Texas Mom Gets 6 Years in Prison for Faking Son’s Illness
In 2017, Kaylene Bowen-Wright was arrested and charged with injury to a child. That child was her own (then 8 year old) son Christopher. She had been faking Christopher's multiple injuries and conditions for years in what would turn out to be one of the most egregious cases of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSP).
The mental condition (highlighted in the recent Hulu true-crime series The Act) leads a parent, and typically a mother, to lie about (and possibly harm) their own child in order to convince others that said child is suffering from a serious illness. The person suffering from MSP typically needs the attention the caregiver of a sick child receives.
According to 5 News Online, Bowen-Wright plead guilty to a charge of recklessly causing injury to a child. She was sentenced on Friday to 6 years in prison. Reportedly, she subjected her child to close to 300 unnecessary doctor visits, more than a dozen unnecessary surgeries which led to life-threatening treatment complications.
The now 10 year old boy has been confined to wheelchair for years, even though he didn't need to be. Officials with Child Protective Services discovered the child had a feeding tube and had developed a blood infection that landed him in the ICU, and has even spent time in hospice care.
The boy's father claims that he has known about this unhealthy situation the entire time, and has been trying to get custody for years. Ryan Crawford told 5 News that each time he and Kaylene Bowen-Wright would go to court, she would claim that their son was on their death-bed and the judge would dismiss the case.
Crawford now has full custody of Christopher, and is seeking psychological treatment for his son in order to help him heal from years of very confusing abuse at the hand of his mother.