Marybeth Tinning: Nine Children, One Conviction, and the Pattern Investigators Believe They Missed.

KRIS CALVERT
3 hours ago
8 min read

Overview

From 1972 to 1985 in Schenectady, New York, nine of Marybeth and Joe Tinning’s children died—one after another. In 1987, Marybeth was convicted of second-degree murder for the suffocation of her last child, 4-month-old Tami Lynne. Investigators and medical experts later concluded the earlier deaths were almost certainly not coincidence. Marybeth maintained different versions of events over the years, at times admitting to killings and at other times denying them; prosecutors charged only Tami Lynne’s death and she served 20-to-life before being paroled in 2018. Wikipedia The Washington Post

Meet the Tinnings: Marybeth Tinning and Joe

Marybeth Roe met General Electric worker Joseph “Joe” Tinning on a blind date; they married in 1965 and settled in Schenectady. Their life appeared ordinary—church, family, steady work—until a disturbing incident in 1974, when Joe was hospitalized with barbiturate poisoning. Marybeth later acknowledged putting pills in his grape juice during marital turmoil; he declined to press charges and remained steadfastly loyal for decades, including through her trial. Wikipedia

The Children: A Timeline of Loss

The following list uses the official sequence, reported ages, and contemporaneous medical labels where available. Only Tami Lynne’s death resulted in a conviction; the others were initially recorded as natural, undetermined, or SIDS at the time.

Jennifer (born Dec 26, 1971 — died Jan 3, 1972): Died in hospital of hemorrhagic meningitis/brain abscess (natural). Wikipedia
Joseph Jr. (died Jan 20, 1972, age 2): Initially attributed to cardiac arrest following ER visits. Wikipedia
Barbara (died Mar 2, 1972, age 4): Labeled Reye syndrome. Wikipedia
Timothy (born Nov 1973 — died Dec 10, 1973): Labeled SIDS. Wikipedia
Nathan (born Mar 1975 — died later that year): Died while out with Marybeth; recorded without criminal finding at the time. Wikipedia
Michael (adopted Aug 1978 — died Mar 2, 1981): Died after a reported fall/concussion—his death shattered the “genetic” theory because he was not biologically related. Wikipedia
Mary Frances (born Oct 1978 — died Feb 1979): Repeated resuscitations (“aborted SIDS”), then cardiac arrest and brain injury; died after life support withdrawn. Wikipedia
Jonathan (born fall 1979 — died Mar 1980): Died after weeks on life support. Wikipedia
Tami Lynne (born Aug 22, 1985 — died Dec 20, 1985, at 17 weeks): Forensically determined to have been smothered; this is the homicide for which Marybeth was convicted. Wikipedia

For years, clinicians—seeing serial tragedies across siblings—grappled with the possibility of a rare familial disorder or SIDS clustering. Only after the adopted child, Michael, died did the genetic explanation collapse, prompting a harder forensic look. Wikipedia

Confession, Trial, and Sentence

During police questioning after Tami Lynne’s death, Marybeth signed a statement saying she smothered Tami Lynne—and also admitted to the earlier deaths of Timothy and Nathan. She later recanted, claiming coercion, but a jury convicted her of second-degree “depraved indifference” murder in July 1987. Appeals failed. She was denied parole six times before being granted release at her seventh hearing in 2018. Wikipedia The Washington Post

A 2011 parole-board interview—covered by the Times Union—captured her phrasing: “I was a messed-up person” who smothered the baby because she feared the infant would die. The statement, like many in this case, sits at the uneasy intersection of confession, recantation, and minimization. Times Union

What Investigators Believe Went Wrong

This case exposes the blind spots of the era:

SIDS & Diagnostic Anchoring: In the 1970s/early 1980s, sudden infant death was often a default label; repeated tragedies in a single family were sometimes attributed to heredity or chance. Michael’s death, as a non-biological child, should have been the red flag that forced a systems pivot. Wikipedia
Coordination Failures: The same local hospitals and funeral home saw multiple cases, yet pattern detection lagged; only after Tami Lynne’s death did authorities fully synthesize the picture. The Washington Post
Forensic Leadership: Dr. Michael Baden’s review and the county medical examiner’s testimony reframed Tami Lynne’s death as smothering rather than natural causes, giving prosecutors a viable case. Wikipedia

