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I'm Lacey and I'm Ashley, and this is United States of Murder.

This week we're in Texas discussing one of the worst cases of Munchausen by proxy.

Then we'll talk about one of the most talked about murder cases in Dallas-Fort Worth history.

Buckle up and join us on this dark and twisted ride through the Lone Star State.

Munchausen by proxy is also known as medical child abuse or a factitious disorder.

It's a rare form of abuse involving the persistent fabrication of physical

or mental illness in a child by an adult. This is all according to the American Academy of

Pediatrics. Today, this is known as fictitious disorder imposed on another or FDIA.

That's the clinical term now.

The word comes from Baron von Munchausen, a German military officer in the 1800s who was famous for telling outlandish stories of his life.

So much like second grade Ashley.

There are two major subtypes of Munchausen by proxy, the active inducer, and the doctor

addict.

96% of all Munchausen by proxy cases, it's the mother.

It's virtually never the father.

Only 2% of the time it's the child's dad.

The other 2% is another woman in the child's life, usually between the ages of 20 and 40.

Many have much housings themselves or suffer from another type mental illness,

borderline personality disorders or narcissistic disorders, self-esteem issues and identity.

So they've got other shit going on.

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