Munchausen Syndrome is the name given to a mental disorder that causes one to lie about illness or even purposely make oneself ill, presumably for attention. It differs from hypochondria in that the sufferer is well aware that they are not ill, at least not in the way they convey themselves to be ill. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is the same disorder, but manifested in one’s care of another. In other words, sufferers of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy tell people that someone else is sick, typically someone in their care. In the worst cases of Munchausen by Proxy, the sufferer poisons or even kills the person they are using for attention.
Julie J. Gregory
Julie J. Gregory is an author and former victim of Munchausen by Proxy. In her book, “Sickened, Memoir of a Lost Childhood” she talks about how her mother pretended she was sick for most of her childhood. In the case of Julie’s mother, it seemed she wanted attention or even simply the social interaction she got with doctors. She would cart Julie around to doctor’s offices and hospitals claiming that she was displaying symptoms that she really was not displaying. Julie knew no better than to simply go along with what her mother said.
Because of her mother’s mental illness, Julie was forced to undergo special tests, some of which were painful. When the tests revealed nothing, Julie’s mother would become angry and drag Julie to another doctor. She even suggested that a doctor give Julie open-heart surgery.
In this case of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, the mother did not physically harm her child directly. However, Julie was often medicated when it was not necessary. Her mother’s need for attention led Julie to grow up in a world we can scarcely imagine. Julie was very lucky to make it out alive, as you will see by the result of the next cases.
The Hoyt Children
Waneta Hoyt was your average middle class homemaker. Her husband, Tim Hoyt worked as a security guard while she stayed home and tended the children that she bore, until their untimely deaths. At the time, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy was not something that was mentioned in polite society, so she was able to commit the same action again and again while people comforted her for the loss of her children.
Soon after Waneta and Tim were married, they began having children. There were five in total – Noah, Eric, James, Julie and Molly. Each of them died between 1965 and 1971. The longest-lived was only 2 years old at the time of death. The youngest was less than two months. Sudden infant death syndrome was the talked about culprit, but people had their suspicions. Nevertheless, Waneta remained free of blame for 20 years. She even went on to adopt another child, who survived.
A local DA eventually heard of the mysterious case of the Hoyt children. After a few years of investigation, a police officer who knew Waneta was sent to her house to talk to her. After about an hour, she confessed to killing her children. She was later sentenced to 75 years to life in prison for “depraved indifference to human life.” She now claims her confession was given under duress. Her husband and adopted son believe she is innocent. If she is not, her case is one of the worst reported cases of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy in history.
The Tinning Children
How Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy can drive a mother to kill eight of her own children is a horrifying mystery to most mothers. One would think that someone would stop her before she killed them all, but such was not the case with Marybeth Tinning. She killed at least eight of her children, including one who was adopted. Her third child died as well, but whether Marybeth was guilty of killing the newborn child remains a mystery.
Marybeth Tanning married Joe Tinning in 1965. In January of 1972, she gave birth to her third child, Jennifer. Jennifer became ill at the hospital and died before she could go home. The official cause was meningitis. It was later suggested that Marybeth attempted to induce labor with a coat hanger and that is how her infant became ill. This cannot be confirmed. Other people believe it was Jennifer’s death and the resulting sympathy that caused Marybeth to develop Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. Either way, Jennifer’s older brother and sister had lived safely with Marybeth Tinning for years. Just weeks after their sister’s death, things changed.
On January 20, 1972, Marybeth Tinning brought her 2-year-old son to the emergency room. Marybeth claimed he had a seizure. Doctors found nothing amiss and sent the child home with his mother. Less than one day later, Marybeth brought Joseph Jr. back to the hospital. This time he was dead. She claimed he turned blue and died while he was sleeping.
About one and half months later, 4-year-old Barbara Tinning became ill. The situation played out almost precisely as it had with Joseph. Doctors had not been able to find a cause of death for Joseph, but they labeled Barbara’s death as the result of Reyes Syndrome. Little did they know, the cause of death was Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.
Marybeth Tinning had another child in November of 1973. She named him Timothy. She killed him when he was only 3 weeks old. She brought his lifeless body to the ER, saying that he had simply stopped breathing. The cause of death: SIDS. Two years later, Marybeth and her husband decided to adopt a child. It was the perfect cover for Marybeth, whose best defense was that something ran in the family. Too bad she would not be able to control her Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.
While the Tinnings were waiting for their adoption to go through, Marybeth got pregnant. They brought their adopted child, Michael, home in August of 1978. Roughly two months later, had another daughter who she named Mary Frances. Just a few months later, Mary Frances was in the ER with Marybeth, who was claiming she had a seizure. Mary Frances was resuscitated, only to die by her mother’s hand the following month. Her official cause of death was SIDS. The following November, Jonathan Tinning was born. In March of 1980, he died much the same way as Mary Frances had.
Almost exactly one year after the death of Jonathan Tinning, Marybeth killed her adopted son. This blew any theory of genetic disorders out of the water. At this point, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy should have been blatantly obvious, but Marybeth remained free to have and kill one more child – Tami Lynne Tinning. In February of 1986, Marybeth Tinning confessed to police that she killed Timothy, Nathan and Tami. She said she did not know how the rest of her children had died. The cause was obvious to a jury. Marybeth Tinning had killed at least eight children while suffering from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. She was sentenced to 20 years to life for “depraved indifference to human life.”
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy drives people to harm or even kill the people in their care. Cases like those above are rare, but still too common for comfort. If you, or someone you know, may be suffering from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy seek help immediately. If you know of someone who is being abused because of this horrible syndrome, call local law enforcement immediately. Remember, victims are not always children. No one should have to die at the hands of his or her caregiver.
