When police arrested
North Carolina mother Marty Peele on charges of child abuse last summer, her
friends say they knew there had to be another explanation for 4 month old
Micah’s injuries. They say that the picture that was painted by the media was
inconsistent with what they know of Marty, and that she couldn’t possibly have
done the things that she has been accused of.
Petreana Anderson is
one of Marty’s friends who considers herself “a pretty good judge of
character.” She told Health Impact News:
I hate that they [the
media] painted her as a monster. That woman wouldn’t hurt anybody.
Local media reported that
Marty was accused of breaking 12 of Micah’s ribs and 2 shoulder blades, as well
as leaving deep bite marks. Jevae Pope echoes the response of many of Marty’s
friends when she says that:
There is no way that
you can convince anyone who knows Ms. Mary Peele that she would be capable of
such a crime. … Her son is her life and she is not capable of committing such a
heinous crime.
A number of other
friends have spoken up to declare that Marty could not have hurt her baby, and
several respected expert medical doctors have reported that Micah’s
injuries are not the result of abuse, but of a real medical condition. However,
Child Protective Services has ordered her not to have any contact with her
baby, or with any other child under age 18, and she is facing a criminal trial
for felony child abuse.
Two different images for Marty Peele. The first
when she was arrested and charged with child abuse, and the second, the loving
mother that friends describe. Photos courtesy of WRAL and Peele family.
There are two completely
different, and incompatible, pictures being painted of Marty Peele, so what
really happened? What does the evidence say?
Her History
From a young age,
Marty has always enjoyed being around children. She ran her church’s nursery as
a teenager, where Marty was dubbed the “Baby Whisperer,” because she could
reportedly calm the little ones down.
As she grew up, she
became a nanny, and other families trusted her with their children.
She spent her entire life loving and caring for children, and even became
a labor coach for friends who were expecting.
It wasn’t just
children, either. Marty’s friends say that she has always been quick to give of
herself to those in need. She checks on her neighbors who are senior citizens.
Kristan Walker has known Marty for 15 years. She reports that:
Marty goes out of her
way to help other people – all the time. She STILL does it!
She has worked for
many years as a photographer of children and families. She volunteers with
charities that help those in need, and opened up a children’s resale business
to help provide parents with affordable baby gear, clothing, and toys, “going
above and beyond” to help parents in need.
“Miracle Baby”
She always dreamed of
being a mother to her own children, but a series of miscarriages left
Marty wondering if that was ever going to happen. The grief of 8
miscarriages took its toll on her emotions and her marriage, which ended
in divorce.
Later, when she and
her fiance Derrick Dover found that they were expecting, she didn’t dare hope.
But she made it through the first trimester and got past the point at
which she had lost her other babies. Because of so many miscarriages, this
pregnancy was considered high risk.
It was a stressful,
but joyous time. Marty was determined to embrace the pregnancy, the good along
with the nausea and discomfort. Her chief complaint was heartburn, for which
she consumed Extra Strength Tums antacid tablets on a daily basis. She
didn’t really consider Tums a drug, and was completely unaware of research that
indicates that the use of antacid tablets like Tums can lead to bone fragility
issues.
She stepped up her
research, and decided that she would make organic baby food for her baby. She
planned to have a completely natural childbirth, and chose not to circumcise or
vaccinate her son. She organized and planned every detail for a fabulous
nursery for this much-anticipated baby.
Her “miracle baby” was born
on March 24, 2015, after a long and difficult induced labor. Micah was
full-term, born at 41.2 weeks. During labor, Marty reports that her baby did
not descend into the birth canal. After 40 hours of labor, Micah was born via
c-section. He weighed 8 lbs 10 ounces.
Micah was her “dream
baby.” Marty Peele was over the moon with joy to finally have him. But,
all along her mother’s intuition told her that something just was not right.
Early Indicators of
Problems
Medical reports show
that Micah’s anterior fontanel (soft spot) was completely closed at birth. The
bones in his head which are supposed to mold and overlap during the birth
process didn’t. In hindsight, Marty wonders if these were indicators of bone
problems even then. He also had an elevated bilirubin level, requiring him to
spend time under the bili lights during his first week. He developed a
large umbilical hernia at around 6 weeks of life.
Although he had a
smile that would light up the room, Micah was also reportedly a “fussy baby,”
and seemed uncomfortable often. Marty was familiar with babies and knew that
some babies are fussier than others, for no apparent reason. She writes:
We practiced
attachment parenting in our home (baby wearing, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, non
vax, no circ, gentle parenting style) but my handsome boy was unhappy. We had
multiple doctors’ visits and even a couple ER visits where my mama intuition
said something is JUST not right.
Car trips were
especially difficult. Micah seemed to hate being buckled into the car seat.
Several of Marty’s friends recounted the story of how Marty and her fiancé
started out on a road trip to visit relatives, but Micah was inconsolable,
screaming the entire time. An hour into the trip, they turned around and came
back home. Later, Marty discovered that car seat buckles would tend to cause
increased pain in babies with the injuries that he would have already had at
the time.
He also didn’t like
being put into a swing or being put down. He would scream when being dressed
and undressed. He preferred swaddling and baby wearing. He was also noted to be
“extremely flexible.”
Almost a half dozen
expert doctors have now issued reports that there are indeed very plausible
explanations for Micah’s injuries, and they strongly assert that he was not
abused.
