Rare Disease Mimics Child Abuse and Tears Family Apart (Husband kills wife and himself)

[Snake Alchemist]

William "Dave" O'Shell, distraught over charges of child abuse that were being leveled against him, snapped on June 30, 2008, killing his wife, Tiffany O'Shell, in their Henderson, Colo., home before taking his own life.

Just a few weeks earlier, their green-eyed, 3-month-old daughter, Alyssa, had been placed in a foster home because x-rays revealed 11 broken bones and doctors assumed that she had been beaten.

But they were wrong.

On the same day as the murder-suicide, a doctor at Colorado Children's Hospital suspected something else and was later proved right: Alyssa had a rare genetic disorder that caused her bones to fracture -- one that authorities had confused for abuse.

http://gma.yahoo.com/rare-disease-mimics-child-abuse-tears-family-apart-210441467--abc-news-health.html

I actually had a very similar experience years ago. A friend's child was taken away for close to a year because they suspected her of abuse. Turns out that the child had osteogenesis imperfecta. She had to submit medical records, family trees, affidavits over and over until they finally agreed to return the child.

[seabeyond]

1. oh, that is so fuckin horribly sad..... nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. That is very sad...

[malaise]

13. Can you imagine trying to cope with a sick child and being accused

Last edited Fri Apr 6, 2012, 06:38 PM - Edit history (1)

of abuse. I hope the relatives sue them and take back the child

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. I cannot even begin to imagine such a scenario. Horrifying...n/t

[cali]

15. yes I can.

and I still didn't kill anyone or hurt anyone in any fucking way. He's still a murderer.

[malaise]

16. I don't know - maybe it wasan agreed joint suicide

and you don't know either

[ScreamingMeemie]

17. Sadly, the child died 4 months after her parents.

[malaise]

19. How sad indeed

[deutsey]

3. Tragic

They looked like a nice family.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. There was a case where a mother went to prison

Turned out her kids had some genetic disorder that looked liked they'd been poisoned.

[renate]

5. what kind of pediatrician or ER doctor wouldn't check for OP before putting a family through this?

Even I know about osteogenesis imperfecta and how it looks like abuse, and I'm neither. (Props to the doctor who did recognize the possibility, of course.) The priority ought to be the child's safety, and I guess no system is 100% perfect, but this was so avoidable.

The whole thing is so tragic... but dude, why did you have to take your wife with you? I'm so tired of people who take other family members out just because things have gotten too much for them to handle.

[mimitabby]

6. maybe she didn't want to live either

and forgive me if there's evidence to the contrary

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. We do not know what when on in that house. We do not know what her wishes were.

The whole thing is so horrible. So horrible.

[seabeyond]

8. We do not know what when on in that house.

hormones pumping, lack of sleep and scared and worried...... the unknown

[Snake Alchemist]

11. I don't believe it was osteogenesis imperfecta in this case, something a little different.

In my friend's case it was osteogenesis imperfecta, but CPS was very reluctant to accept the medical findings after they had made up their mind that it was abuse.

[slampoet]

12. "but what about the children?"

It's the law and the practice everywhere, logic and actual welfare of the child be damned.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. A very sad situation, to be sure. However, I would expect that child abuse is a much more common

cause for so many broken bones and fractures than a rare genetic disorder. It's a shame that the true cause was not diagnosed sooner, but when a child has that many broken bones, child abuse is bound to be suspected and the child must be protected. They could not risk leaving the baby in the home while they sorted it out. This is a tragedy any way you look at it.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. OMIGOD.

You don't suppose he killed his wife because he thought she beat the daughter.

[Brickbat]

18. Well, the murder-suicide thing doesn't exactly make this a sympathetic story. Jayzus H.

[Th1onein]

20. Tell me again why you believe in God?

What a wonderful God we have, for giving this child this disease, and a father that will kill the child's mother and himself. Oh, and glory of glories! The child died four months later! Such blessings!