Is it a case of abusive parents, or parents abused by the system?

Child welfare authorities in Butler County took emergency custody of three children in September, claiming their mother has a rare disorder in which she concocts illnesses for the children and subjects them to unnecessary or dangerous medical procedures.

The parents contend that they are the victims of miscommunication among medical experts and ignorance in the legal community.

The case pits Butler County Children and Youth Services against 30-year-old Melissa Anne "Mannie" Taimuty-Loomis and her husband, Ron Taimuty-Loomis, 31, of Adams. The couple have been married eight years and are the parents of four children, one of whom died on Jan. 24, 2001.

CYS contends that Mannie Taimuty-Loomis is afflicted with Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy and that she abused her three children, ages 7, 5, and 20 months, by concocting a set of medical symptoms that resulted in invasive medical procedures for two of the children and put at risk the health of all three. State police in Butler are investigating the abuse allegations.

The Taimuty-Loomises say two of their three living children suffer with a misunderstood and difficult to diagnose mitochondrial disease and their deceased son, Jonah, also likely suffered the effects of it.

Jonah died one week shy of his third birthday. He was born with multiple medical problems and the couple sued Magee-Womens Hospital. A settlement was reached but all parties in the case have agreed not to discuss it.

"We are the victims of doctors that don't talk to each other and [caseworkers] who don't have the knowledge to understand this disease," said Mannie Taimuty-Loomis, a stay-at-home mother who runs a nonprofit foundation she said is dedicated to supporting families with chronically ill children. The foundation, named for her deceased son, is called Jonah and the Whale Foundation.

Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy is a mental or personality disorder in which a parent, usually the mother, intentionally feigns or produces symptoms of illness in a child.

In mitochondrial disease, the part of a cell responsible for energy production fails to work properly. It can affect any organ system from the brain to the heart to the eyes, produce symptoms ranging from poor growth to muscle weakness to developmental delays, be inherited or acquired and has no known cure. It also is difficult to diagnose.

According to CYS solicitor Dan Houlihan, the case began late this summer with a tip to the agency from a third-year medical resident who questioned whether 7-year-old Ezra and 20-month-old Symia were receiving necessary medical treatments. Five-year-old Adia was not under treatment.

After a meeting with doctors at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, CYS caseworkers put the children into emergency foster care on Sept. 2.

At a hearing five days later, Juvenile Court Master Joe Brydon agreed to return the children to the parents, provided they had them evaluated by doctors at the Cleveland Clinic. There had been conflicting medical testimony between doctors at Childrens and Mercy hospitals and Brydon wanted an objective third party.

At that point, Ezra and Symia had feeding tubes and mainline intravenous units in their chests. Both were equipped with backpacks containing pumps that fed them pain medication.

Houlihan said that on Sept. 17, Cleveland Clinic determined all three children were healthy and CYS seized custody again. The children currently are in the care of a foster family and the feeding tubes and IVs have been removed.

Attorneys Sue Lope and Dave Montgomery of Butler, the children's legal guardians, said yesterday all three appeared to be doing well.

An adjudication hearing was to have begun yesterday but was delayed. Houlihan asked the court to require separate legal counsel for each parent, saying Mannie Taimuty-Loomis has moved out of the family home to an apartment in Butler and that Ron will agree to restrict contact between his wife and children in exchange for full custody of his children.

Ron Taimuty-Loomis said in an interview that the split is part of their legal strategy to reunite their children with at least one parent and not an indication of a fracture in the family.

"They think I've got [Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy] so we thought if I left, maybe Ron could be reunited with the children," Mannie said in an interview yesterday.

Ron Taimuty-Loomis, who works for Traco in Cranberry and is a student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, said yesterday his children appeared to be thriving physically.

"We're glad they're doing better but that fact is making it harder for us to get them back," he said, acknowledging the contention by CYS officials that the invasive medical treatments were unnecessary.

Mannie Taimuty-Loomis said she relied on medical experts who advised treatments for the children. "It's not like I put them on the operating table and did it myself," she said.

Houlihan said, however, that testimony will be presented that shows that the invasive procedures were done based on information given by the children's mother.

"Stay tuned," he said.