Second Rare Child Abuse Charge Filed In A Month In Tulsa County

A warrant has been issued for a Tulsa mother accused of abusing her child by forcing the girl to go through repeated painful medical tests.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is a mental disorder where someone pretends to have a sick child in order to get attention.

Now, in less than a month, Tulsa County prosecutors have accused two moms of putting their children through painful but unnecessary medical tests.

Tonya Thomas was charged with child abuse by Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy Thursday. Prosecutors say she put her 6-year-old daughter through repeated unnecessary medical procedures, including a spinal tap, four head CT scans, a number of X-rays, as well as urine and blood cultures.

6/20/2013 Related Story: Tulsa Woman Charged With Child Abuse By Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy

Thomas' sister also declined to speak on camera, but she told us her 'sister is a good mother and didn't do this.'

This is the second case of child abuse by Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy to be filed in Tulsa County in a month.

We first reported about Victoria Lee from Broken Arrow in May. She's also accused of making her daughter get a spinal tap and six MRI's, all under anesthesia.

We're now learning more about her case. Investigators say Lee told them her daughter had back pain, migraines, and a bladder problem.

5/28/2013 Related Story: Broken Arrow Woman Accused Of Having Daughter Treated For Fake Illness

But medical investigators found nothing wrong with the girl.

A DHS investigator says they learned that Lee had lied to her family about having brain cancer, about her military service, and about being raised in foster care.

Court documents also say she said her children had brain cancer in order to get money.

The Mayo Clinic reports that statistics for Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy are hard to track, and prosecutors say it was just a coincidence that two separate law enforcement agencies were conducting similar investigations at the same time.

Tonya Thomas is also charged with keeping her daughter from going to school, which is a misdemeanor.

The Mayo Clinic says Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is hard to treat and often requires years of therapy.