A 40-year Macclenny mother with a history of medical abuse with her nine other children was found guilty of aggravated child abuse and neglect after her latest baby was given excessive amounts of iron supplements and was hospitalized for liver failure, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Tips to a child abuse hotline said Shauna Dee Taylor had Munchausen syndrome and her Facebook page sought donations for the sick child.
Taylor faces up to 45 years in prison when she is sentenced the week of Oct. 1, the State Attorney’s Office said.
She gave birth to the premature child in 2012 and continued to bring the baby to the hospital making exaggerated or false claims about symptoms, prosecutors said. Taylor’s arrest warrant shows she told doctors the baby’s breathing monitor tripped its alarm 113 times in the three days prior to one hospital visit. Doctors found no evidence of a lack of breathing but did see low oxygen levels due to shallow breathing.
Taylor brought the child back to the emergency room a short time later due to “increased apnea and loose watery stools,” according to the arrest warrant. Tests showed no reason for the symptoms and the baby was discharged again. The next month Taylor brought her daughter back with eating issues, several tests again showing no cause. During the next visit, the baby went into liver failure.
Doctors tested the baby and found the high levels of iron. The baby’s condition started returning to normal while under hospital observation, the State Attorney’s Office said. Taylor was confronted with the medical information as further investigation revealed she had a history of medical child abuse with her nine other children, causing her parental rights for each to be revoked.
Investigators said Taylor left a trail of court cases in California and Arizona where she lost custody of several children and was diagnosed with Munchausen, a form of child abuse where a caregiver falsifies or induces an illness leading to unnecessary and potentially harmful medical investigations or treatment.
Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549
