Indiana mom found guilty of injecting cancer patient son's IV bag with feces several times
WOLCOTT, INDIANA: An Indiana woman who admitted to injecting feces into her son's IV bag has been found guilty of seven felony charges.
Tiffany Alberts, 44, of Wolcott, Indiana, came to the attention of the authorities after medical staff at the Riley Hospital for Children contacted Indianapolis police in 2016 when her then-15-year-old son developed several infections that were "unexplained in origin," according to the Indianapolis Star.
Blood tests on the teenager, who was being treated for leukemia, showed positive cultures for organisms normally found in stool, with doctors puzzled by the persistent blood infections.
On November 17, 2016, a nurse keeping a tab on the video surveillance in his room observed Alberts injecting something into his IV bag. She then went away, only to return an hour-and-a-half later to do the same again.
When confronted, Alberts admitted to police that she had been collecting the 15-year-old's fecal matter and injecting it into his IV tube. She said she had done so several times beginning November 13 because she wanted him moved from intensive care to a different floor of the hospital where treatment would be better.
During a subsequent search, investigators found a gift bag containing a substance consistent with fecal matter on the bathroom sink in the teenager's room. They also found diarrhea medication and weight-loss pills amongst Alberts' personal items.
Court documents state that the 44-year-old's meddling had caused infections that led to hypotension and septic shock, requiring him to be on a dangerous drug to control his blood pressure. At one point, he had to be intubated and was put on a ventilator.
It also meant that doctors had to put the teen's chemotherapy on hold for 55 days because it could prove fatal. This, in turn, put his leukemia at high risk of relapse and lowered his chances of survival.
She was arrested and charged with six counts of aggravated battery, one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, and attempted murder.
This past week, Alberts was acquitted of her attempted murder charge. She is scheduled to be sentenced on December 6.