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From Cradle to Grave

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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.

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.

UPDATE: Marybeth did admit to killing Tami Lynne at her parole hearing in 2009 - she said she was "going through bad times." At her Jan 26, 2011 hearing, she stated, "After the deaths of my other children...I just lost it. (I) became a damaged worthless piece of person and when my daughter was young, in my state of mind at that time, I just believed that she was going to die also. So I just did it." She said that if she were released, she would live with her husband.

But I think she killed all eight after Jennifer died.

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".

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.

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?

FYI: Tinning's in-laws, Edna and Joe Tinning, died in 2005 and 2005, respectively.

Her sister-in-law, Carol Tinning, died in 2001 at age 62. According to Joe Tinning, Sr.'s 2006 obit, Andy (Carol's widower) was engaged to a woman named Kathryn Kaiser.

Between 1967 and 1985, Marybeth Tinning would give birth to eight children and adopt one child.

All of the children would die; eight of them under suspicious circumstances.

Most of the residents of Schenectady, New York believed Marybeth when she said the children had died of a genetic disorder; and, with lack of a better explanation, doctors agreed.

But then how do you explain the death of the Michael? Being adopted, he had no biological ties to Marybeth and Joe; disproving any theories of a genetic "death gene."

In Joyce Egginton's 1990 book titled From Cradle to Grave, readers are given a well-written, extremely in-depth look at the Tinning case.

Egginton does an excellent job of remaining neutral on the issue of guilt or innocence; leaving the reader to play the thirteenth juror.

From beginning to end, Tinning's story leaves readers mesmerized, frustrated, saddened, and confused - could there have been an unknown genetic disorder or did a mother truly kill all of her children?

Readers will also find themselves asking: how could so many children from one household die before police took notice?

From Cradle to Grave can be a bit hard to stomach, but it is an excellent book and I strongly recommend adding it to your true crime reading list.

I had read/owned this book years ago and lost it. Its the kind of story that is so unbeleivable that this can happen to any ones children, I wanted to re read it again years later. Thanks Amazon for allowing me to 'find' this story again. Its sad but a real eye opener that a mother can be a evil monster to her own babies. Very Very well written.

Why was Mary Beth Tinning able to get away with smothering NINE of her children before anyone did anything about it? Are people blind?You can't tell me that NOBODY had their suspicions?Come on!If someone I knew lost anywhere near that amount of babies,alarm bells would be ringing out loud. Nine young lives tragically wasted because this woman obviously had a problem.What sort of woman gets pregnant,goes shopping for baby things,gets the child home and promptly smothers it?Not only that but the baby things are given away and it goes on and on.The same thing repeated over and over again. This woman has nine lives pass through her hands,some of the children are adopted (so the theory of a genetic disorder just doesn't fit somehow). I feel she is quite ill in the head but the family doesn't seem to pick up on it and so she gets away with what she is doing time and time again. Very sad,makes you angry as to how this could happen in this day and age.Nobody seems to want to take responsibility for what is going on. This woman should never be allowed near children again.I wouldn't want to come face to face with her!

I read this book years ago but I can not get it out of my mind. This is one of the best written True Crime Books I have ever read. It is interesting from page one. It absolutely writes like a true who done it type novel except this is TRUE and the author has you wondering what happened to these poor babies. She makes you think that some mysterious thing is going on with these babies. The story builds and builds until the truth comes out who killed these precious babies. There are pictures included of her babies. These babies were absolutely beautiful babies. The author gives details of the deaths of the babies and how they reacted when they died. How the oldest fought the whole time. I had a hard time getting through some of these descriptions but I could not lay this book down as I just had to know in my own heart WHY someone did this horrible thing to such precious babies. This book is so detailed.