A Dallas mother says a thief at the State Fair of Texas walked off with far more than cash Tuesday night — the stolen purse also held life-saving medication for her terminally ill three-year-old son. Kayla Price says she had tucked the bag into the back lip of her son Devin's wheelchair around 8 p.m. while she briefly turned her attention to her older son, and when she looked back, it was gone.
Price told FOX 4 that around $1,500 in cash disappeared along with Devin's medication, which helps prevent seizures and costs roughly $2,000 to replace. Devin has a terminal brain tumor and, despite six rounds of chemotherapy, was recently placed in hospice care, according to the station's report.
A GoFundMe page set up by Price to help with Devin's cancer journey describes his condition as a high-grade glioma that has infiltrated the entire right side of his brain and is inoperable, according to the fundraiser. The same page and FOX 4's report differ on Devin's age — the station describes him as three years old, while the GoFundMe refers to him as two — and that discrepancy remains unresolved.
A Mother's Plea and a Scramble for Medication
Price said the timing made the loss especially painful, noting that Devin had a good day before the family's trip to the fair, per the same account. Now she's left weighing what happens if she can't quickly replace the medication. “The potential of my son having a seizure and me not having that medication … it sucks,” Price said, per the report.
Price said she would do anything for her son, and she has publicly asked whoever took the purse to return it along with the money and the medication inside. She has also filed a police report with the Dallas Police Department, which is asking anyone with information about the theft to come forward.
The GoFundMe, which Price started to support Devin's care, states that donations help cover overwhelming medical expenses, transportation to and from the hospital, rent, food and basic necessities, and that the funds also give the family the ability to explore further treatment options and clinical trials, according to the fundraiser.
What the Fair's Bag Rules Actually Allow
The theft happened at an event where organizers say security is a year-round priority. Starting in 2025, the State Fair of Texas began requiring clear bags for entry, with exceptions made for medical bags, parenting bags and soft-shell coolers after inspection — a shift from a 2024 policy that simply capped bag dimensions at 9 by 10 by 12 inches with similar medical and parenting exceptions, per the fair's own announcements. Medical bags carrying medically necessary items such as insulin, medication or portable oxygen are permitted, but the fair is explicit that all permitted bags, including those, are subject to search at entry gates.
The fair also says plainly that it offers no lockers or bag checks on-site, meaning fairgoers are responsible for keeping track of their own belongings throughout the day. Its Safety Team is made up of retired police officers who work closely with the Dallas Police Department, and organizers have described a 24/7 Command Center meant to serve as a hub for incident tracking and resolution during the event, according to the fair's security announcements. A 2023 report from the Dallas Morning News noted that more than 60 surveillance cameras were in use around the fairgrounds that year, though it is not confirmed whether that camera count or any of the cited policies remained unchanged for this year's fair.
Devin's Spirit Amid a Difficult Diagnosis
Even as his family copes with the diagnosis and now this theft, those close to Devin describe a child who still finds joy in simple things — smiling, dancing and singing, according to the FOX 4 report. For now, Price is asking the public for help getting her son's medication back, while Dallas police continue to seek anyone with information about what happened at the fairgrounds Tuesday night.
