Woman Harasses Toddler With Genetic Disorder For A Year, Arrested

A woman from New York was charged and arrested for harassing a kid with special needs for a year through mail and on social media.

Krista Sewell of Melville, Long Island, was charged with stalking, aggravated harassment and a felony hate crime on Thursday by the New York State Police.

The child, Anna, was born in 2017 with harlequin ichthyosis, a severe gentic disorder that mainly affects the skin. Infants with this condition are born with very hard, thick skin covering their body. The skin forms large, diamond-shaped plates that are separated by deep cracks.

The kid’s mother, Jennie Riley, regularly shared information about her daughter’s disorder on social media in order to educate the public about her condition.

Police said Sewell posted messages threatening the toddler on Facebook, Instagram and GoFundMe from October 2018. The 26-year-old also mailed letters containing similar messages to the child’s family.

“Although I knew there was a possibility for negativity I never expected to receive the messages that were sent to me,” Riley told NBC New York in a statement.

Talking about the incident, Riley added, “In 2017 my daughter Anna was born with a skin condition called Harlequin Ichthyosis. This condition is very severe and I have made a choice to educate people publicly on Facebook and Instagram.”

The mother also thanked the New York State Police and the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department for their “diligence, dedication and most of all their compassion.”

“Over the past year I have fought a battle I never thought I would fight and I felt fear no mother should feel,” she concluded.

With her message, Riley said she was hoping people could "understand the importance of teaching everyone kindness and the acceptance of visible differences."