The story of Lacey Spears and her 5-year-old son Garnett is an undoubtedly grim one. On March 2, 2015, a New York state jury found Spears guilty of murdering her son by force feeding dangerous levels of salt to the boy via a feeding tube on a regular basis.
While it may seem inconceivable that a parent would do intentional harm to their child, Spears’ actions indicate that she may have been dealing with a rare psychological disorder known as Munchausen by proxy. Here is a look at how Spears managed to keep her son ill for the majority of his short life and what the motives for her cruel actions may have been.
The Dangers of Salt
Garnett Spears was admitted to the hospital more than 20 times for symptoms that included seizures, swelling on the brain, ear infections, and fever before he ultimately died. Unfortunately, because his doctors had no reason to suspect foul play, they were frequently baffled by his deteriorating condition.
However, during his final hospital visit, his doctors finally noticed that his sodium levels were much higher than they should have been, and after his death, police found security camera footage that showed Spears taking Garnett into a hospital bathroom where she delivered the fatal dose of sodium.
Salt poisoning, also known as hypernatremia, is a rare occurrence. It can quickly turn deadly because it causes severe brain damage. While in this case the poisoning occurred because the child was ingesting large quantities of salt, most instances of hypernatremia occur because of severe dehydration—since falling water levels in the body raise sodium levels by contrast.
The Motives for Murder
Strangely enough, it’s likely that Spears’ intentions were not to kill her son but to keep him sick. While rare, there is a set of psychological conditions known as factitious disorders in which patients engage in attention-seeking behaviors such as this.
Most commonly, factitious disorders manifest when patients make themselves sick or exaggerate their symptoms for attention. Colloquially, this condition is known as Munchausen syndrome. However, there is a rare subset of this disorder, known as Munchausen by proxy, where a caregiver makes another person ill in order to garner attention.
Spears kept an active online presence where she chronicled her son’s medical conditions. According to prosecutors, her posts were meant to elicit sympathy from friends, family members, and even strangers who stumbled upon her blog. In addition to this, it’s clear from Garnett’s numerous hospitalizations that his mother was also seeking the attention of the medical community as well.
Munchausen by proxy almost exclusively occurs among mothers, and experts believe that the issue stems from physical, emotional, or sexual violence during childhood. While the perpetrators can’t be blamed for the traumas of their past, this condition is still considered a particularly heinous form of child abuse.
