New York mom suspected of Munchausen syndrome arrested by proxy for poisoning 4-year-old: cops

Metro

By Tina Moore, Sarah Goodman And Amanda Wood

A Bronx mother poisoned her infant daughter with potentially lethal levels of seizure medication in a suspected case of strange Munchausen syndrome by proxy, according to cops and law enforcement sources.

Tajahnae Brown, 23, was charged Friday with first-degree assault for allegedly making 190 trips to various providers in search of unnecessary medication for her 4-year-old child, officials and prosecutors said.

Authorities believe Brown suffers from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a condition in which people are known to fabricate or induce illness in a person in their care, usually a child, sometimes to get attention, officials said. police sources.

The deeply disturbing ordeal began May 2, when Brown brought her then 3-year-old daughter to Montefiore Medical Center, saying the child was taking seizure medication and she needed more, a the police said.

She repeatedly said the child needed medication, leading staff to administer more doses, a police source said.

Shortly afterward, staff realized the girl had toxic levels of drugs in her blood, police said.

She was poisoned by the drugs, the source said.

Hospital staff informed Brown of the obvious overdose and withdrew the child from treatment, police said.

The girl then continued to stay with her mother at the hospital, where her drug levels decreased but then increased again, police said.

Meanwhile, Brown appears to have continued to quietly administer the drugs at potentially lethal levels, the source said.

The hospital called the Bronx District Attorney’s office, which contacted the New York Police Department, cops said.

An investigation determined that the mother had visited various providers 190 times for her child to receive the same prescriptions for excessive and harmful medications, police said.

Brown made the same speech to medical providers, the source said.

The mother, who has no criminal record, was released on electronic monitoring when she appeared Friday evening in Bronx Criminal Court.