Woman suspected in Munchausen syndrome by proxy case pleads not guilty

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The attorney representing a Baker County woman accused of poisoning her own daughter for attention is speaking out in her defense.

Shauna Taylor, 38, is accused of giving an infant so many iron supplements, she damaged the little girl's liver.

Taylor plans to fight the two charges, entering not guilty pleas for aggravated child abuse and child neglect.

She was arrested earlier this month in Albany, New York for accusations dating back to 2013. According to court records, Taylor brought her daughter to a hospital in Jacksonville multiple times, claiming she had breathing and eating problems.

Doctors initially couldn't find a cause, but later determined the child's liver was damaged due to high iron levels.

Taylor initially denied giving the child iron, despite being given a prescription for it after a previous hospital visit.

Records show after coming under suspicion, Taylor allegedly stopped giving the child supplements and her iron levels returned to normal.

Latest News Headlines from Action News

"There's nothing to say that she was giving the girl supplements," said Taylor's attorney, Reginald Estell, who calls the accusations unfounded.

"Great lady, great lady. As a matter of fact, she had really moved on. She had moved to New York recently. They went to New York and traveled up there to bring her back two years after the fact and now she's in jail over the holidays. It's horrible," Estell said.

Court records show three medical experts agreed Taylor has suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, or factitious disorder, for many years. It's when a caregiver deliberately hurts a child or lies about the child's condition in order to get attention for themselves.

We brought the case to Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson, and asked why the charges are just coming now.

"It takes a long time to get experts on the same page and their information into the system," Carson said. "This fell through the cracks somehow, and this is what we don't want to happen when it comes to allegations of abuse of small children."

We reached out to the State Attorney's Office for more clarity on the delay. They said this was a large investigation. It took time to review everything, and now they've filed charges that they believe they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

Taylor will be back in front a judge on January 19 for a pre-trial hearing.

For Action News on the go, sign up for Action News Mobile & Email alerts

WJAX