03x12 - Broken Bond

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: when a 2-year-old

Boy was rushed to the hospital

Suffering from brain seizures

And breathing problems, doctors

Could not find the cause of the

Illness.

Blood pressure's a little bit

Low.

We've got to make sure we

Continue to monitor that.

Narrator: but the boy's

Sister provided an important

Clue -- the possibility of a

Rare syndrome few had ever heard

Of.

In 1987, ray and tanya reid,

Along with their two children,

Had just moved to urbandale,

Iowa.

It was ray reid's fourth job

Transfer in three years.

My husband -- every time we

Moved, it was an advancement for

Him.

And I was ready anytime, with

Anything he wanted to do, I

Wanted to go.

Narrator: tanya reid was a

Housewife who stayed at home to

Care for her children,





Just two days after moving to

Town, their youngest child,

Michael, stopped breathing.

Fortunately, tanya was a nurse

And knew exactly what to do.

She performed c.p.r. And

Immediately took him to the

Emergency room of iowa methodist

Medical center.

It was fever of viral

Etiology, dehydration, and

Vomiting.

That was a pretty standard

Diagnosis and situation.

Narrator: after he was

Stabilized, michael was given a

Complete physical examination.

He had a prior history of

Neurologic seizures.

But doctors could not determine

What was causing them.

A few months later, the reids

Moved into a larger unit in the

Same complex.

Ray was working extremely long

Hours, and tanya was lonely.

I think in the beginning

Their relationship was okay.

It was enough for tanya, because

She was working.

And she had enough outlets in

Her life to keep herself busy

And feel that she was happy.

But when she -- as the

Relationship went on and the

Years went by, I think there was

An emptiness and a lack of true

Affection between the two of

Them.

Narrator: three months later,

Michael had another episode.

He stopped breathing and turned

Blue.

[ Siren wails ]

His mother called the

Paramedics.

When they arrived, tanya was on

The floor of the living room,

Giving michael mouth-to-mouth

Resuscitation.

We're here to help you out,

Ma'am.

Please move aside.

Thank you very much.

He's not breathing.

Put the bag on.

Narrator: at the hospital,

Tests could not determine the

Cause of michael's breathing

Problems.

The child's pediatrician

Speculated that michael might

Simply be holding his breath.

One week later, paramedics were

Called to the reid residence

Once again.

Michael had another breathing

Episode.

She appeared very calm for

Such serious natures.

To be doing mouth-to-mouth on a

Child -- speaking for myself --

If it was my child, I'd be a

Nervous wreck.

Narrator: just three years

Earlier, michael's older sister,

Morgan, d*ed unexpectedly at

Nine months old.

The autopsy said morgan d*ed of

Cardio-respiratory arrest of

Unknown origin.

Like michael, morgan had a

History of breathing problems

And numerous hospitalizations

Before she d*ed.

Morgan's death was a stressful

Time for the reids' marriage.

We did have stress when

Morgan d*ed.

Any couple will go through

Stress when there's a death in

The family -- a child death.

And we did stay together through

All that.

Narrator: one month later,

Paramedics were called to the

Reids' home once again.

Tanya successfully resuscitated

Michael before he was taken to

The hospital.

Numerous medical workups had

Been done to try to find a cause

Of this, including a number of

Pediatric specialists and

Pediatric subspecialists.

And nothing had been found.

Narrator: doctors were

Mystified.

What was wrong with michael?

I think doctors don't want to

Admit that they're infallible,

If there's something they can't

Find.

Narrator: soon, doctors look

Deeper into michael's breathing

Problems.

Narrator: doctors at iowa

Methodist medical center

Couldn't find the cause of the

Seizures and breathing problems



Experiencing.

A few days after they returned

To iowa, michael stopped

Breathing again.

Tony collins and the other

Paramedics were baffled, and

Their logbook showed it.

Things didn't fit together,

That a kid would hold his breath

Long enough to make him have

Seizures or quit breathing.

Narrator: then, on sunday,

February 7th, while ray reid was

Relaxing downstairs --

Come upstairs!

Michael's in trouble!

Narrator: he heard tanya's

Screams from the master bedroom.

What's wrong?

He's not breathing!

What happened?!

I don't know.

Call an ambulance!

I'll be right back!

Okay.

Narrator: it had happened

Again.

Michael was having another

Breathing episode and was rushed

To the hospital.

The nurse on duty noticed

Something unusual.

On michael's cheek were some red

Parallel scratch marks --

Scratches that looked like they

Had been made by the boy's

Fingernails.

To the nurse, it looked as if

Michael had tried to remove

Someone's hands from around his

Neck and mouth.

Oh, nurse.

I seem to have cut my finger.

Narrator: just a few moments

Later, an interesting

Coincidence.

Tanya reid asked the nurse to

Look at her finger.

It was bleeding.

I don't think I probably

Would have noticed, if this had

Been my child, that I had a

Scratch on my finger.

And I certainly wouldn't have

Mentioned it to anybody.

Narrator: michael was only

Two years old and too young to

Talk, so it was impossible for

Doctors and social workers to

Interview him.

But the scratch marks on

Michael's face and tanya's

Bleeding finger led doctors to

Suspect a rare form of child

Abuse called "munchausen

Syndrome by proxy."

It first appeared in the medical

Literature in 1977 and was named

After baron von munchausen, an



Fabricating fabulous tales of

His b*ttlefield exploits.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy

Describes adults who either

Fabricate, or actually cause,

Illness in their own children.

They do this because they crave

The attention and concern of the

Medical staff, emergency

Personnel, and even family

Members and friends.

When a social worker interviewed

The reids at the hospital about

The possibility of child abuse,

Tanya was furious.

Angry and hurt that it would

Even be -- surprised.

Shock.

You know, every term, probably,

We went through.

Every form of emotion there is.

Narrator: tanya was given a

Lie-detector test.

When she was asked if she ever

Intentionally caused harm to her

Children, she said, "no" -- and

Passed.

In addition to the scratches on

Michael's face, there was a

Pattern to the episodes -- a

Pattern that was clear to

Paramedics from their time-dated

Logbook.

These calls were happening on

The same days and roughly the

Same time of day.

And that struck me odd, as well.

Narrator: almost exclusively,

The calls to the paramedics were

On tuesdays and fridays, always

At about the same time of the

Day, in the late afternoon or

Early evening.

For the most part, they

Coincided with the days and

Times ray reid was at work.

The reids were convinced that

Michael had a similar condition

To the one that k*lled their

Daughter, morgan, while they

Were living in texas.

To find out, medical detectives

In iowa decided to conduct their

Own investigation into

Morgan reid's death.

Narrator: morgan reid was

Just nine months old when she

d*ed in 1984.

Morgan's medical records

Revealed repeated visits to the

Hospital emergency rooms in

Texas for breathing problems and

Seizures before she d*ed.

[ Siren wails ]

The cause of death listed on

Morgan's autopsy report said

"Cardio-respiratory arrest of

Unknown origin."

But three other words in the

Report leaped out -- "acute

Subdural hematoma" -- a swelling

In the brain which contains

Blood.

At the bottom of the page, the

Pathologist had written "no

Evidence of child abuse."

Iowa's medical examiner was

Alarmed.

The autopsy mentioned having

Two fairly fresh subdural

Hematomas.

Blood clots around the brain,

Putting pressure on the brain.

Two distinct ones.

He called them "recent clotted

Blood."

But there was no evidence of

Healing in this case.

So he found a finding that is

Abnormal.

Narrator: dr. Bennett did a

Little investigating of his own

And discovered that before

Morgan d*ed, her doctors noticed

Retinal hemorrhages -- bleeding

In the back of her eyes.

This told dr. Bennett that

Morgan's airway might have been

Obstructed, purposely, when

Someone was trying to cause

Unconsciousness.

