LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster woman was arrested and has been charged with aggravated assault to a child after allegedly making up several illnesses for her infant child.
According to the Lancaster Bureau of Police, officers received a PA Childline report in May regarding a possible case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy involving Briana Byers, 25.
Police reports state that Byers had been inventing symptoms and exaggerating normal behavior, which led to significant over-hospitalization and medical treatment of her child. This included an extensive in-patient hospitalization period lasting over 20 days as well as a gastrostomy tube being surgically placed into the child's stomach.
According to police, despite multiple medical professionals advising against it, Byers insisted her child be connected to unnecessary medical devices and attempted to have them wear orthotic ankle support devices, disregarding the potential harm it could cause the victim's development.
A family member allegedly told police that Byers forced her two other children to wear orthotic ankle support devices despite them not needing the support and the devices actually hindering their movement. Police say the witness provided video evidence to this point.
The witness also told police that they had seen the infant eating normally by mouth and that the child did not need the tube Byers allegedly insisted be surgically implanted into their stomach.
In an affidavit of probable cause, police say they obtained medical records for Byers and her three children. it is allegedly noted several times on the records that medical personnel had concerns for Byers having Munchausen syndrome and her children subsequently having Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Byers was taken into custody without incident on July 6 and no longer has custody of her children, police said.
A criminal complaint states that the infant now eats normally, is not connected to any medical devices and has gained significant weight. Byers' other two children also no longer wear their orthotic ankle support devices and do not show signs of needing them, police said.
Byers has been charged with one count each of aggravated assault to a child less than 6 years old, recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of children.
