Teen 'Medically Kidnapped': Mom Accused of Munchausen By Proxy

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI – A Bloomfield Hills mother says her 17-year-old daughter was “medically kidnapped” by state child protective workers who accused her of failing to provide proper medical care for her child and Munchausen by Proxy, a relatively rare form of child abuse in which the primary caretaker exaggerates or fabricates an illness or symptoms.

Rebecca Campos’ daughter, Leiani McMichael, was removed from the home and taken to Oakland County Children’s Village by Children’s Protective Services officials in November.

Until February 2015, McMichael was “completely healthy” and “an amazing, thriving child,” Campos told WXYZ-TV.

That’s when she developed stomach problems.

According to medicalkidnap.com, which also profiled the case, doctors at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak removed two cysts the size of walnuts from McMichael’s fallopian tube, repaired two abdominal hernias and removed her appendix.

McMichael was discharged after three days, but began vomiting, which Campos said doctors concluded was the result of a virus. A feeding tube was inserted at Beaumont after five days of vomiting, and she was transferred to Children’s Hospital in Detroit for more testing.

The feeding tube was removed, and doctors there diagnosed her with irritable bowel syndrome and encouraged her to eat, according to medicalkidnap.com. She was still vomiting, but was discharged after four and one-half days.

The vomiting continued, and a pediatrician Campos consulted referred McMichael to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan. She still wasn’t eliminating waste, so a nasal feeding tube was inserted.

Two days later, she was discharged.

The teen was still vomiting, so Campos took her back to Beaumont, where doctors reportedly confirmed she had gastroparesis and inserted a feeding tube that would bypass her stomach.

The pain continued for months. Campos said a doctor at a clinic five hours away in Cleveland, OH, thought a vagal nerve had been severed during the hernia surgery. Another feeding tube surgery was recommended.

However, McMichael reportedly told doctors that if they were going to “butcher her,” she wanted to visit her father in California, and also get a second opinion.

Conversion Disorder Diagnosed

In California, problems developed with the feeding tube she already had. She slipped into a coma and was unconscious for days after a surgery was performed at Miller Children’s Hospital to correct a problem, Campos told WXYZ.

When the teen finally did wake, she was weak, needed a wheelchair for mobility, had memory problems and began having seizures, according to Campos.

Back at home in Michigan, McMichael had a seizure, a condition she hadn’t had before. Her mother took her back to Beaumont, where she said doctors couldn’t find a reason for the seizure. They reportedly talked about conversion disorder, but rejected the diagnosis and released McMichael.

After going home, the teen had another seizure. This time, she was taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, where doctors reportedly also rejected the conversion disorder diagnosis, but said they weren’t equipped to do proper testing for the seizures. McMichael was referred back to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

There, doctors reportedly concurred with the conversion disorder diagnosis.

“I said OK,” Campos told WXYZ. “How do we fix this?”

In-hospital therapy followed.

Mom Claims Hospital Negligent

Doctors at Mott’s Children’s Hospital reportedly said McMichael didn’t need a wheelchair or feeding tube, though Campos maintains they are the ones who prescribed the wheelchair.

Campos accused the hospital of negligent care after she claims she found her daughter saturated in urine and her feeding machine beeping. CPS workers reportedly showed up within two hours, and then again three days later.

McMichael was removed from Campos’ home in November, after officials at Mott’s reportedly accused her of Munchausen by Proxy.

Campos, her family and supporters “believe that Mott’s is trying to cover up their poor care” of McMichael, according to medicalkidnap.com.

Prosecutors: Teen’s Health Improving

Campos will face the charges in Oakland County Circuit Court next month.

According to court documents, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office alleges “numerous physicians have performed unnecessary surgeries, diagnostic procedures and other medical treatment based upon the parent’s exaggerated reports.”

McMichael’s health is improving now that she is no longer in her mother’s care, and the episodes that Campos described as “seizures” are diminishing, according to court documents.

In one document, the prosecutor’s office alleges: “Leiani was previously wheelchair bound. Leiani is now standing and taking steps. Leiani was previously on a feeding tube and would spit out table food, despite being viewed eating food at times with no problems, when unaware of observation. Since removal, Leiani has kept food down, such as bread and a cookie.”

Campos maintains her innocence.

“I have never done anything to make her sick, and I always have done my best,” Campos said.