A family from West Virginia, often referred to as “America’s most inbred family,” has accused two YouTubers of stealing over $100,000 meant to assist them in their difficult circumstances.
Lawrence “Eric” Carroll, 41, from Georgia, and John “Patrick” Rourke, 46, from Odd, are now under investigation by state police after supporters reported sending both money and gifts intended for the Whitaker family.
The Beckley detachment of the West Virginia State Police stated on social media that they were looking into what they termed a “fraud scheme” involving donations to the Whitaker family.
Both Carroll and Rourke denied any allegations of misconduct.
The Whitaker family became widely known online in 2020 following a documentary that highlighted the severe conditions of their home in Odd, located about 130 miles south of Charleston. The video quickly attracted a significant number of online donations.
In September, Ray, Timmy, and Laureen Whitaker were reportedly removed from their home and placed under state guardianship, leaving relatives puzzled as to the reasons behind this action.
Larry Whitaker, aged 69, expressed doubts to a news outlet about whether any of the donations had actually reached them.
He commented, “As far as I know, Eric figured it out and left at that time. That’s all I know. Patrick got some of our money. I don’t know how much.”
Rourke maintained that he has never seen any donations for the Whitakers and stated that the only questionable funds were those collected through Carroll’s YouTube account.
“The only scam that ever existed was a donation that went to a YouTube account owned by Eric Carroll,” he said, insisting that he has not received any of that money.
In response, Carroll said he only received standard platform monetization and asserted he was ensuring the Whitaker family would receive their fair share of any proceeds.
Carroll issued a statement claiming he had been in touch with law enforcement and was cooperating fully. He said he had never asked for donations on behalf of the family and was waiting to distribute funds until a trust was properly established.
He disputed Rourke’s claims about missing funds, arguing that many donations ended up in accounts he controlled, and they were still awaiting proper records to clarify the situation.
He stated that the Whitakers had only received about one-third of a month’s income since Rourke reportedly spent more than half of his share without providing receipts.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Rourke’s two cell phones, which Rourke labeled as a “witch hunt.” He asserted he wouldn’t be providing any additional information.
Rourke and Carroll had set up an official social media page for the Whitaker family back in June, where they solicited donations in cash and supplies and introduced subscription tiers, reaching as high as $9.99 per month.
Rourke claimed that they had a 50-50 split agreement for the proceeds but didn’t furnish a copy for verification. He mentioned that their YouTube channel had made over $100,000, with an additional $14,000 from Facebook donations still held on Venmo. He argued that lawyers would release the funds and insisted it was necessary to protect the families’ state benefits.
Larry mentioned that the couple had assured them the donations would go toward building a new house, yet that never materialized.
“They didn’t do that; they just took a ridiculous amount of money and left!” he exclaimed.
