Wendi Scott
ItsJustMe
For a year, Wendi Scott displayed many of the symptoms of a cancer patient:
the hair on her head and eyebrows was gone and she got around using a
wheelchair or walker.
Her husband, pastor and friends were convinced she was ill. They didn't know
she had shaved her own head and eyebrows and plucked her own eyelashes.
Scott, 32, was faking, according to Frederick County Assistant State's
Attorney Lindell K. Angel. And her deceit didn't end there.
When she gave up the cancer charade, about four years ago, Scott turned
doctors' attention to her firstborn -- by poisoning her daughter, Angel
said.
"Ms. Scott is a masterful manipulator É with a history of Munchausen
syndrome," Angel said Tuesday in a bail hearing for Scott. "Now she has
sacrificed her 4-year-old child for the attention of her husband and others.
She graduated to creating illnesses (in her daughter)."
On Friday, Angel convinced a grand jury to indict Scott on 15 charges,
including felony child abuse, assault and reckless endangerment. Angel
contends Scott has displayed behavior consistent with Munchausen syndrome
and Munchausen syndrome by Proxy.
Munchausen syndrome is a disorder in which people feign illness for
sympathy. In Munchausen syndrome by Proxy, a caregiver feigns or induces
illness in another person to generate a similar reaction.
On Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge G. Edward Dwyer Jr. set Scott's bail at
$75,000.
Scott, dressed in a dark blue jail jumpsuit, shook her head and smirked as
Angel described how she intravenously fed her child magnesium and withdrew
blood to make her appear sickly. Her actions induced severe diarrhea, blood
loss, vomiting, high fever and rapid heart rate.
Scott, a military wife who had been based at Fort Detrick, did not address
the court.
Angel had urged Dwyer to set Scott's bail at $250,000, calling her a danger
to herself and others.
Defense attorney Mary Drawbaugh disagreed with the assertion and suggested
between $50,000 and $75,000. She emphasized that Scott turned herself in and
has kept her weekly psychiatric appointments.
"I foresee a mental health-type plea in her future, and I need her out to
prepare a defense," Drawbaugh said.
Dwyer placed stringent conditions on Scott should she raise the $75,000
bail.
Scott is prohibited from having contact with her 2-year-old son and
4-year-old daughter. They are staying with their maternal grandparents in
Georgia after being removed from their mother's custody.
Dwyer also barred Scott from Fort Detrick, where her husband still lives,
and from leaving Maryland, except to keep medical appointments in
Washington. Scott now resides with two roommates in Jefferson.
Dwyer set a pretrial conference for Jan. 7. Drawbaugh anticipates trial will
exceed a week.
As Angel was presenting her arguments for the $250,000 bail, Scott put her
head in her left hand and smiled.
As is the case when an alleged crime occurs on federal property, local
prosecutors cooperated with the FBI in investigating the matter involving
Scott. A decision was made to handle the case at the local level.
Investigators opened the case after doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center confronted Wendi and Sean Scott, a U.S. Army major assigned to the
hospital. Their daughter was being treated there and doctors had been unable
to find a cause for her symptoms.
While the child was at Walter Reed, Wendi Scott had been posting an online
journal documenting the travails of parenting a seriously ill child, Angel
said.
"The doctors are at a loss," Angel said, reading from the journal. "But we
will continue to go on, and through friends, the hospital and everyone's
prayers, we'll get through this."
Angel said the child's chief doctor was aghast.
During three years of inpatient and outpatient treatments at Walter Reed, 72
procedures had been performed on the child, including blood transfusions and
bone marrow tests.
"Doctors felt she may have leukemia," Angel said.
Had they realized earlier, none of the procedures would have been required.
"This journal documents the day-to-day torture this child was put through at
the hands of her mother," Angel said. "Her doctor said this was the most
sinister form of child abuse he has seen."
Chocolic
"ItsJustMe" <ells...@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:9or1j.1139$C24...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.net...
head, etc. Didn't he see any medical bills, or go along to any of the
appointments and talk to the doctors? I mean, my gawd, a person truly going
thru that would certainly would hopefully have their spouse involved in the
diagnoses, treatments, etc. That struck me as strange.
Also, Wendi Scott "shook her head and smirked" when confronted in court with
the accusations. From what I have read about Munchausen's syndrome, that
usually when a person is caught, they admit their problem right away, show
remorse, and the abuse stops. What's with her acting like everybody else is
wrong and that she is right, pretty much with her attitude.
Chocolic
Poe
Plus hair loss is gradual, one isn't just immediately baby-butt bald
during chemo or radiation. And there are other signs - nausea, losing
weight, dark circles under eyes - I agree with you that it seems odd her
facade went undetected by someone as close as a spouse.
>
> Also, Wendi Scott "shook her head and smirked" when confronted in court
> with the accusations. From what I have read about Munchausen's
> syndrome, that usually when a person is caught, they admit their problem
> right away, show remorse, and the abuse stops. What's with her acting
> like everybody else is wrong and that she is right, pretty much with her
> attitude.
>
I am only familiar with the "by proxy" cases, but in those I alway see
the perp vigorously and consistently deny any wrong doing, and they tend
to stick to their story even after being incarcerated or whatever.
I find Münchhausen's extremely baffling. There are so many ways in which
to get attention, I never got why there was this weird disorder to gain
attention by feigning illness of one's self or child. It is just so weird.
ItsJustMe
"Poe" <hau...@terrible-thought.com> wrote in message
news:5qom7iF...@mid.individual.net...
it is for the kids. If she makes the kids sick, everyone then sympathizes
with her. I think it was the book Mockingbird that explained it that way.
Poe
But if you wanted attention, wouldn't other options go thru your mind
besides feigning illness or hurting your child to gain sympathy? The
choices are limited mainly by your imagination. I realize Münchhausen's
is considered an official disorder, but I'm skeptical. I think the
disorder should more precisely be referred to as "criminally pathetic
asshole".
ItsJustMe
My mind? Absolutely. As far as the "disorder",doesn't it seem like it
escalates? At least with this case. If she's all about the drama, maybe she
needed more dramatic drama ...like some people need more alcohol or harder
drugs. I'm like you, though, I don't know that hurting people I love would
be an option for me.
As far as the husband...they live on base. I'm sure he didn't have a whole
lot of free time to see what she was up to.
Ago@faraway JonesieCat
There are many people who don't believe it should be classified as a real
disorder, espec the by proxy aspect.
jc
Poe
I think I fall into that camp, and that the "by proxy" issue keeps
coming up is just because so often children are left alone with a crazy
but trusted asshole, and are vulnerable to her acts and lies.
ItsJustMe
I think the disorder should be called pathological lying. Or Drama Queening.
People do sick crap to each other all day long and not everything is a
disorder. Diane Downs wasn't diagnosed with that....and she shot her kids to
be with a man, but shot herself to cover it.
I guess its different because she wanted them to be dead.
I don't remember,did they say Paula Sims had that? But she only hurt girl
babies.
I need my coffee
Ago@faraway JonesieCat
Drama Queen Disorder! Yes! I like it!
jc