Cruel Deception: A True Story of Murder and a Mother's Deadly Game (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

Gregg Olsen recounts this true crime case in Cruel Deception. Morgan Reid, a nine-month-old who had been hospitalized repeatedly since birth, died from what was initially attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Morgan's mother, Tanya Reid, a Texas-born nurse and devoted wife, and her grieving husband Jim relocated to move past the tragedy. However, their son Michael began displaying similar symptoms to those that caused his sister's death—symptoms that terrified him and raised alarm. Suspicion fell on Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. Tanya was charged and convicted of felony child abuse against her son, then tried and convicted of first degree murder in Morgan's death. The trial became a landmark case marked by reversals and unexpected developments. As the proceedings unfolded, details emerged about Tanya Reid's own troubled childhood and the dark secrets underlying her actions—revealing the extent of her deception.