Across Social Media
Despite the photo circulating on Facebook claiming it was an eight-year-old girl who died in the Boston Marathon bombing, the victim was in fact, a little boy.
He is someone's son, someone's brother, and someone who just wanted to spend a fun day watching a race.
His name is Martin Richard.
His 6-year-old sister, who has not been named, lost a leg in the bombing. His mother, Denise, is reportedly in the hospital with a serious brain injury from the blast.
Despite all of that information, a photo is making the rounds on the internet claiming an 8-year-old girl, running in memory of the Sandy Hook elementary victims, was killed in the blast.
That photo was not even taken during the Boston Marathon. It is a photo from the 2012 Joe Cassella 5k in Virginia.
That little girl is now being paraded around the internet, I'd imagine without her parents knowledge or permission.
Someone created a fake Twitter account called @HopeForBoston(which has since been suspended) and tweeted the photo and caption. They soon after tweeted a photo of a boy crossing the finish line, claiming that was the 8-year-old boy who died, with the same 'running for Sandy Hook' story.
The boy in that photo is not Martin Richard, and it's unbelievable to me that someone would blatantly make something up like that.
Be aware of individuals and groups that suddenly pop up claiming to be fundraising for Boston Marathon victims. There's a good chance it involves scam artists trying to fundraise for their own pockets.
If you really want to show respect for the victims, keep them and their loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.
Do a good deed today. Tell someone you love them. Be kind. Talk to your kids about what happened.
That's respect.