Episode Details

Between 1972 and 1985, Marybeth Tinning buried nine children in Schenectady, New York. Doctors called the deaths SIDS. Neighbors called it tragedy. But investigators eventually called it what it was — murder.

In this episode of Hitched 2 Homicide, we trace the full, devastating timeline of the Tinning family: how nine children died one by one, how Marybeth shifted between confessions and denials, and how her husband Joe stood loyally by her side through all of it. We examine the role doctors, investigators, and forensic pathologists played in finally connecting the dots — and why it took so long.

We also take a deep dive into Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome (now known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another) — the psychological framework many experts believe explains why a mother would harm the very children she was trusted to protect. It's one of the most disturbing and least understood diagnoses in criminal psychology, and this case is one of its most chilling examples.

Marybeth finally confessed to smothering her 4-month-old daughter Tami Lynne and was convicted of second-degree murder in 1987. She was paroled in 2018 after more than 30 years behind bars — but the questions this case raises about motherhood, trust, and how evil can hide in plain sight have never gone away.

Content warning: child death, infant loss, domestic violence, and psychological abuse.

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