Mothers Who Kill Their Children

By: Jackie Andrew

To Name A Few• In 1994, Susan Smith murdered her two sons in an

effort to save her relationship with her boyfriend that didn’t want the responsibility of having kids.

• In 1996, Amy Grossberg and boyfriend Brian Peterson, beat and shook their newborn baby boy to death at a motel and stuffed him in a garbage sack.

• In 2001, Andrea Yates drowned her five children, all under the age of seven in the family bathtub. Her defense team said that she suffered from post partum depression and post partum psychosis.

Andrea Yates Susan Smith

Marybeth Tinning Amy Grossberg & Brian Peterson Jr.

They looked normal at first….

Their Punishments• In Susan’s case she made up a story, that two black

men had stolen her sons, so the police wasted their time looking for these not existent suspects and the public was outraged. She received a life sentence without parole.

• Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson Jr. were young college students, and still deny to this day that they killed the baby boy. They pled guilty to manslaughter in 1998 and were fined $5,000 and sentenced to eight years in prison. But they got out two years early for cooperating with the prosecution.

• Because of her defense team, Andrea Yates was sentenced to life with a chance of parole in 2040.

Marybeth Tinning

A Little History• Marybeth and her family lived in Schenectady, N.Y.• She married her husband Joe Tinning in 1965.• Within their first five years of marriage they had two

children.• Marybeth’s father died of a sudden heart attack in

October of 1971. • And in December 1971 she gave birth to her third

child.• On January 3, 1972 her third child, Jennifer died in a

local hospital.

Jennifer Tinning 12/26/1971-01/03/1972• Jennifer was diagnosed with meningitis and never

left the hospital. • At the time most investigators didn’t suspect foul

play, because she was sick and never left the hospital.

• Due to the infants short life, there was no picture taken of her.

Joseph Tinning Jr.01/10/1970-01/20/1972

• Only seventeen days after Jennifer’s death, Marybeth was back at the hospital with Joseph Jr.

• She reported that he had some type of seizure, so he was kept for observation that night. The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with him and sent him home.

• Only several hours after being sent home, they were back at the hospital, and this time, Joseph Jr. was dead.

• She told the doctors that she put him to sleep and found him later tangled in the sheets with his body blue.

• His death was listed as “unknown” and no autopsy was performed.

Barbara Tinning 05/31/1967-03/02/1972

• Another six weeks went by, and Marybeth arrived at the same emergency room with her daughter Barbara, Age 4.

• She told the staff her daughter went into convulsions.

• Just like the incident with Joseph, Marybeth took her home, and a few hours later returned with Barbara unconscious.

• She later died in a hospital bed.• A rare condition, known as Reyes Syndrome

was suspected, but never proven.

Timothy Tinning 11/21/1973-12/10/1973

• On December 10th, just three weeks after his birth, was brought back to the hospital, and you guessed it, was dead.

• Marybeth told the doctors she found him lifeless in his crib.

• And again doctors found nothing medically wrong with him.

• His death was listed as SIDS.

Nathan Tinning 03/30/1973-09/02/1975

• Two years later, Marybeth gave birth to her fifth child, Nathan.

• At five months old Nathan was taken to the hospital and DOA.

• Marybeth said she was driving with Nathan in the front seat and noticed he had stopped breathing.

• Once again there seemed to be no medical explanation.

Mary Frances Tinning 10/29/1978-02/22/1979

• At the beginning of 1979, Mary Frances developed some type of seizure. (what Marybeth claimed anyway.)

• Living right across the street from the hospital, she rushed the baby over to the emergency room.

• The staff was able to revive her, they saved her life, but only for a short time.

• One month later, Marybeth ran to the same hospital with the baby in her arms.

• Mary Frances was brain dead.• The medical examiner had no choice but to label

her death SIDS.

Jonathan Tinning 11/19/1979-03/24/1980

• In early 1980, Marybeth showed up at the E.R. with Jonathan unconscious. Like the case with Mary Frances, the staff was able to revive him.

• The hospital sent them to Boston to get looked at by the best of the best. And nothing showed that he should stop breathing.

• A few days later Marybeth took Jonathan to the hospital and he was brain dead. (Just like Mary Frances.)

Michael Tinning 08/3/1978-03/2/1981

• Michael was adopted in 1978.• When he was two and a half, Marybeth took

him to the pediatricians office, wrapped in a blanket and unconscious.

• She told the doctor that she couldn’t wake Michael up and had no idea what was going on with him.

• This was odd because she lived right across the street from the hospital. Why couldn’t she have taken him there for care?

• Michael was dead when the doctor examined him.

The theory that the deaths in the Tinning family were genetic was being re-thought because Michael was adopted.

Tami Lynne Tinning08/22/1985-12/20/1985

• Tami Lynne was the ninth child, the eighth that Marybeth had given birth to.

• Marybeth had gone shopping with a neighbor in December, and the neighbor wanted to hold Tami Lynne when they got home.

• Marybeth was acting strange and asked the neighbor to give the baby back.

• Later that night the neighbor returned after receiving a frantic phone call from Marybeth.

• Tami Lynne was lifeless on a changing table.

Aftermath of Tami Lynne's Death• Her autopsy failed to bring any evidence back for the

police, her death was also listed as SIDS.• Police started to work together and gather evidence to

try and find out what was happening in the Tinning household.

• They decided to re-interview Marybeth about the death of her daughter Tami Lynne.

• She initially denied any guilt, but after several hours of questioning, she continued to say she never hurt “most of the children.” She said Nathan, Tami Lynne, and Timothy were the exceptions.

Indictment: The End Of Marybeth's 14 Year Long

Killing Spree• Marybeth was only indicted for the murder of Tami

Lynne.• The jury deliberated for almost 20 hours• At the age of 44 Marybeth was found guilty of murder

in the second degree. • Marybeth is now 68 years old, and is serving twenty

to life at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County for killing her daughter.

• On February 5th, 2011 she was denied parole for the third time since becoming eligible for release in 2007.