Ohio mother pleads guilty after hospital surveillance captures her injecting fecal matter into her child’s IV

The nursing staff at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, witnessed a disturbing incident in a standard medical ward on Feb. 11 that would eventually lead to a six-month criminal investigation. On Aug. 5, Tiffany M. Le Sueur, a 35-year-old mother, pleaded guilty to injecting human fecal matter into her child’s intravenous line.

Hospital staff reportedly intervened immediately, and when police arrived, they uncovered what authorities described as a severe case of child abuse by Le Sueur.

Even before the Feb. 11 incident, hospital staff had grown suspicious that something unusual was happening between Le Sueur and her child. In the days leading up to her arrest, medical workers noticed unexplained spikes in the child’s infection markers.

She got caught on camera

Additionally, treatments that should have been helping the child’s underlying condition were failing to work as expected. Doctors repeatedly detected unusual bacteria in the child’s bloodstream. Their initial suspicion was that the child’s medical equipment had somehow become contaminated, but they could not determine how it was happening.

To understand what was occurring outside of normal medical procedures, hospital staff increased their monitoring of the child’s room. According to People, a nurse eventually observed Le Sueur handling a syringe while inside the room.

Court documents later revealed that Le Sueur allegedly used the syringe to collect human waste before injecting it directly into the IV port connected to her child’s left arm.

Medical experts say introducing contaminants directly into the bloodstream can bypass the body’s natural defenses and create a serious risk of infection, including life-threatening complications. Hospital staff reportedly acted quickly, and a Columbus police officer detained Le Sueur shortly afterward without incident.

Following her arrest, Le Sueur was charged with felonious assault and child endangerment. Prosecutors argued that her actions were deliberate and exploited her child’s already vulnerable medical condition. Her defense team, however, argued that she should undergo a psychological evaluation before the case proceeded.

Months later, Le Sueur’s attorneys reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. She pleaded guilty to a high-level felony count of child endangerment, while the remaining charges were dismissed as part of the deal.

She got sentenced to probation

During her August 2026 sentencing hearing, the judge weighed the severity of the crime alongside recommendations from both sides. Ultimately, Le Sueur was sentenced to probation rather than immediate imprisonment. The judge determined that, under the circumstances, supervised rehabilitation would be the most effective path toward addressing her behavior and eventual reintegration into society.

The probation terms include strict restrictions on her contact with her family. She cannot have unsupervised contact with her children, must undergo mandatory psychological treatment, and will remain under court monitoring, with another hearing scheduled for April 2027.

Le Sueur is also prohibited from interacting with any minors without supervision, regardless of their relationship to her. She will undergo continued mental health evaluations, including assessments addressing psychological patterns that can be associated with Munchausen syndrome.

Her child remains under the protection of family services. The child is reportedly still dealing with the underlying medical conditions that initially led to the hospital admission, as well as the effects of the repeated contaminations.