In the third part of our Kowalski recap, Andrea walks through the events that led to Maya’s hospitalization and what hospital staff observed in those first days. As doctors quickly became concerned about both Maya’s condition and the unusual treatments she had been receiving, the hospital brought in a child abuse pediatrician and an investigation into possible medical child abuse began. 

***

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The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

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In this episode, Andrea sheds light on the disconnect between the narrative presented publicly vs the medical records and trial testimony. She traces how ketamine became the driving force in Maya Kowalski’s treatment from Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick. What followed was a rapid escalation: four-day ketamine infusions, increasingly alarming blog posts written in Maya’s voice, and ultimately a controversial, high-dose ketamine coma in Mexico. This sets the stage for Maya’s arrival at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

***

Try out Andrea’s Podcaster Coaching App: https://studio.com/apps/andrea/podcaster

Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. 

Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!  

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The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

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Andrea has been following the Kowalski v Johns Hopkins All Children's case since it first received national attention, and previously covered it in depth in our third season. Within this 4-part series, we’re revisiting the case with the benefit of additional trial testimony, released records, and appellate developments. In this first part, we’re going back to 2015 to revisit the events that set this case in motion.

We’re sharing this recap now because the Kowalski case is directly relevant to themes we’ll be exploring in season 7 of Nobody Should Believe Me. The public conversation around this case—shaped by courtroom proceedings, media coverage, and documentary storytelling—has had broader implications for how medical child abuse allegations are understood and debated. 

***

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Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. 

Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!  

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The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

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In this conversation, Kate Downey, the host and creator of the podcast Cramped, shares her personal journey with severe period pain and the challenges she faced in the medical system. She discusses the lack of understanding and research surrounding women's health issues and emphasizes the importance of advocacy, education, and open conversations about women's health. 

Kate and Andrea also explore the complicated overlap of visiting multiple doctors for unresolved symptoms vs doctor shopping in medical child abuse cases. They discuss how we can demand better research, better transparency, and better care.

***

Listen to Cramped: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

Try out Andrea’s Podcaster Coaching App: https://studio.com/apps/andrea/podcaster

Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. 

Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!  

Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content. 

Follow Andrea on Instagram: @andreadunlop

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For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com

The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

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In Part Two of Andrea’s conversation with Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, Gypsy reflects on systemic failures by doctors and child protective services and the long-term impact of being conditioned to fear helpers. She also shares what it’s been like to unlearn harmful coping mechanisms and build healthy relationships while reconnecting with family. Their conversation culminates in a hopeful note as Gypsy discusses her new role as a mother and her desire to create a positive legacy for her daughter.

* * *

https://www.officialgypsyroseblanchard.com/

Follow Gypsy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gypsyrose.insta

Watch Mommy Dead and Dearest: https://www.hbomax.com/movies/mommy-dead-and-dearest/87b41129-1e1e-41ff-b32c-926711b94311

Try out Andrea’s Podcaster Coaching App: https://studio.com/apps/andrea/podcaster

Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. 

Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!  

Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content. 

Follow Andrea on Instagram: @andreadunlop

Buy Andrea's books here. 

For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com

The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Andrea talks with Gypsy Rose Blanchard about life after surviving Munchausen by proxy, incarceration, and becoming a public figure without her consent. Two years after her release from prison, Gypsy reflects on what it means to build a sense of self after years of extreme control, medical abuse, and sudden media attention. 

Their conversation explores the realities of Munchausen by proxy, including the systemic failures that allow abuse to continue and the long-term impact on survivors’ development, autonomy, and relationships. Gypsy shares what accountability and growth look like for her today. 

* * *

https://www.officialgypsyroseblanchard.com/

Follow Gypsy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gypsyrose.insta

Watch Mommy Dead and Dearest: https://www.hbomax.com/movies/mommy-dead-and-dearest/87b41129-1e1e-41ff-b32c-926711b94311

Try out Andrea’s Podcaster Coaching App: https://studio.com/apps/andrea/podcaster

Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. 

Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!  

Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content. 

Follow Andrea on Instagram: @andreadunlop

Buy Andrea's books here. 

For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com

The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Andrea is joined once again by retired detective and medical child abuse expert Mike Weber to discuss a case that closely mirrors patterns we saw in season 6 of the show. The conversation centers on a caregiver who presented a child as chronically and mysteriously ill, resulting in repeated hospitalizations and invasive medical interventions. 

Together, Andrea and Mike examine the systemic failures that allowed the abuse to continue despite prior warnings, including gaps in CPS oversight, lack of training, and reluctance to act without a catastrophic trigger. 

* * *

Try out Andrea’s Podcaster Coaching App: https://studio.com/apps/andrea/podcaster

Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. 

Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!  

Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content. 

Follow Andrea on Instagram: @andreadunlop

Buy Andrea's books here. 

For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com

The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In part two of Andrea’s conversation with writer and former hoax hunter Taryn Wright, the discussion shifts from the Warrior Eli case to the broader impact of exposing deception online. Together, Andrea and Taryn explore the rise of attention as its own form of currency and the ethical challenges of telling these stories responsibly.

* * *

Try out Andrea’s Podcaster Coaching App: https://studio.com/apps/andrea/podcaster

Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. 

Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!  

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Follow Andrea on Instagram: @andreadunlop

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The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

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In the early 2010s, a heartbreaking story circulated widely online: a family documenting their young son Eli’s battle with cancer, following the sudden death of his mother. When investigative writer Taryn Wright came across the story, what began as casual curiosity quickly led to a shocking series of revelations about a story thousands of strangers had become deeply invested in.

In this episode, Andrea talks with Taryn about how the Warrior Eli hoax unraveled and the very real impact it had on the people who believed it. The conversation explores why these stories resonate so deeply and what happens when deception is exposed.

* * *

Try out Andrea’s Podcaster Coaching App: https://studio.com/apps/andrea/podcaster

Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. 

Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!  

Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content. 

Follow Andrea on Instagram: @andreadunlop

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For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com

The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

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In part 2 of Andrea’s Justina Pelletier coverage, she’s joined by Beau Berman, the reporter that broke this story.

***

On this show we talk a lot about how Munchausen by Proxy cases are covered in the media, and today we’re getting the inside scoop from the reporter who broke one of the most high profile MBP stories. Beau Berman began covering the Justina Pelletier case back in 2013 as a young reporter and watched over the years as the case evolved and got stranger and stranger. He tells Andrea about how the story came across his desk and the complexities of trying to keep the balance on both sides while dealing with HIPAA. He reflects on his time with the Pelletiers and his thoughts on the case more than a decade after covering it. 

***

Links/Resources: 

Listen to Justina Pelletier Part 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/case-files-02-justina-pelletier-part-1/id1615637188

Listen to Justina Pelletier Part 3: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/case-files-04-justina-pelletier-part-3-with-beau-berman/id1615637188

Listen to Justina Pelletier Part 4: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/case-files-05-justina-pelletier-part-4/id1615637188

The Battle for Justina Pelletier: https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-battle-for-justina-pelletier/5657866397468499112

Read about Justina Pelleiter in The Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2020/01/12/pelletier/0I2dQrYlZFJ9tNzscaXdAO/story.html

Join Patreon for a look at Andrea and Dr. Bex’s previous coverage of the Justina Pelletier case: https://www.patreon.com/collection/507935

Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy

Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!

Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.

Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop

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To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.

For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com

The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices