It’s one of those stories that makes your stomach do a slow, nauseating flip. In the early 2000s, the small town of Urbana, Ohio, became the backdrop for a betrayal so profound it still gets brought up in true crime circles as a benchmark for parental manipulation. We’re talking about Teresa Milbrandt. If you’ve spent any time looking into the dark side of Munchausen by Proxy or clinical deception, her name usually pops up alongside some pretty harrowing details involving her daughter, Hannah.
People often get the names mixed up or wonder if these are two separate cases that happened to merge in the headlines. They aren't. They are the two central figures in a web of lies that saw an entire community bilked out of their hard-earned money and their genuine sympathy.
It wasn't just about the money, though. That's the part that gets lost in the old news clippings. It was about the physical and psychological toll on a child who was told she was dying when she was perfectly healthy.
The Lie That Fooled a Town
Basically, in 2002, Teresa Milbrandt started telling everyone—neighbors, church members, even her own family—that her seven-year-old daughter, Hannah, had terminal leukemia. She didn't just say it; she performed it. This wasn't a "maybe she's sick" kind of thing. It was a full-scale production.
Teresa went to extreme lengths to make the "illness" look real. She shaved Hannah's head to make it look like she was losing hair from chemotherapy. She forced the little girl to wear a surgical mask in public. She even made her use a wheelchair. Imagine being seven years old and being told by the person you trust most in the world that you have "germs" in your blood and that you're going to die soon. That's what Hannah lived with every single day.
The community did what small towns do: they stepped up. They held bake sales. They did car washes. There were "Help Hannah" jars on every counter. Local firefighters even helped raise funds. In total, the scam raked in about $31,000. In 2003 dollars, that’s a significant chunk of change, but the emotional cost to the donors who thought they were helping a dying child was arguably much higher.
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How the Deception Actually Worked
You might wonder how someone pulls this off without a doctor noticing. Well, Teresa was calculated. She reportedly used her background as a nurse's aide to forge medical documents. She’d tell people Hannah was receiving treatment at hospitals like Columbus Children's Hospital, but she’d just park in the lot or go to the cafeteria while the community thought the girl was undergoing grueling chemo sessions.
Honestly, the most chilling part is the "Counseling." Teresa didn't stop at physical symptoms. She took Hannah to see a counselor to prepare her for her own death. Let that sink in. A healthy child was being taught how to say goodbye to her life.
The cracks started to show when people noticed things didn't quite add up. Doctors who were supposed to be treating Hannah had no record of her. A teacher at Hannah's school became suspicious. Eventually, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office got involved after a tip suggested that Hannah's "terminal" condition might be a total fabrication.
The Arrest and the Fallout
When the police finally moved in, the truth was startlingly simple: Hannah was fine. Physically, at least. She didn't have leukemia. She didn't have cancer. She was a healthy girl caught in a nightmare.
In 2003, Teresa Milbrandt was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison. Her husband, Robert Milbrandt, also faced charges, claiming he didn't know his wife was lying—a claim many found impossible to believe given they lived in the same house. He ended up with a shorter sentence for child endangering.
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Where is Hannah Combs Now?
This is where the story shifts from a crime report to a narrative of survival. Hannah eventually took her stepfather's last name, Combs, and has been vocal about her journey. It’s not an easy recovery. When you grow up being told you’re dying, you don't just "get over it" once the trial ends.
She has spoken out in various interviews about the trauma of those years. She recalled the "chemo" she thought she was getting—which was actually just Teresa poking her with needles or giving her medications she didn't need.
- The Psychological Impact: Long-term trust issues are common in Munchausen by Proxy survivors.
- The Physical Toll: Unnecessary medications can have lasting effects on a developing body.
- The Social Cost: Losing an entire childhood to a fake illness means missing out on normal development.
Hannah's resilience is, quite frankly, incredible. She has used her platform to raise awareness about medical child abuse. It’s a rare look into the mind of a survivor who actually remembers the deception as it was happening.
Why This Case Still Resonates
We see stories like Gipsy Rose Blanchard all over the news now, but the Milbrandt case was one of the early ones that really shocked the American public before the era of social media. It serves as a grim reminder that sometimes the most dangerous place for a child can be behind a "perfect" family facade.
The case also changed how some local charities vet their recipients. It created a layer of skepticism in Urbana that took years to fade. People wanted to help, but they were terrified of being "Milbrandted" again.
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Moving Toward Awareness and Protection
If you're looking for ways to actually use this information to help others or stay informed, there are a few concrete steps to take regarding medical child abuse (formerly known as Munchausen by Proxy).
First, understand the red flags. These often include a parent who seems "addicted" to the attention of being a caregiver, a child whose symptoms only appear when the parent is present, or a child who doesn't respond to treatments that should be working.
Second, support organizations that focus on child advocacy and medical ethics. Groups like the Munchausen by Proxy Professional Committee work to train social workers and medical professionals to spot these patterns before they escalate to the level Hannah experienced.
Lastly, if you are a donor, it’s okay to ask for verification. Legitimate fundraisers for medical expenses usually have a clear paper trail or are managed through established 501(c)(3) nonprofits that do the vetting for you. Trust is good, but in a world where stories like Teresa Milbrandt's exist, verification is better.
Hannah’s story isn't just a true crime curiosity. It’s a testament to the fact that you can build a life even after the person who was supposed to protect you tried to steal your future for a few thousand dollars and some fleeting sympathy.
Actionable Next Steps
- Educate Yourself on Medical Child Abuse: Read the clinical definitions provided by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) to understand how these cases are identified today versus 20 years ago.
- Verify Before Donating: When contributing to personal medical fundraisers on platforms like GoFundMe, look for established "Team" roles or links to verified medical trusts.
- Support Survivors: Follow the work of advocates like Hannah Combs who share their lived experiences to help identify and prevent future cases of parental deception.