TULSA – The mother accused of Munchausen by proxy abuse of her toddler was found dead in her cell this week and now authorities are giving more details as to what led to her arrest.
Caitlin Lewis’ three year old daughter is in the care of her father after her mother was arrested for child neglect.
Earlier this week, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office say they found Lewis dead in her cell and it appeared she committed suicide.
Tulsa police told 2 Works for You investigators that Lewis was accused of lying about her daughter having seizures and took her to several hospitals in town.
A protective order was issued against Lewis in July after the toddler’s father claimed she gave the child medication she was not prescribed.
The document cites that the child was unresponsive for several days after Lewis allegedly gave her the drugs.
Tulsa police indicated that that incident is what prompted the investigation into Lewis. A nurse told police she noticed Lewis giving her daughter a white powder and called authorities about the possible child abuse.
Four months after the investigation began, the state charged Lewis. Investigators poured through thousands of medical records and claimed that Lewis fabricated her daughter’s symptoms and had been giving her medication since 2012.
A child abuse pediatrician in Tulsa said he's seen similar cases where a caregiver lies about a child's symptoms.
“We see it in all age ranges from toddlers to older kids, but I would say early school aged is most common. When the kids aren't overly verbal to talk about what's going on,” said Dr. Michael Baxter, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.
In Munchausen by proxy cases medical experts say caregivers might suffer from a mental illness.
Doctor Baxter says it takes a lot of work from child psychologists to let children know they're not really sick and that they're healthy.
If you're concerned someone might be lying about a child's illness, you can report it to the police so they can start investigating.
Many of these cases can take weeks or months to investigate.
