On Friday, Aug. 29, an Iowa woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for injecting insulin into her 2-year-old son, causing him to become ill.
Alexandra Marie Frost, 27, pleaded guilty in June to child endangerment resulting in bodily injury and administering harmful substances, according to the Johnson County Attorney’s Office.
The case came to light in March 2023, when Frost brought her toddler to the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, the boy had “low blood sugar levels that required medical intervention, including the administration of glucose, and lab tests results indicated his insulin levels were very high.”
According to a search warrant obtained by PEOPLE, the boy’s health continued to deteriorate, and there “appeared to be anomalies,” leading physicians to believe it was Munchausen syndrome by proxy, in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury to a person.
According to the warrant, the boy’s glucose levels would decrease and then stabilize.
On March 13, 2023, hospital staff activated a camera in the child’s room, and the next day, footage appeared to show Frost holding a syringe and injecting her son in the foot, according to the warrant.
“After injecting [her son’s] foot, Frost walks to where the ‘SHARPS’ container is located and appeared to place the syringe into the container,” as per the warrant. “Prior to the injections [victim] appeared to be calm and when Frost injected his foot, [victim] becomes agitated and screams consistent with being in pain.”
According to the warrant, medical personnel informed investigators that receiving insulin injections “will lower a person’s glucose levels, which can cause serious health problems, including death.”
Frost was reportedly the only person who regularly visited her son at the hospital.
According to the warrant, the boy’s glucose levels improved after the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services removed him from her care.