Joe Tinning’s Role

Joe remained publicly supportive through most of the ordeal—testifying for the defense and later saying he believed in Marybeth’s innocence—even after the 1974 poisoning episode. His constancy is part of the case’s enduring complexity: a spouse balancing loyalty, grief, and the incomprehensible. Wikipedia

Munchausen by Proxy (FDIA): What It Is—and Why This Case Fits the Pattern

Terminology. “Munchausen by Proxy” is now called Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA). It’s a form of abuse in which a caregiver fabricates, exaggerates, or induces illness in a dependent—most often a young child—to assume the “sick-role by proxy” and reap attention or sympathy. The diagnosis applies to the perpetrator, not the child. Cleveland Clinic MSD Manuals

Core features clinicians watch for:

Repeated, often dramatic medical presentations that don’t fit clinical findings
Symptoms that occur only in the caregiver’s presence
A caregiver who is unusually knowledgeable, attentive, and comfortable in medical settings
Prior losses, trauma, or a personal history that may prime attention-seeking behavior (not required for diagnosis) Cleveland Clinic

Important caveat. Public sources disagree on whether Marybeth was ever formally diagnosed with FDIA. Nonetheless, many forensic experts argue her behavior aligns with the syndrome’s pattern, particularly given the serial presentation of medical crises and the ultimate forensic finding of smothering. Wikipedia

Why cases get missed. FDIA perpetrators often appear devoted, cooperative, and medically savvy, which can disarm clinicians—especially across fragmented systems where no single provider sees the full pattern. That’s why multidisciplinary reviews and child-protection protocols are critical when multiple unexplained events cluster in one family. Merck Manuals

Ethical Takeaways for Today

Pattern recognition saves lives. One child with an unexplained event demands careful work; multiple losses in one family require immediate forensic and multidisciplinary escalation. MSD Manuals
Adoption breaks the “genetic” spell. When an adopted child presents with the same “unexplained” outcomes as biological siblings, the threshold for suspicion should be crossed. Wikipedia
Language matters. Using “FDIA” clarifies that this is abuse committed by a caregiver; the child is a victim, not a participant. Cleveland Clinic

Aftermath

Marybeth Tinning was released on parole in August 2018. The earlier deaths remain officially unproven in court, but investigators, prosecutors, and many medical experts regard the series as a single, tragic pattern that only became prosecutable with the last child. Wikipedia The Washington Post

Sources used for this podcast and YouTube:

Albany Institute of History & Art. (n.d.). Trial of Marybeth Tinning: Tinning on the stand with Judge Cliffo. Albany Institute of History & Art. https://www.albanyinstitute.org/collection/details/trial-of-marybeth-tinning-tinning-on-the-stand-with-judge-cliffo

alittlebithuman. (2022, April 28). Marybeth Tinning: Child killer with Munchausen syndrome by proxy. A Little Bit Human. https://alittlebithuman.com/marybeth-tinning-child-killer-munchausen/

American Bar Association. (2010, November 1). Even death can be political: An interview with renowned forensic pathologist Michael Baden. ABA Journal. https://www.abajournal.com/columns/article/even-death-can-be-political-an-interview-with-renowned-forensic-pathologist-michael-baden

Cambridge University Press. (2018). Mental health and substance use among female serial killers. In Just as deadly (pp. 167–185). Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/just-as-deadly/mental-health-and-substance-use-among-fsks/0BD719CBC44A1CB2B019DBE8C4D29C61

CBS News. (2018, August 22). Marybeth Tinning, mom who killed daughter Tami Lynne in 1985, granted parole on 7th try. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marybeth-tinning-mom-killed-daughter-tami-lynne-1985-parole-seventh-try/

Find a Grave. (n.d.). Virtual cemetery: Marybeth Tinning. https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-cemetery/180918

Inquirer. (2012, September 30). Marie Valdés-Dapena, 91, pathologist. The Philadelphia Inquirer. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20120930_Marie_Valds-Dapena__91__pathologist.html

