NINE Children Die ~ A Case of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy ? Or Pure Evil??? Part 2

 

We left off with Marybeth Tinning's poisoning of her husband, Joe acknowledged between the two of them, while she faced no consequences to what should have been fatal!!! But we have to go back a couple years to begin to even attempt to understand the actions of this very disturbed woman...

Jennifer Tinning arrived (December 26, 1971). She was born at St. Clare's hospital, but she faced medical problems. She had hemorrhagic meningitis and has several abscesses on her brain. She survived for a week and passed away in the only home she knew... St Clare's Hospital on January 3, 1972.

(This is where all the twisted, sinister things began happening... No one really paying attention to Marybeth's odd behaviour and inconsistent stories...)

A mere two weeks after newborn Jennifer Tinning had passed away, Marybeth was back at Ellis Hospital ER, where she told medical staff that Joseph Jr. had a seizure and had choked on his own vomit.

The medical team found absolutely nothing wrong with the toddler; but DID keep him under observation for a few days, before sending him home to his parents. A critical mistake, but an understandable one from the hospital's point of view... They didn't know any better about Marybeth's mentality or her attempted murder of her very own husband.

On January 20, 1972, two year old Joseph Jr was rushed back into the ER (Emergency room); but there was nothing that could be done to save him. He was literally dead upon arrival. The doctor had listed his death as a cardiac arrest...

Not even a month and a half later (March 1, 1972), Marybeth had brought her five year old daughter, Barbara to Ellis Hospital (Odd how she was avoiding St Clare's Hospital, which was much closer to where they lived)... Again, Marybeth claimed that her daughter had suffered from seizures. Barbara was comatosed for many hours but perished the next day. Her death was believed to be from Reye Syndrome,(a brain disease that may present itself with vomiting, confusion, seizures and falling unconscious... About a third of people who survive this illness are usually left with extreme brain damage)...

In the meantime, Marybeth was pregnant with her and Joe's fourth child. Timothy (November 22, 1973). It was a healthy birth and everything was good enough for the parents to take their newborn home; 18 days later, Marybeth raced to the hospital with her lifeless son; claiming she found him that way in the crib. Doctors immediately said he died from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)

Marybeth was pregnant again, fairly soon, giving birth to their fifth child, a son named Nathan (March 1975). He had zero medical issues and was okay to go home with his mother and father. Strangely, he too died. It didn't happen until the fall of 1975, but it is said that he died while he was out on a car ride with his mother.

I am completely baffled at how this was not suspicious to anyone, especially to her husband, Joseph. Why and how could one couple lose that many children to death, at such young ages and no one questioning what is happening at home or what is really causing this???

After all the deaths of their own biological children, Marybeth and Joseph Tinning adopted newborn, Michael (August 1978); approximately 3 months later Marybeth gave birth to her and Joe's sixth baby. Her name was Mary Frances and she was born on October 29, 1978. 

A few months later, in January 1979, Marybeth brought in her daughter to the ER that was right across the street from their home (how come she didn't use this one before???). She claimed that Mary Frances had seizures; fortunately the medical staff was about to revive her, in what they refer to as an "aborted SIDS" case. It took another month for Marybeth to complete what she had started with her youngest daughter....

She had returned to the same hospital where it was discovered that Mary Frances was in full cardiac arrest (this is when the heart suddenly stops beating). The medical team was able to revive her again, but this time she suffered irreversible brain damage. She passed away a couple days later when they removed her off of life support.

Marybeth and Joseph Tinning were still determined to have a family, and Marybeth gave birth to their seventh biological child (8 children, including Michael). Jonathan was born in late fall of 1979; but his life was tragically cut short again, when he passed away in March 1980, after being kept alive through life support machines in Albany, NY for four weeks.

Now, in all appearances it would seem that all these deaths had to do with hereditary conditions, as the only child who remained healthy was their adopted son, Michael. This all changes in February 1981...

According to Marybeth Tinning, Michael had fallen down the stairs; insisting that he has a concussion. Now remember this happened in February... It wasn't until March 2, 1981 that Marybeth brought Michael in to see the doctor, claiming he wouldn't wake up after the concussion he got early (possibly a week or more before this). Michael was dead upon arrival; and FINALLY people were getting suspicious; because NOW this particular child's death could NOT be genetic!!!

This didn't stop the couple from attempting to have more children. Marybeth gave birth to their ninth child, a little girl named Tami Lynne (August 22, 1985). Tami Lynne remained alive and healthy until December 20th of that year, where her death was listed as due to asphyxia. 

That very day, Social Services and police services came to visit the "grieving" parents, concerning the death of their little Tami Lynne.

To be continued...