Donations Meant To Pay For Funeral Stolen; Relative Sought By Police

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County Police are asking for the public’s help in locating Yesenia Elizabeth Amaya, who they say withdrew money from a GoFundMe account meant to pay the funeral expenses of a distant relative.

On Nov. 24, 2023, a resident reported to ACPD that Amaya, 33, offered to set up a GoFundMe campaign in September 2023 to help raise money for the family of a relative in Arington who had died.

“There was a significant community response to this fund and over $26,000 had been raised. … Prior to police notification, it was learned that Amaya withdrew funds from the GoFundMe account and that the funds were not used for their intended purpose,” according to police.

Investigators obtained arrest warrants for Amaya, charging her with obtaining money by false pretense, computer fraud and embezzlement. Since then, police have been unable to locate the suspect.

Police described Amaya as a Hispanic woman, who stands 5-foot-1 and weighs 231 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Her last known location was Cheverly, Maryland.

On Thursday, GoFundMe released the following statement concerning this incident:

"GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and those who seek to take advantage of the generosity of others. Donors are protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee and we worked directly with the intended beneficiary to deliver the total amount raised to her. In the rare case of misuse, we take swift action. In this instance, the organizer account has been banned from using the platform for any future fundraisers and we are cooperating with law enforcement’s investigations into those accused of wrongdoing."

Anyone with information about Amaya’s location is asked to contact the ACPD Warrant Unit by calling 703-228-4155 or emailing acpdwarrants@alringtonva.us. Information may also be submitted anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).