TBI investigates alleged theft of $18K from fund for Anna Kate Wenz

WEAKLEY COUNTY, Tenn. — TBI officials confirm they are investigating the alleged theft of about $18,000 from an account established to benefit Anna Kate Wenz.

District Attorney General Tommy Thomas requested the assistance of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on March 4, according to the TBI.

The account was part of the “Day for Anna Kate” fundraising campaign. The 2-year-old passed away March 2 after nearly a yearlong battle with cancer.

“The t-shirt accounts, the GoFundMe Accounts, those that were online accounts were never in question during this time,” Anna Kate’s mother, Jennifer Wenz, said.

“Preliminary information indicates the funds had been removed by someone other than the Wenz family on several occasions in 2015,” TBI Public Information Officer Josh DeVine says in a statement. “At this time, we are not in a position to speak to potential suspects or charges. Our investigation is, however, active and ongoing.”

“I don’t want the community to feel let down, and that’s why we are cooperating and we will get justice that she deserves and the community deserves,” Anna Kate’s father, Mike Wenz, said.

Just days after Anna Kate’s “Celebration of Life” service, the family is continuing to fight to protect her legacy.

“We are cooperating with the police department and the TBI to our fullest extent so that we can get justice for Anna Kate and the community because that has now become our priority,” Mike Wenz said.

Stay with WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News for more on this story as details become available.