'Munchausen' mum 'poisoned daughter with seizure meds, went hospital 190 times'

29 October 2023 , 15:46

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Doctors noticed that the 4-year-old had toxic levels of seizure meds before they called the police (Image: News12)

A four-year-old child almost died in a New York City emergency room after her doctors found that she was suffering from medication poisoning after being pumped full of seizure medication that she didn't need.

Subsequently, the child's mum was arrested and accused of poisoning her child. Police allege she made 190 trips to the hospital to seek unnecessary drugs for the daughter. Tajahnae Brown, 23, from the Bronx, was charged on Friday with attempted murder, attempted manslaughter and first-degree assault over the treatment of her daughter.

Brown is thought to suffer from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The ordeal began on May 2, when Brown brought the then-three-year-old daughter to Montefiore Medical Center, claiming the child was taking seizure medication and needed more, police said. “She made repeated statements that the child needed the meds that got the staff to administer more doses,” a police source said.

Mom with Munchausen's syndrome, 23, is charged with attempted murder for nearly killing her four-year-old daughter with seizure medication (News12)

The NHS defines the disorder: "Munchausen syndrome is a psychological condition where someone pretends to be ill or deliberately produces symptoms of illness in themselves. Their main intention is to assume the 'sick role' so that people care for them and they are the centre of attention."

Doctors quickly realised that the child had a 'toxic' level of medication in her system. She was “being poisoned by the meds,” the source said. Staff, assuming it was a mistake, informed the mother of the overdose and took the child off the medication. They left the young girl in her mum's care.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

The child was taken to hospitals over 190 times as the mom told each doctor that her child required more medication (News12)

They noticed that the child's drug levels had gone down but then spiked again. During that time, Brown appears to have continued to “discretely administer the meds to life-threatening levels,” say police. The hospital called the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, which is dictated by their protocol, and the police arrived.

After an investigation, it turned out that the mom had made 190 trips to various providers to get her child the same excessive and harmful drug prescriptions, cops said. Brown gave “the same spiel” to the medical providers, the source said. According to Medlineplus.com, "Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a mental illness and a form of child abuse. The caretaker of a child, most often a mother, either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick."

The mother has no prior criminal record and was granted supervised release with electronic monitoring at her arraignment on Friday night at Bronx Criminal Court.

Yelena Mandenberg