Iowa Mother Sentenced After Hospital Cameras Capture Her Poisoning Son With Insulin
IOWA CITY, IOWA – A disturbing case of medical child abuse has ended with a 10-year prison sentence for a mother caught on hospital video surveillance deliberately injecting her two-year-old son with insulin.
Unexplained Illnesses Lead to Suspicion
The case began in March 2023, when Alexandra Marie Frost, then 25, brought her son to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. The toddler was suffering from repeated, unexplained episodes of dangerously low blood sugar.
Doctors initially stabilized the child with glucose, but his condition continued to fluctuate. Lab tests eventually revealed abnormally high insulin levels, raising red flags of potential medical child abuse.
Surveillance Camera Confirms Fears
Hospital staff took the unusual step of installing a surveillance camera in the boy’s hospital room. On March 14, 2023, the camera captured Frost entering the room with a syringe in hand and injecting a substance into her son’s foot.
The child reacted immediately, screaming in pain. A discarded syringe was later found in the hospital’s sharps container. Tests confirmed the substance was insulin, which can be lethal when administered without medical need.
Arrest and Sentencing
Frost was arrested shortly after the footage was reviewed. Once her son was removed from her care, his glucose levels stabilized and returned to normal.
In June 2025, Frost pleaded guilty to child endangerment resulting in bodily injury and administration of harmful substances. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
Experts say Frost’s actions are consistent with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which a caregiver fabricates or induces illness in another person, often their child, to gain sympathy or attention.
Such cases are especially difficult to detect because perpetrators are often familiar with medical procedures, making their interference harder for doctors to identify.
The chilling case highlights both the dangers of caregiver abuse and the crucial role hospital staff and security technology can play in protecting vulnerable patients. For more updates on community safety and health-related cases, follow ChicagoMusicGuide.com.