HAMILTON, Ohio (WXIX/Gray News) – An Ohio mother is facing charges after prosecutors say she repeatedly hospitalized her 2-year-old son when he didn’t need medical attention.
Butler County prosecutors claim Jennifer Parker lied about her son’s condition to get unnecessary hospital treatments. She has been arraigned on three child endangering charges.
Prosecutors say Parker’s 2-year-old son was admitted to hospitals 20 times since his birth, with much of that occurring in Florida, where Parker lived until the end of 2024. After moving back to Butler County, Ohio, the toddler was hospitalized four times in two months, according to prosecutors.
“She engaged in a pattern of the overutilization of inappropriate medical care and the underutilization of appropriate medical care,” prosecutor Lindsay Sheehan said.
Prosecutors say Parker was hospital shopping, seeking different treatments for her son when he didn’t need them. They also say she failed to get him proper medical care for actual health issues.
“They specifically cited multiple instances where the mother was not providing appropriate medical care, despite her child showing all instances and ability, for instance, to not have a feeding tube. She was refusing to move him off that feeding tube and provide oral feeds,” Sheehan said.
Complaints from major hospitals
The complaints came from both Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic, prosecutors say. Hospital staff told prosecutors Parker was interfering with her son’s care.
“They also noticed multiple instances of the mother engaging in acts of commission that would interfere with her child’s ability to properly eat, including potentially cutting feeding lines, clamping feeding lines, providing insulin or glucose to a child that does not have any sort of insulin or glucose intolerance,” Sheehan said.
Fiancé defends Parker
Parker’s fiancé, Michael Carpenter, says everything they did was done at the recommendation of medical professionals. He says they were getting fractured care for their son, who has had health issues since birth.
“She was just a caring mother that wanted the best for her children,” Carpenter said.
Prosecutors say the toddler is doing well since coming off treatments he didn’t need.
Parker’s children were taken away by child protective services. She is not allowed to see them under a protection order that will last until Monday when she can appear before a judge with an attorney present.
Mother had 2-year-old son hospitalized 24 times when he didn’t need treatment, prosecutors say