Dr. Bennett did not believe that

Morgan's death was "of unknown

Origin."

He was convinced it was m*rder.

The retinal hemorrhages and

Subdural hematomas came from

Trauma, specifically the violent

Shaking of the "shaken baby

Syndrome."

Once those words of "shaken

Baby" are spoken as the cause of

Death, there's no doubt it's a

Homicide.

Narrator: because of morgan's

Death, prosecutors in iowa now

Feared that michael's life was

In danger.

Michael had been hospitalized 18

Times in three different states.

His sister, morgan, was

Hospitalized 20 times before she

d*ed.

Every single episode noted

Tanya's claim that she performed

Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation

Before emergency personnel

Arrived.

No one but tanya had ever

Witnessed the onset of a seizure

Or breathing problem in either

Child.

We literally papered the

Office wall with flow charts and

Timelines, so we could look for

This pattern that eventually

Resulted.

Narrator: prosecutors

Searched the medical literature

And discovered some common

Elements among those suspected

Of munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Most are women.

They demand more and more tests

And second opinions, even after

Nothing has been found.

The child's illness does not

Occur when in day care or with a

Baby sitter.

There is a family history of

Other siblings with the same

Problem or an unexplained

Sibling death.

Suspects have an emotionally

Distant relationship with their

Spouse.



Mostly nurses.

The profile was a remarkable

Portrait of tanya reid,

Including the fact she was a

Nurse.

And that's not really a

Surprise.

Because if you were going to go

To a physician and make up

Something about your child, if

You knew nothing about medicine

Whatsoever, it's going to be

Harder to make any kind of a

Convincing story.

Whereas if you have some sort of

Nursing background or health

Background of some sort and you

Go to the physician, you might

Be able to lie about something

More convincingly.

Narrator: and investigators

Were suspicious because no one

Other than tanya had ever

Witnessed either of her children

Having a seizure.

I was the one that was always

There.

In the circumstances, yeah, but

I think any woman whose husband

Works and she stays home and

Takes care of the kids -- it's

Gonna happen that way.

Narrator: the polk county

Juvenile court determined that

Michael was at risk living with

His mother, and he was turned

Over to foster care.

For the next two months, michael

Had no seizures at all.

But prosecutors weren't sure

They could prove felony child

Endangerment against

Tanya thaxton reid in a court of

Law.

Narrator: on august 10,



Arrested and charged with felony

Child endangerment in the case

Of her son, michael.

The trial began a little more

Than a year after the hospital

Nurse saw the scratches on

Little michael reid's face.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy is

Extremely difficult to prove.

There usually aren't any

Witnesses.

And juries have difficulty

Understanding a parent's need

For this type of attention.

If we have a problem

With a broken bone and

Understanding how that's

Physical abuse, imagine we come

In with something called

"Munchausen syndrome by proxy,"

Which is hard to spell, and

We're not quite even sure how to

Pronounce it.

Narrator: when the trial

Began, prosecutor melodee hanes

Presented what she believed to

Be a pattern of abuse, which

Began with morgan and continued

With michael.

Hanes argued that tanya reid

Intentionally suffocated michael

On 18 separate occasions, before

Reviving him and taking him to

The hospital.

She also pointed out that

Michael did not have any

Breathing problems or seizures

During the time he had been in

Foster care.

The defense presented a report

From the court-appointed

Psychologist which said that

Tanya was completely normal.

They also argued what tanya had

Claimed all along -- that there

Was a genetic cause of michael's

Seizures.

The texas neurologist testified

That both michael and morgan had

Abnormal brains, which possibly

Caused the seizures.

Then, on the morning of march



Witness stand in her own

Defense.

We were so nervous about what

Was going on.

And sure enough, she took the

Witness stand.

And you can never be sure until

They do that.

And she got up there on the

Witness stand.

And she looked very prim and

Very proper.

And she sounded like the very

Best p.t.a. Suburban mom that

You could find.

