Was a 91-year-old arrested? Viral Helen Miller felony theft arrest claim debunked

A story about 91-year-old Helen Miller has recently gone viral, sparking concern among readers. 

Recently, a claim surfaced on various Facebook pages about an elderly woman being arrested and appearing in court. The posts asserted that Helen, who has been married to George, was arrested and charged with felony theft for stealing her husband’s monthly prescriptions. 

The story continues with Miller being hospitalized and appearing in court, where the judge dismissed charges against her. The viral claim suggested that the elderly woman could not afford her spouse’s medication and had to shoplift it after his condition worsened. 

An untrustworthy blog also published Helen Miller’s story, but neither the posts nor the article cited a credible source to back the claims. There is no evidence to suggest that a 91-year-old woman was arrested for felony theft and subsequently released by a judge. 

All posts featuring the viral story also include an image of Miller in a hospital gown and handcuffs. The photo of the shackled woman appears to have originated from a post that appeared on the Facebook page, Dailystories. The picture is a screenshot of an AI-generated video depicting Miller in a courtroom. 

Dailystories, a page with over 567,000 followers, features various such fake stories with AI-generated clips and images. In the AI video shared by Dailystories, the person, supposed to be Miller, admits in front of the judge: 

“I’d never thought I’d see a day like this, Your Honor.” 

The judge asserts that the woman doesn’t deserve to be in the chains, while she replies that she wants to go home. The Facebook post features the fabricated claim about the elderly woman, which sparked concern among the readers. 

Viral story about 91-year-old Helen Miller’s arrest sparks concern among Facebook users 

The AI-generated clip of an elderly woman, with an emotional story, garnered hundreds of comments on Dailystories’ post. Many believed the viral claim about Miller’s arrest, while others appreciated the page for its storytelling. 

“Please let her go! Our elderly need help!,” a user commented. 

“Wonderful Judge. He really so kind and helpful to this poor older woman,” another user wrote. 

“Desperate measures, to see your husband dying in front of your eyes, needs must, so she went back to pharmacy not thinking of the consequences. My heart goes out to you,” one user penned. 

“This is very bad, at her age, sometimes the brain don't function properly anymore, she may have confused memories, it's not good to chain her and video,” another one added. 

A user pointed out how the story was relevant despite being made-up: 

“This story may be made up as some think, but this is happening in real life, and no one especially the elderly should have to face this” 

Another user highlighted: 

“Even if this one is made up , I'm sure it's going on in a lot of elderly homes.” 

One user replied in the comments: 

“Good story but likely made up.” 

Dailystories’ original post featuring the clip of fictional Helen Miller has garnered over 13,000 impressions and more than 733,000 views.