Marty found that there
are many things in Micah’s family history that offer explanations, besides his
own medical history. His blood work values were all over the charts when tested
in July, with more than half a dozen factors that were high and just as many
that were lower than normal. He also had bowing of his legs.
She had never heard of
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome before, but was surprised to find that she, herself, had
many symptoms of the rare connective tissue disorder. She traveled to Boston in
September to be evaluated by renowned Vitamin D expert Dr. Michael Hollick. He
diagnosed her with EDS/hypermobility syndrome. He found that she has a Beighton score for hypermobility of 9 out of a possible 9, as well as other
symptoms, such as:
a history of
gastroparesis, orthostatic hypotension, hyperflexibility with subluxation
of multiple joints and fractures with minimum trauma, especially of her
ankle and doughy-textured skin. She has aches and pains in her neck,
thorax and lower back.
Having a parent with
Ehlers-Danlos increases the likelihood that Micah also has the condition.
Babies who are born with EDS are more likely to have bones that are easily
fractured. Their bones, especially ribs, can be broken even during birth and
during handling immediately after birth.
The numerous
miscarriages that Marty experienced before Micah was conceived are a known
contributor to inadequate mineralization as the baby grows in the womb. He was
born with low Vitamin D levels, and those levels remained low at the time of
his admission to the hospital, despite his mother giving Vitamin D
supplementation.
Despite the many
fractures, Micah has shown no signs of internal organ injury or bruising.
According to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Doug Benson:
An infant because of
its small size and limited muscle has a thin chest wall and multiple rib
fractures from trauma virtually always have associated chest wall, or internal
organ damage….to a greater extent than adults. Rib fractures due to metabolic
bone disorders usually do not have associated chest wall injuries or internal
organ damage.
Additionally, he
writes:
The diagnosis of Child
Abuse because of “multiple unexplained fractures” is unsupportable.
Errors in Social
Worker’s Report to Hospital
Interestingly, though
medical records show that there is family history which should alert physicians
to possible metabolic bone conditions, medical reports from Duke University
show none of that. Wake County Human Services social worker Benjamin Bynum
took Micah to Duke for genetic evaluation in September 2014 and provided
doctors at Duke University with Micah’s history. Neither Marty nor any other
family members were permitted to be in attendance. It is remarkable to note how
many details are incorrect in just one paragraph in the report based on
information from the social worker:
A three generation
pedigree was obtained and is in the Medical Genetics chart. The family history
was specifically screened for history of fractures, blue or grey sclera,
hearing loss, and dental problems. The family history was negative. The family
history is otherwise negative for mental retardation, birth defects, multiple
pregnancy losses, or known genetic disorders. The maternal side of the
family is Caucasian. The paternal side of the family is mixed ethnicity.
However, medical
records note that Marty’s family has a history of fragility
fractures. Marty herself has a history of ankle fractures, and there is
hearing loss on the maternal side. On his father’s side, Derrick’s adult
teeth never came in, only his primary teeth – an indication of odontogenesis.
That paragraph notes no multiple pregnancy losses, yet Marty suffered 8
miscarriages before Micah. That fact is noted elsewhere in the Duke report.
The maternal side of
the family is not Caucasian – Marty is of mixed ethnicity, not Derrick.
Derrick’s side of the family is African-American.
Marty has noted
numerous other errors and inconsistencies in the records that she has obtained.
If they can get so many facts incorrect in just one paragraph, the question
must be asked: how reliable is any of their information?
Friends Are Concerned
Because Marty has
been accused of child abuse, doctors aren’t looking for what may actually
be wrong with Micah, and that is concerning to Marty and Derrick’s friends,
including Laura Antonelli:
The longer this drags
out, the longer [Micah] could be suffering. They still haven’t diagnosed him.
There was a doctor’s
appointment scheduled in December with a specialist, but that appointment has
now been pushed back to January.
Kristan Walker has
known Marty for 15 years, and she says that the thought that Marty could hurt
her own child is “the craziest thing I’d ever heard in my life.” She says that
this makes her scared for every other mother, because:
This can happen to
anyone if it can happen to her. This has ‘sucked all the life’ out of Marty.
What Happens Next
Micah was able to move
out of foster care into Derrick’s mother’s home. Marty and Derrick signed
over permanent custody to Derrick’s mother, in order to keep from having all of
their parental rights severed. They are not allowed to see him at all. Even
traditional family gatherings have been halted. There is no “Christmas at
grandma’s house” with everyone all together.
Marty reports that she
still buys clothes and toys for her son; she just can’t see him with them. She
bought a giraffe Halloween costume for Micah, and, as she always does with new
clothes, she took pictures of the clothes – the shell of the person that she
most wants to see.
Criminal court has
been continued, and no new date has been set. Friends and supporters are
hopeful that someone in the system will recognize that they’ve made a mistake,
and restore Micah to his family. CPS has stated that there is no
explanation for Micah’s injuries, yet 5 expert doctors have agreed that
this is not child abuse, that Micah has some type of metabolic bone
disorder.
Marty still cries for
her baby every day. All she ever wanted was to be a mommy.
I can’t wrap my brain
around that I might have to sit for a trial for something that I’m not remotely
capable of doing.
Kristan
Walker has known Marty for 15 years This can happen to anyone if it can happen
to her Marty still cries for her baby every day. All she ever wanted was to be
a mommy.
