Mesquite mom police say faked son’s cancer won’t face felony charges

Felony charges were dropped against a Mesquite woman police say falsely claimed her 7-year-old son had cancer to collect donations.

But Shawnanna Starr Flores, who also goes by the last name Guerrero, still could face misdemeanor charges for the alleged scheme. The case is being reviewed by the Mesquite City Attorney’s office.

Mesquite police said Flores, 36, held a car wash on Aug. 24, which raised $404, and a garage sale, which netted an unknown amount of money. A fund was established for her son at Wells Fargo Bank and money jars were placed in businesses around Mesquite.

She was originally charged with three felonies: obtaining money under false pretenses, theft and child abuse.

Police began investigating Flores after she failed to provide medical documentation supporting that her son had cancer to a local community charity that was planning to hold a benefit. Flores’ son was supposed to be one beneficiaries of the event.

According to police reports, Flores then complained to police that the charity, Carnival for Cures, was using her sons photograph without her permission, telling an officer that the charity continued to harass her.

Earlier this month, Flores took her son to a St. George hospital for vomiting and abdominal pain. According to a report, a doctor at the hospital told Flores that her son’s tests came back normal.

According to the police report, Flores provided police with a fake medical document regarding her son’s condition. Medical records obtained by police indicated that the boy was not diagnosed with liver cancer.

Flores was also the mother of a 12-year-old Las Vegas boy who died last year when police say his stepmother ignored his appendicitis. Kalinda Mercado faces a murder charge for Emmanuel Mercado death.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.