Marybeth Tinning

Serial Killer

Marybeth Tinning: The Suspicious Deaths of Nine Children

Background

Marybeth Roe Tinning was born on September 11, 1942, in Duanesburg, New York. She later worked as a nursing assistant and married Joseph Tinning in 1965. Between 1967 and 1985, the couple had eight biological children and adopted one son. Every one of those nine children died before reaching school age. The deaths occurred over approximately fourteen years, primarily in Schenectady, New York. For much of that period, doctors, relatives and investigators viewed Marybeth as a grieving mother suffering an extraordinary series of family tragedies. The children's deaths were attributed to several different causes, including meningitis, cardiac arrest, Reye syndrome, sudden infant death syndrome, pulmonary edema and unexplained respiratory failure. Marybeth was ultimately convicted of murdering only her youngest child, Tami Lynne Tinning. She was not convicted of causing the other eight deaths. However, investigators suspected that she was responsible for most of them, and she signed a statement admitting that she had killed Tami Lynne and two sons, Timothy and Nathan. She later challenged the circumstances under which that statement was obtained.

The First Three Deaths

The first child to die was Jennifer Tinning, who was born seriously ill on December 26, 1971. Jennifer suffered from hemorrhagic meningitis and brain abscesses that had developed before birth. She never left the hospital and died on January 3, 1972. Medical authorities generally regarded Jennifer's death as natural rather than the result of abuse. Only seventeen days later, two-year-old Joseph Tinning Jr. died. Marybeth had taken him to Ellis Hospital after reporting that he had suffered a seizure and choked on vomit. Doctors initially found no serious medical problem and kept him under observation before releasing him. Within hours of his release, Marybeth returned with Joseph unresponsive. He was pronounced dead, and his death was attributed to cardiac arrest. On March 1, 1972, Marybeth brought her oldest child, Barbara, to Ellis Hospital after the girl experienced convulsions. Barbara entered a coma and died on March 2. Her death was attributed to Reye syndrome. In the space of less than two months, Marybeth and Joseph Tinning had lost three children. ...

Confirmed Victims: (8)

Joseph Tinning Jr Age: (2), Date of Death: 1972-01-20

Suspected Victims:

Jennifer Lewis Tinning , Date of Death: 1972-01-03

Marybeth Tinning - Wikipedia