Maamodt, M. (2012). Marybeth Tinning (2012). Radford University. https://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Tinning,%20Marybeth%20_2012_.pdf

Metro. (2018, August 22). Serial killer who murdered 8 of her babies is released from prison. Metro UK. https://metro.co.uk/2018/08/22/serial-killer-who-murdered-8-of-her-babies-is-released-from-prison-7873170/

Murderpedia. (n.d.). Marybeth Tinning photos. Murderpedia. https://murderpedia.org/female.T/t/tinning-marybeth-photos.htm

New York Post. (2018, July 22). Even a serial child killer will soon go free thanks to Cuomo’s parole board. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2018/07/22/even-a-serial-child-killer-will-soon-go-free-thanks-to-cuomos-parole-board/

New York Times. (1987, June 28). Mother’s trial starts in baby’s death. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/28/nyregion/mother-s-trial-starts-in-baby-s-death.html

New York Times. (1987, July 16). Schenectady child suffocation case goes to jury. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/16/nyregion/schenectady-child-suffocation-case-goes-to-jury.html

New York Times. (1987, July 18). Mother guilty of murdering her daughter. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/18/nyregion/mother-guilty-of-murdering-her-daughter.html

People. (2018, August 22). 9 little kids, 9 strange deaths: Tragedy seemed to follow Marybeth Tinning—then she confessed to murder. People. https://people.com/crime/9-little-kids-9-strange-deaths-tragedy-seemed-to-follow-marybeth-tinning-then-she-confessed-to-murder/

People. (2018, August 22). Marybeth Tinning, child murderer, granted parole and laying low. People. https://people.com/crime/marybeth-tinning-child-murderer-parole-laying-low/

People. (2018, August 22). Marybeth Tinning, baby killer, to be released from prison. People. https://people.com/crime/martybeth-tinning-baby-killer-to-be-released-from-prison/

Reddit. (2021, March). Marybeth Tinning and Munchausen by proxy (MBP). Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/servant/comments/m0zgym/marybeth_tinning_and_munchausen_by_proxy_mbp/

Seattle Times. (2018, August 22). Woman who killed daughter in ’80s granted parole on 7th try. The Seattle Times. https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/apxwoman-who-killed-daughter-in-80s-granted-parole-on-7th-try/

Times Union. (2011, January 2). Rare glimpse into child killer’s mind. Times Union. https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Rare-glimpse-into-child-killer-s-mind-1007994.php

Times Union. (2018, August 22). Notorious baby killer Marybeth Tinning getting parole. Times Union. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Notorious-baby-killer-Marybeth-Tinning-getting-13077987.php

Times Union. (2018, August 22). Notorious baby killer Marybeth Tinning getting parole. Times Union. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Notorious-baby-killer-Marybeth-Tinning-getting-13078649.php

WAMC. (2018, August 22). Schenectady woman who killed baby daughter freed from prison. WAMC Northeast Public Radio. https://www.wamc.org/capital-region-news/2018-08-22/schenectady-woman-who-killed-baby-daughter-freed-from-prison

Washington Post. (1986, February 6). Mother named in murder. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/national/1986/02/06/mother-named-in-murder/06e48335-b809-483d-932e-fc2d302ae45a/

Washington Post. (1986, February 13). Woman indicted in death of child. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/national/1986/02/13/woman-indicted-in-death-of-child/0e3d97d4-34fc-4475-a206-eecfe2f317f7/

Washington Post. (1987, March 1). Over years, couple buried 9 children. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/03/01/over-years-couple-buried-9-children/f2c444b0-93bb-483a-8fd8-d4d5aa46a4ae/

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Yahoo! Entertainment. (2018, August 23). Notorious child killer Marybeth Tinning released on parole. Yahoo Entertainment. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/notorious-child-killer-marybeth-tinning-153232434.html

Film & TV References

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Unknown Number: The High School Catfish. (2023). [Film]. Netflix.

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Do not copy, reproduce, or distribute any part of this content without express written permission.

For licensing, press inquiries, or collaboration requests, contact: kris@hitched2homicide.com

For more true crime episodes, visit: www.Hitched2Homicide.com

Thanks for listening and remember… Southern charm won’t save you from true crime.