‘Prayers For Dakota’ Chain Running Wild In Wyoming

The fraudulent Facebook forwards continue for the Cowboy State. This one is at least based on some truth however. A forwarded message asking for prayer for a little boy name Dakota is going viral. The message reads:

Hey can you help get a prayer circle going for Dakota. They had to life flight him. He is having seizures. Forward this everywhere please. We need prayers for this little boy. Please forward to all of your friends that pray. Thank you.

Sometimes the messages is followed with:

This is a friend’s grandson.

The Wyoming version has a slighted altered first sentence, which reads:

Hey, can you help me get a prayer chain going for my friend Micheal Bass's little boy named Dakota. They had to life flight him. He is having seizures. Forward this to everyone you can please!

According to urban legend reference website Snopes, the prayer chain originated December 3rd, 2016. Although the story itself is true about a little boy being life-flighted, the child's name is not Dakota and this didn't happen anywhere near Wyoming. The child's name is Waylon, he was suffering from seizures, but was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Although not proven, most debunking websites believe this forward is a varied version of both the Waylon Wells story and a baby named Dakota from a GoFundMe campaign from 2014.