Episodes
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This season on Nobody Should Believe Me, Andrea is covering the Sophie Hartman case. After years in and out of Zambia, Sophie Hartman adopted 2 young girls, who we’re referring to as M and C. In 2019, Sophie made her first appearance on a local news station, alleging that her youngest daughter, C, has a rare, one-in-a-million neurological disorder called Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood (AHC). This eventually spirals into an investigation for Second Degree Assault charges on her child in 2021.
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In the final part of our miniseries covering the Jesika Jones case, Andrea is once again joined by Detective Mike Weber, who shares the series of events from Jesika’s first bond violation through to her 60 year sentencing, from his perspective as law enforcement. He shares the differences in how seriously child abuse cases are taken when there’s a male vs female perpetrator, and the politics behind trying Medical Child Abuse cases in court. Andrea and Mike wrap up their conversation by talking about the systemic changes that need to happen, not only to protect kids from this abuse, but also to help families after the damage has been done.
***
Links/Resources:
Preorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
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Episodes manquant?
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Welcome back to the 3rd installment of our 4-part series on the Jesika Jones case. In this episode, Andrea is wrapping up her conversation with Derek Jones. Derek recaps the fallout after Jesika’s lies finally start to unravel: the frustrating journey of working with the DA on the case, Jesika’s sentencing, and how his kids are doing today. Stay tuned for the final episode next week, where Andrea is once again joined by Detective Mike Weber.
***
Links/Resources:
Preorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
After midnight on July 6th, 2012, three teenage girls walked into the thick Appalachian woods somewhere along the Mason-Dixon line. Hours later, under the glow of a nearly full moon, only two walked out.
The very last time Dave and Mary Neese saw their only child Skylar was in a grainy black-and-white video. In it, she's sneaking out of her ground-floor bedroom in the middle of the night, her purse over her shoulder, her brown hair swinging as she hurries across the small parking lot to a waiting car.
What happened to Skylar Neese has become gothic American lore: the odd girl out in a vicious teenage triangle. But in the ten years since that fateful night beneath the West Virginia stars, a fuller portrait of what happened has emerged. From award-winning journalists Justine Harman and Holly Millea comes a gripping 10-part series featuring Skylar's family, closest friends, and law enforcement who lived the case—and are still living it.
***
Listen to THREE on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5tFRuwruLTrGfQFx51bl5J?si=35d6689b4b3d4e6b
Listen to THREE on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/three/id1728272114
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In the second episode of Andrea’s coverage of the Jesika Jones case, she’s joined by Derek Jones, Jesika’s then-husband. Derek bravely tells the story of how he and Jesika met, their home life, and the decline in their daughter's health. Talking to Derek gives listeners insight into the manipulative nature of perpetrators, not only with their victims, but also with everyone around them, and the mental toll of coming to terms with such a monumental breach of trust.
Stay tuned for part 2 of their conversation, coming next week.
***
Links/Resources:
Preorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Brittani Ard returns to the tangled web of memories, wounds, and connections that shape our lives. After sharing her own story in the first 8 chapters, she’s pulling on the delicate threads that tie our histories to who we are today.
Brittani knows that even though our pasts shape who we are, we hold the power to make sure it doesn’t define who we want to be. It’s not just her story anymore—it’s about the people she’s met, their experiences intertwined with hers, and the universal truths hidden in the most personal details. A woman embarks on a quest to find a photograph of her abusive ex. A foster youth trades black trash bags for her voice. The story of returning to an old relationship with new found power and finding love.
You Probably Think This Story’s About You isn’t just an unraveling—it’s the messy, beautiful, sometimes painful ways our pasts can shape us, and the power we have to chase joy during the highest and lowest moments.
***
Catch up on season 1 of You Probably: https://brittaniard.com/
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This week on case files, Andrea is joined by Detective Mike Weber, a crimes against children investigator and long-time friend/contributor to the show, to discuss the Jesika Jones case. Detective Mike is called onto this case in mid-2022 after Jesika brings her 4 year old daughter into Cook Children’s Hospital multiple times for an alleged seizure disorder. As the case evolves, Mike learns just how compulsive an offender who is allowed to walk can truly be.
***
Links/Resources:
Preorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Chapter 1: It Started as a Love Story
When Brittani Ard matches with Kanon* on Hinge sparks fly. Their first date revealed an instant connection and chemistry. Kanon is devastatingly handsome with a charm that disarmed even the most guarded heart — plus he is surprisingly emotionally available for a man in his forties. It’s as if the universe has conspired to bring them together, two soulmates destined to find each other.
The couple spends the next five months diving fast into a whirlwind romance. Their connection so intense and their bond so deep that it seems like Brittani’s fairytale has finally found its happy ending. Until one weekend that changed her life forever.
*Some names and details have been changed to conceal the identities of those who wish to remain anonymous.
