A mother lied that her daughter had terminal cancer, helped her complete a lavish bucket list – then persuaded doctors to let her starve to death, police say.

Kelly Renee Turner, 41, was jailed over the weekend after being charged with the August 2017 murder of her daughter Olivia Gant in Denver, Colorado.

Turner claimed that Olivia’s health had begun to fail in 2011, aged just 13 months old, and said her daughter had developed an inoperable brain tumor.

She said the youngster also suffered conditions including excess fluid on the brain, autism, epilepsy and celiac disease.

Turner is said to have been so persuasive with doctors that she even persuaded one to sign a ‘do not resuscitate’ order for her daughter.

That included halting Olivia’s nourishment, which had been provided through an intravenous line, a process known as Total Parenteral Nutrition.

The alleged killer reportedly told medics that Olivia’s quality of life was so poor it would be kinder to let her die.

9News discovered that one of the physicians who treated Olivia – Dr Robert Kramer – had been horrified to hear of the order.

According to an affidavit, he told police: ‘Dr. Kramer said that (Olivia) was not a terminal patient and was ‘shocked’ when he heard that Turner withdrew all medical care and (Olivia) passed away

Police have yet to confirm exactly how they think Turner killed Olivia.

Her cause of death was listed as ‘intestinal failure’. But pathologists found no evidence of that after exhuming her body in 2018 – or ‘many of the conditions’ Turner claimed her daughter suffered from.

It is still unclear exactly which, if any, medical conditions Olivia did suffer from, and whether these had developed naturally or been caused by her alleged mistreatment.

Doctors told police they had little evidence to back up many of the claims made about Olivia by her mom, and that they had voiced concerns before her death.

One medic, Dr Kristen Park, said she’d warned Turner to stop giving the youngster powerful anti-seizure medicine that had serious side effects.

Another, Dr Thomas Walker, said Olivia ‘did not exhibit the symptoms Turner described most of the time,’ adding that the tragic youngster was ‘very active, interactive, social and fun to be around.’

Turner gave regular updates of Olivia’s condition online, and encouraged local TV stations to film as the youngster completed a ‘bucket list’ of things to do before dying.

That included becoming an honorary firefighter and putting out a blaze, as well as riding in a police car and becoming a superhero called ‘Bat Girl.’

She is accused of suffering Munchausen syndrome by proxy, where parents or carers lie about a loved one being seriously ill for attention.

Turner, who denies killing her daughter, is also accused of swindling the Medicaid insurance system out of $538,000.

She allegedly defrauded a funeral home and cemetery who offered to bury Olivia, and collected at least $22,000 in donations from well-wishers.

Turner is said to have claimed that her other, older, daughter was also battling cancer.

It was when that alleged lie was exposed that police began to investigate the true circumstances surrounding Olivia’s death.

The older child’s health flourished after she was removed from her mother’s care, and continues to thrive.

Turner faces 13 charges including murder, child abuse, fraud, attempting to influence a public servant and forgery.

She is being held without bond and is due in court at a later date.

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