From Cradle to Grave: The Short Lives and Strange Deaths of Marybeth Tinning's Nine Children

by Joyce Egginton

Book Overview

The subject of a front page New York Times article and a Sixty Minutes segment, the complex series of events that led to the deaths of nine of Marybeth Tinning's children reveals the bizarre dark side of human evil. The author deals with the questions What drives a woman to murder her own infants? and What sort of conspiracy of silence operates where nine children in one family can die before official actions are taken? Photos.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688075665
• ISBN13: 9780688075668
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 363 Pages
• Weight: 1.09 lbs.

Customer Reviews

This is so unbelievable!!

I can't understand why so much went undetected and ignored! DHS and the law enforcement were guilty too. Some nurses and doctors too.

Absolutely tragic story, very well researched book -make up your own mind as to Marybeth's guilt

Marybeth Tinning gave birth to nine children. After the third-born died at 8 days old due to a suspected self-induction (she wanted the baby to be born on Christmas day) with a coathanger caused meningitis, her other two children (aged 4 and 2) died within the next 8 weeks. She went on to have more children, and even adopted one, who all died one by one. Unbelievably, it wasn't until the 9th died that the public in her county, social services, police, coroner etc managed to collectively work together to bring a case against her. Previously all of these agencies knew she had children that had died, but none knew the number or all of the information -except her close friends and family. This book has been meticulously researched, it really is very thorough and well written. As a mother I found it at times unbearable -so many questions remain unanswered. The book contains a photo of each of the children, who were all beautiful. Gripping reading, but also it is really important to learn something from this -when a child is in distress, no matter how small your suspicion or how afraid you are of offending people -do what you can to protect the child. This is officially the mother's job, but when she is suffering from Munchausen by Proxy she is unable to carry out her role. That's a 'nice' way of putting it. Read the book and make up your own mind.

"All She Did Was Knock Them Off, One By One"

Very well-written and researched. I've re-read this book many times, and each time I see a different aspect of Marybeth or the people around her. Ms. Egginton gives opinions from various scientists and other examples of mothers killing children. I do believe the theory Marybeth killed eight of her children, after possibly causing Jennifer, her third child, to be born with meningitis (because she wanted her born on Christmas). There is quite a bit of research into Marybeth's childhood, however, I wish that her brother had remembered or told more about her possible abuse at the hands of her father. If you don't receive love as a child, you can't give love as an adult. It's no excuse, as she certainly knew right from wrong and had sense enough to lie about the deaths to everyone - I believe she mainly killed them since she learned of the attention it brought her - and because she believed she was a bad mother, could do nothing right, and might as well kill them to get it over with. For some reason, she never learned her lesson, just kept trying again. What would be a nightmare that most people (with consciences) would never recover from, was no big deal to Marybeth. I don't think that she'll ever understand that these babies were human beings in their own right who deserved to live just as much as she thought she did.

Black Widow Spider With A Heinous Twist!

I read this book in a day and a half cover-to-cover. I could not put it down, simply because page after page I was left dumbfounded at the absurdness of the people involved in this story. I am appalled and enraged by the ignorance, stupidity and apathy of all who knew this woman and stood silent as she killed her children in the same arrogant pattern over and over again. As for her husband, he must have been in a coma not to catch on after the second time. This is a sad statement of the human condition- close your eyes, turn away and don't get involved. The jury was out to lunch on this one, as well, with a depraved indifference verdict. Given the obvious, this was clear-cut premeditated murder -each time she killed, she would mate, give birth and kill again. If it looks like a snake, sounds like a snake and acts like a snake..... sounds like Murder One to me. Perhaps the only redemption for those 9 innocent souls is that they were spared surviving and growing up at the hands of this calculating monster they would have called "mother" and that simpleton poor excuse for a man they would have called "dad".

Strange blessings

It seems strange that she was blessed with such beautiful children, only to kill them one by one. i find it even scary that the imbecils in her town and neighborhood (especially her in-laws) didn't do more. She is the most freightening kind of person. The kind that leaves no clear explanation. She is more than one issue wrapped up together. I think of Michael's story and it makes me sick in my heart. How did she do that, how could she? She also seemed to enjoy torturing all those around her with her horrible actions. I couldn't put the book down.

Chilling, unbelievable, well-written, hard to put down.

I first read this book about 3 years ago. Since then, I have re-read it several times. I find it so hard to believe a woman could systematically murder her children and no one was suspicious. I have been wondering if this woman is still in prison (where she belongs) or is she on the outside, enjoying life while her innocent babies lie in their cold graves?