***
Listen to You Probably Think This Story's About You: https://brittaniard.com/podcast
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While the Nobody Should Believe Me team is hard at work on season 5, we’re revisiting the first episode of our third season, which covered the Kowalski v Johns Hopkins All Children's trial, also known as the Take Care of Maya Case.
Next week, we have a brand new miniseries coming to your ears, so stay tuned.
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As the Maya Kowalski case heads to trial, we dig into the massive trove of documents about this case and begin to unpack what we know about what really happened during Maya Kowalski’s fateful stay at Johns Hopkins All Childrens in October 2016.
The Netflix documentary about the case—and the prevailing media narrative---would have you believe that Maya was ripped from her parents by a corrupt system, and that this could happen to any parent of a sick child. But did Maya really have a deadly disease for which she required the massive amounts of ketamine and other drugs she was being given? Was the hospital unfairly biased against Beata Kowalski because she was difficult, or was something more sinister at play?
We talk to national law enforcement expert on medical child abuse, Detective Mike Weber, as well as a Florida pediatrician who helps us unravel some of the myriad strange details about Maya’s medical history.
The beginning of our multi-part deep dive into the case reveals the shocking events that led up to the family separation.
***
Links/Resources:
Join Patreon for a look at Andrea and Dr. Bex’s previous coverage of the Kowalski case: https://www.patreon.com/collection/548199
Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
In this episode, Andrea and Dr. Bex discuss mitochondrial disorders, which Dr. Bex has seen first-hand in her pediatric patients, and their connection to medical child abuse, most notably in the Justina Pelletier case. Like most illnesses seen in Munchausen by Proxy cases, while there are tests that doctors run, mitochondrial disorders present challenges in distinguishing genuine cases because of the array of symptoms they present. They discuss how support groups and websites–while so important for families dealing with complex chronic illnesses–can serve as playbooks for offenders.
Andrea and Dr. Bex take listeners through the website for Mitoaction.org and its advice that appears to be directed squarely at perpetrators of medical child abuse.
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Visit mitoaction.org
Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy.
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
LIFE AFTER NARCS: DR. RAMANI DURVASULA ON NAVIGATING NARCISSISM
Are malignant narcissists born or made? How do you recover after narcissistic abuse? In this episode, licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula tackles our burning narc-y questions. She’s the author of two books on the subject: “Should I Stay or Should I Go: Surviving A Relationship with a Narcissist” and “Don’t You Know Who I Am?: How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility.” Her work has been featured at SXSW, TEDx, the Red Table Talk, the Today Show, and Investigation Discovery. You can also find her on her wildly popular YouTube channel where she dispenses wisdom on protecting yourself from hoovering, gaslighting and other narc trademarks.
***
Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon
Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
Support the pod and smash this link
Cult awareness and recovery resources
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In the wake of this week's election results, Andrea shares a minisode with her thoughts on committing yourself to a fight that feels impossible.
Want to suggest a non-profit for us to support? Drop us a line [email protected]
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Dr. Bex joins Andrea for the final installment of our Justina Pelletier miniseries. They pick up by giving an overview of the court case, and the eerie similarities to the Kowalski case. They chat about the experts who were brought in by both the Pelletiers and Boston Children’s, and the importance of looking into the background of expert witnesses. Dr. Bex and Andrea break down the connection between somatoform disorder and prolonged Medical Child Abuse, and how it may affect the recovery of the victim once they are separated from their abuser.
Bex and Andrea also catch listeners up on where Justina Pelletier is now and what the trajectory of her life and health has looked like since being returned to her parents.
***
Links/Resources:
The Battle for Justina Pelletier: https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-battle-for-justina-pelletier/5657866397468499112
Join Patreon for a look at Andrea and Dr. Bex’s previous coverage of the Justina Pelletier case: https://www.patreon.com/collection/507935
Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
In part 3 of our Justina Pelletier mini-series, Andrea and Beau pick up where part 2 left off, with the topic of mitoaction.org. They then get into the side story of Martin Gottesfeld, a hacker who did not know the family, but took on the mantle of saving Justina by hacking into the Boston Childrens’ system to pressure them into releasing her. Beau talks about the last time he was contacted by the Pelletiers, Lou Pelletier’s reaction to the media attention, and how Justina is doing currently.
***
Links/Resources:
https://www.mitoaction.org/
The Battle for Justina Pelletier: https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-battle-for-justina-pelletier/5657866397468499112
Join Patreon for a look at Andrea and Dr. Bex’s previous coverage of the Justina Pelletier case: https://www.patreon.com/collection/507935
Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
On this show we talk a lot about how Munchausen by Proxy cases are covered in the media, and today we’re getting the inside scoop from the reporter who broke one of the most high profile MBP stories. Beau Berman began covering the Justina Pelletier case back in 2013 as a young reporter and watched over the years as the case evolved and got stranger and stranger. He tells Andrea about how the story came across his desk and the complexities of trying to keep the balance on both sides while dealing with HIPAA. He reflects on his time with the Pelletiers and his thoughts on the case more than a decade after covering it.
