'Much bigger than people can even realize': Brantford woman charged with defrauding, harassing Ont. doulas
Warning: This story includes details that may be disturbing to some readers
A 24-year-old woman from Brantford, Ont., is facing dozens of criminal charges, including harassment, fraud and sexual assault, after police say she sought the help of doulas for pregnancies and stillbirths that turned out to be fake.
Kaitlyn Braun is alleged to have misled numerous doulas – professionals who provide support during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period – lying to them about being pregnant or carrying a stillborn, while falsely using their services.
KITCHENER DOULA RECOUNTS 'WAVE OF TRAUMA'
Kitchener doula Amy Perry says she was introduced to Braun in November 2022 after Perry’s colleague, another doula in Stratford, reached out for help supporting a woman who said she was pregnant with a stillborn baby after a sexual assault.
Perry says what happened over the next eight days was more bizarre and more heinous than anything she’s experienced in her nearly six years as a doula.
“It’s much bigger than what people can even realize, the wave of trauma,” Perry told CTV News on Tuesday.
Kitchener doula Amy Perry says her experience with Kaitlyn Braun left her traumatized. (Carmen Wong/CTV Kitchener)
Perry offered her services virtually, for free to Braun – even coaching her as she went through labour.
“The moans, the sounds she made were really realistic, even through the last stage of labour – through transition – she would even go as far as to vomit, which is the normal thing,” Perry said.
Braun even showed Perry and the other doula a photo of a stillborn baby, telling them nurses at the hospital where she delivered had taken it for her.
From there, Braun’s story escalated.
She told the women she had a bleeding disorder, kept them on the phone while she allegedly underwent medical procedures, and eventually claimed she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“We really felt that there was an individual who was alone in the world going through something really horrible and we were just willing to put the scope of our practice aside and help her,” Perry said, adding supporting Braun around the clock through the ordeal had left them sleep deprived.
CRACKS IN THE STORY
But the inconsistencies started to mount, and Perry became suspicious.
“At one point we were told she was in the ICU, and we could hear a small dog barking, and we made an excuse for that – you’re so into it – maybe there was someone else who was alone, and their dying wish was to have a small dog, but we started hearing that dog again when she was at another location,” Perry said.
“Truly she had just created such a big story the details started to fall apart even for herself.”
Perry said she and her colleague eventually reported their concerns to a police crisis centre, and when emergency services went to Braun’s house, they found her at home, perfectly healthy.
She says the experience left her feeling traumatized and taken advantage of.
“A lot of doulas become loss support doulas because of their own experiences with loss, and to find out that someone had been faking the experience they really did go through is very hurtful… very traumatizing.”
POLICE BELIEVED THERE MAY BE MORE VICTIMS
Braun was arrested by Brantford police on Monday.
She’s now facing 32 charges ranging from criminal harassment to sexual assault.
Police say the charges are related to offences alleged to have occurred in multiple Ontario communities between June, 2022 and February, 2023.
Police say they're releasing the name of the accused because investigators believe there may be more victims.
"I know that there are at least six [victims] that I’m aware of," Brantford police spokesperson Robin Matthews-Osmond said. "We do anticipate that there are more, which is why we released the name of this individual."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Brantford police at 519-756-7050 ext. 2262 or Crime Stoppers at 519-750-8477.
Braun is facing the following charges:
- Criminal harassment (10 counts)
- False pretenses (12 counts)
- Fraud (4 counts)
- Sexual assault (3 counts)
- Indecent act (3 counts)
CTV Kitchener has been in contact with several other doulas who say Braun took advantage of their services.
Braun is currently in custody and will appear for a bail hearing Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Large numbers of New York City police officers begin entering Columbia University campus
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.