Couple Sorry For Sextuplet Hoax

Alleged False Claim They Had Six Babies For 'Financial Reasons'

(AP)  There are apologies coming from the Missouri couple accused of falsely claiming they were the new parents of sextuplets.

Sarah Everson, 33, says they're sorry for everything they did. Her husband, Kris Everson, 45, says they didn't mean to hurt anybody and will pay back people who sent them money. Kris Everson says they did it "out of financial reasons."

The Eversons could face criminal charges. Police are still investigating how much money and other help they got.

The Eversons' story first appeared in an Independence, Missouri, newspaper. They claimed that Sarah had given birth to four boys and two girls March 8 and that the babies were hospitalized out of sight in intensive care.

Those who had heard the Eversons' sad story of tight finances set up a Web site to solicit contributions - including a van, washer and dryer, cash and gift certificates. A real estate agent was even working to find the family new housing.

The paper says it's reviewing its verification practices.

The couple's dramatic story had holes in it from the start - from their mysterious withholding of information for more than a month to the unanimous response of area hospitals that they hadn't helped deliver the newborns.

On Tuesday, authorities said the mystery had been solved - the entire tale was deemed a hoax aimed at tapping the generosity of others to pay the couple's mounting bills.

"I have never dealt with anything like this," said Police Chief Aaron Ambrose. "The level of fraud like this involving people, I have not."

Gary Bradley, the city administrator, said charges against the Eversons were forthcoming. Prosecutors had not yet determined how much the couple profited from the scam or whether they would qualify for charges beyond the municipal level.