Marybeth Tinning: Eight Children Dead, One Conviction, and the Truth about Munchausen by Proxy

Between 1972 and 1985, Marybeth Tinning and her husband Joe Tinning buried nine children in Schenectady, New York. At first, doctors called all but one of the deaths “crib death” or SIDS, but patterns emerged that couldn’t be ignored. Eventually, Marybeth confessed to smothering her 4-month-old daughter, Tami Lynne, and was convicted of second-degree murder in 1987.

But why would a mother kill her children? Many experts believe Marybeth’s case reflects Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (now known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another), where caregivers fabricate or induce illness in children for attention, sympathy, or control.

In this episode of Hitched 2 Homicide, we uncover:

• The shocking timeline of the Tinning children’s deaths
• How Marybeth shifted between confessions and denials
• The unwavering loyalty of her husband, Joe
• The role of doctors, investigators, and forensic pathologists in piecing together the truth
• A deep dive into Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome and how it connects to this case

Marybeth Tinning was paroled in 2018 after more than 30 years behind bars. But her story remains one of the darkest chapters in American true crime history—a chilling example of a mother who weaponized motherhood itself.

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