Bedford 'missionary' sued for pretending to be doctor, leading to hundreds of deaths

BEDFORD, Va. (WSET) -- A woman with ties to our area who runs a ministry in Uganda is being sued for allegedly operating an illegal medical facility in the country.

Renee Bach grew up in Bedford County and heads up Serving His Children, a non-profit she said that was created for inpatient and outpatient programs that was partnered with the government in Uganda.

In an interview last year, Bach said her organization had treated 3,400 children suffering from severe malnutrition since 2011.

Now, a lawsuit is alleging the mothers of two children served by her ministry led to their children's deaths and the deaths of hundreds of children in Uganda.

She was supposed to be in court in March, but she reportedly did not show up.

Women’s Probono Initiative, which filed the lawsuit with the two mothers, said they were led to believe Bach was a 'medical doctor' and that her home was a 'medical facility' and she was seen wearing a white coat and stethoscope.

She was also seen giving medication to children, according to the lawsuit.

The mothers allege that when their children died they were told that Bach didn't have medical training and her facility had been closed and ordered to stop treating children.

They believe that her actions led to the death of hundreds of children.

The lawsuit declares that Bach and her organization violated the children's right to proper medical care, "the right to life, the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of race and social economic standing and the right to dignity, freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment."

A group called No White Saviors (NWS) is using Twitter to try and bring attention the case.

They've asked for help finding a Virginia licensed attorney to consult on pursuing legal action against Bach and Serving His Children.

The organization claims that many of Bach's 'victims' are still alive are left permanently scarred including disfiguration and mental illness.

No one answered the door at a home for the address listed for Bach in Bedford.

She also has not responded to emails or phone calls for a request to comment.