Before Dee Dee & Gypsy Rose, There Was Laurie + Three

Laurie Williamson manipulated doctors and surgeons into performing unnecessary surgeries on two of her children and subjected all three to cruel and unnecessary medical procedures over a period of 10 years. Prosecutors said she had Munchausen syndrome by proxy and faked the children’s illnesses to solicit money and gifts.

In 2008, the kids -Tom, 11; Roger, 9; and Chrissy, 6, wore diapers because none of them were potty-trained. Tom and Chrissy were confined to wheelchairs and were fed liquid formula pumped into their stomachs through gastronomy tubes.  Laurie said she had a disorder that would cause her to choke and never allowed her food or drink.

The Williamson’s Spring, Texas, home bore heavy shades on the windows, shut closed day and night, leaving the house dark, gloomy, and humid. 

The kids rarely, if ever, played outside. 

Teachers began to notice the children getting thinner and seemed withdrawn. Laurie removed the kids from public school and enrolled them in homeschool after one of the children’s teachers mentioned this to her.

Laurie told her children (and others) that they suffered from a regressive neurological disorder and mitochondrial disease, among other illnesses, and likely would not live past their teens. All three kids took various medications and endured over 500 doctor visits during a 10-year period.

Life in the Williamson household consisted of doctor visits, medical procedures, and sadness, fear, hopelessness, and greed until 10 years later, a doctor finally realized that for years, Laurie had played medical experts for fools.

A Laundry List of Illnesses, Disorders, and Conditions

A January 10, 2006 report from the children’s pediatrician listed Tom as having been diagnosed with:

• Mitochondrial disorder
• Metabolic disorder
• Gastro-esophageal reflux
• Esophagitis
• Seizure disorder
• Hypothyroidism
• Urinary incontinence
• Stool incontinence
• Neurological regression syndrome
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Gastrointestinal malabsorption
• Global developmental delay
• Status post-gastric-button placement
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Hypotension
• Heat intolerance due to poor thermoregulation from the metabolic disease state
• Deceased acoustic reflexes in the right ear
• Pragmatic language disorder
• Sensory integration disorder
• Anxiety disorder
• Auditory processing disorder
• Poor immune function

The doctor gave Chrissy and Roger a similar assessment and diagnosis.

Children Removed From Home After Doctor Recants Diagnoses, Suggests Munchausen Syndrome by-proxy

On March 1, 2006, the same pediatrician penned a second letter. This letter contained concerning information.

“It has recently come to my attention that there are several extremely serious issues in regards to the health of the children and the possibility of Munchausen’s Syndrome as well as Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy with this family.”

Munchausen's Syndrome/by proxy is a rare mental health condition affecting an estimated 1% of the population. A person with Munchausen's "assumes the role of a sick patient with the goal of external gain", according to NCBI. Individuals with Munchausen's syndrome by proxy involve a caregiver causing injury or illness to another person for external gain. Children, disabled individuals, and the elderly are common victims.

If you follow the news, you likely heard this disorder mentioned in the Gypsy Rose Blanchard murder case. Gypsy, with help from her then-boyfriend Nick Godejohn, brutally murdered Dee Dee after she subjected her daughter to years of unnecessary medical procedures.

Per recommendation, Child Protective Services took custody of the three children on March 20, 2006.  The agency had investigated five or more prior referrals accusing Williamson of “neglect or abuse” but each time, Williamson convinced the worker that her kids were sick and she was taking care of them.

The children were admitted to a hospital for observation. Doctors determined all three children were malnourished and underweight.   Physicians began weaning the children off the multitude of prescriptions Laurie had been giving them and removed the g-buttons from Chrissy and Tom. Most of the prior diagnoses were ruled out, and within months, the kids were listed as “in perfect health” and released from the hospital.

The children's father said Laurie had not permitted him to see them in years. He vowed to seek custody of the kids after the horrible treatment his children endured became public information.

Investigators learned that Laurie had used various methods to trick doctors into believing the kids were ill.

15-Years in Prison

Laurie tried to convince the judge she was paralyzed. She wanted attention focused on her during the trial, rather than the wrong she caused her kids. The judge did not feel any sympathy for Laurie. She was convicted of two counts of injury to a child and sentenced to 15 years on each count. She served the sentences concurrently and has since been released from prison.

Sources:

https://www.tdcaa.com/journal/a-horrific-case-of-medical-child-abuse/

https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/possible_life_term_for_texas_mom_in_child_surgery_abuse_case/

https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/spring-news/article/spring-mom-gets-15-years-for-son-s-needless-1762393.php

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK518999/https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001555.htm#:~:text=Munchausen%20syndrome%20by%20proxy%20is%20a%20mental,it%20look%20like%20the%20child%20is%20sick.