***
Links/Resources:
The Battle for Justina Pelletier: https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-battle-for-justina-pelletier/5657866397468499112
Read about Justina Pelleiter in The Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2020/01/12/pelletier/0I2dQrYlZFJ9tNzscaXdAO/story.html
Join Patreon for a look at Andrea and Dr. Bex’s previous coverage of the Justina Pelletier case: https://www.patreon.com/collection/507935
Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Was I In A Cult? is not your typical cult podcast. Hosted by writer/comedian Liz Lacuzzi and documentary filmmaker Tyler Measom, the duo bring you first-hand stories from real cult survivors— each episode infuses humor, heart, and hope into tales that can otherwise be dark.
And the guests have not only survived, but transformed their darkest moments into stories of strength. As cult survivors themselves, Liz and Tyler aim to humanize the cult experience. Give it a listen… it may just leave you asking yourself “Wait… was I in a cult?!”
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Dr. Nadine Macaluso joins us today to discuss our first of its kind on this show… a cult of one. Who exactly was her cult leader? None other than “The Wolf of Wall Street,” her ex-husband, Jordan Belfort. In the movie adaptation of Jordan’s book, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Dr. Nadine was portrayed by Margot Robbie and had no say in how her life was portrayed. Well, today Dr. Nadine is here to share the truth behind her picture perfect life. On the outside she had beauty, wealth, the doting husband, and two wonderful kids. But today she shares the truth about what was going on behind closed doors: the isolation, the loss of self, the abuse, the control, the manipulation and the gaslighting that kept her in a haze of confusion and pain. But, like every guest on this show, she shares the moment she finally found the strength and courage to walk away for good.
Now a respected therapist, Dr. Nae emphasizes the importance of therapy in her healing process and destigmatizing the experiences of victims of cult leaders or pathological lovers. A Brooklyn gal at heart, Dr. Nae is as real as they get and was an absolute joy to have on the show.
***
Listen to Was I In A Cult?: https://www.wasiinacult.com/
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Case Files is back with the first episode of a multi-part series on the Justina Pelletier case. Andrea and Dr. Bex covered this case in the subscriber feed, but, due to popular demand, decided to bring it to the main podcast.
Justina Pelletier was a 14-year-old girl whose hospitalization at Boston Children's Hospital sparked a significant legal and media frenzy. Andrea and Dr. Bex’s discussion covers the medical background of Justina's condition, including mitochondrial disease and somatoform disorder, the treatment plans proposed by the hospital, and the escalating conflict between her family and medical professionals.
***
Links/Resources:
The Battle for Justina Pelletier: https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-battle-for-justina-pelletier/5657866397468499112
Read about Justina Pelletier in The Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2020/01/12/pelletier/0I2dQrYlZFJ9tNzscaXdAO/story.html
Join Patreon for a look at Andrea and Dr. Bex’s previous coverage of the Justina Pelletier case: https://www.patreon.com/collection/507935
Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Welcome to the first episode of Case Files, our new series for episodes between seasons! Andrea, either solo or joined by guests, will be taking listeners through additional Munchausen by Proxy cases, updates on previously covered cases, and the broader societal impact of this form of child abuse.
In this conversation, Andrea and Dr. Bex (our secret Florida doctor friend from season 3) delve into the growing popularity of ketamine usage and the public perception of the role that it played in the Take Care of Maya case compared to the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry. After giving a quick overview of the Kowalski v Johns Hopkins trial and an update on the appeal, they discuss how ketamine was used in Maya Kowalski’s treatment vs the current medical standard. Andrea and Dr. Bex then go on to recap and draw parallels to what happened to Matthew Perry.
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Links/Resources:
Join as a free Patreon member to listen to our interview with Ethen Shapiro about the appeal in Kowalski v Johns Hopkins All Children’s: https://www.patreon.com/posts/kowalski-case-to-110897045
Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Our world is a hot mess, so Fin Argus and Chris Renfro are setting out in a rocket ship to explore queerer pastures. Hop in as they explore the great unknown with a new guest, in a new universe, every week—and build an intergalactic Best Friend Force along the way. Wherever you go, there's One of Us.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Apple | Spotify
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Welcome to our Season 4 Mailbag Episode! We’re so excited to officially introduce our fabulous producer Myrriah Gossett, who works tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the many moving parts of Nobody Should Believe Me on track.
Andrea and Myrriah reflect on their experiences reporting for season 4, ethically navigating survivor stories, and the considerations involved in sharing the intimate details of someone’s real life. They also address questions about the show’s coverage of dissociative identity disorder and several other common themes from this season.
* * *
Links/Resources:
Check out Myrriah’s other work! https://www.myrriahgossett.com/
Mental Illness Happy Hour episode on DID: https://mentalpod.com/archives/7042
Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!
Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.
Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop
Buy Andrea's books here.
To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.
For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - Montre plus