Narrator: tanya reid denied

k*lling her daughter, morgan.

Did you k*ll her?

No, sir.

I definitely did not.

Did you shake her to death?

No, sir.

Did you bring about these

Seizures?

No, I did not.

[ Gavel bangs ]

Narrator: then melodee hanes

Began her cross-examination.

Don't you think it would be

An awfully big coincidence to

Know another child, unrelated to

You, in your care, that had the

Same problem?

I-it would.

I-i don't know if it's a

Coincidence or not.

Has that happened to you?

Not that I know of.

You have never been in charge

Of another child that has had a

Similar problem to what your

Children have had?

Not that I can remember right

Off.

No.

When she said, "no," I could

Have kissed her.

Because, I mean, it was such a

Lie.

It was such an egregious lie.

Narrator: hanes' staff had

Done their homework.

In 1974, when tanya was 15 years

Old, she was babysitting a

Child who had stopped breathing.

Tanya immediately called

Paramedics, saving the child's

Life.

Tanya became a local hero and

Won the town's "good neighbor"

Award.

Mrs. Reid, would you tell the

Court what you received a "good

Neighbor" award for in 1974?

And I'm handing you state's

Exhibits 14 and 15.

I was babysitting

Scott simmons.

And the child quit breathing on

Me at the time.

Mark pennington is an

Outstanding trial attorney.

But I have never seen a defense

Lawyer turn whiter than a sheet,

Like he did at that very moment.

And I was never really sure if

He actually did know about that.

Narrator: the prosecution was

Able to prove that there had

Been a lifelong pattern of

Abusive behavior.

On april 28, 1989,

Tanya thaxton reid was found

Guilty of felony child

Endangerment in the case of her

Son, michael.

She was sentenced to 10 years in

Prison.

Not long afterwards, tanya reid

Was indicted in texas for the

m*rder of her daughter, morgan.

Somehow tanya reid had become

Overly aggressive with morgan.

And we felt that possibly what

Had happened here was that, in

An effort to block morgan's air,

She may have gone too far.

And she could not get the child

To start breathing.

In desperation -- frustration --

Picked morgan up and shook her

Violently to start her breathing

Again.

And that, in turn, caused the

Subdural hematoma.

Narrator: on december 13,



Tanya thaxton reid guilty of

m*rder.

She was sentenced to 62 years in

Prison.

The verdict was upheld on

Appeal.

Despite the convictions,

Tanya reid continues to maintain

Her innocence.

Yes -- always will.

I'll maintain it forever.

I am having to do my time.

And I accept that.

I don't have to like it.

But I have to accept it, which I

Have.

Most of them deny.

And they deny even in the face

Of evidence.

You could show videotape in a --

If you had the type of

Munchausen syndrome by proxy

Where there was some act that

You could capture on film -- if

You showed it to them, typically

They'll continue to deny that

That's going on.

Narrator: the iowa trial and

Trials in texas broke new ground

In child-abuse cases across the

United states.

Justice was done.

I felt a sense of retribution

For morgan.

But there is a poignant sadness

To all of it.

It had destroyed their entire

Family and so many lives.

Narrator: ray and tanya reid

Are now divorced.

Ray remarried.

Michael and his older sister,

Carolyn, both live with their

Father and his new wife.

Tanya reid is eligible for

Parole in 2009.

It disturbs me that she is

Probably going to go through

Life denying what she did, even

Though the court in iowa has

Convicted her of child abuse.

Two juries here in texas have

Convicted her of m*rder.

And her son was taken from her

And never had another episode.

It's a strange syndrome, where

Someone just will never admit

What they've done.

She was offered a deal where

She could have served maybe 8 or



That she had done this.

And she chose not to do that.

And this is the price that she's

Paying.

I mean, she will sit there every

Day for 50 or 60 years, or

Whatever good behavior she gets,

And she will remember it.

And you know that she knows she

Did it.

She k*lled her baby.