Long time lurker... Felt the need to finally sign up as I can’t stop thinking about this poor girl, like I could have helped her, like we would have been friends if I were her age.. and I need to mention something I don’t think has been brought up before. Maybe it’s been alluded to but just not said flat out. This is just a *theory*, not my ultimate theory and is MOO. I know this may sound ableist and alarming, but has anyone else entertained the idea that these children aren’t actually as sick as SaW says they are? MSBP comes to mind here. I know the bone condition can’t exactly be faked, but we can’t forget that sometimes people steal X-rays off the internet etc. It happens with ultrasounds all the time. And with ASD for example, a narcissist could simply claim their quirky child is on the spectrum and isolate them, treat them in such a way that they become so socially awkward they appear to be. I work with children and I’ve witnessed first hand, parents exaggerating their kids symptoms or behaviours just to get x or y. Whether it be money, free childcare, to excuse inappropriate behaviour, or just receive pity and attention.
I can’t help but think of Gypsy Rose Blanchard..I’m not sure how it works in England, but Gypsy’s mom doctor shopped and did everything in her power to see to it her daughter was deemed ill. It’s possible these kids aren’t AS sick as she says they are. Both parents seem very opportunistic and narcissistic. They love their social media. They love the attention they get from being so family oriented.
I somewhat theorize that SaW loved the pity and the “oh you’re so strong, I don’t know how you do it!” praise she was getting when dealing with her first ill child. She gets handouts from the community, she gets attention. She seems to be locally famous? She thrives on drama and compliments, so she keeps having children. She gets high off feeling like a martyr. Maybe some are actually sick. Maybe only one is. But she loves it. She could be keeping them ill, isolating them, even gaslighting the autistic child to believe they’re on the spectrum when they’re not. And who does the dirty work, taking care of these kids who may not even be that ill? The eldest ones who have been emotionally neglected, who have to go along with everything because heaven forbid they get called crazy, are kicked out, cut off etc etc
I’m sorry but there is something off to me about a woman who continues to pop out babies full well knowing they will likely be disabled and that these disabilities will be costing them a fortune to treat. It would make more sense if they were Mormon’s or very religious people who didn’t believe in birth control or were trying to build a little army for Jesus etc but i haven’t heard anything to suggest that’s the case.
I know it’s a wild thought, SaW faking the illnesses but know what else is wild? A mother making her daughter live in a wheelchair even though she can walk. A man annihilating his family because he has a hot new gf. Or a missing girl who’s parents are both suspects in her murder. People think it’s absolutely crazy that a mother would kill her own child and find it easier to believe a father would (which I think could be a study on its own!) but mothers kill their children all the time. It’s not out the realm of possibility. Just because you wouldn’t kill your own child doesn’t mean there’s not monsters out there who would.
People are asking about motive and I’ll throw one out there. Again MOO and only one possibility.
....Maybe Bernadette was fed up with her moms sickening obsession with attention. Maybe she was tired of having to put a hold on her social life to take care of siblings who were being kept sick. Maybe she was exhausted from having to put her own wants and needs on the back burner because she was expected to be a care taker. Maybe she knew it was all a lie and she told her parents she didn’t want to do it anymore. She could have said she wanted to move away. Maybe with a bf/gf like Gypsy. She could have threatened to out them. If it were to come out that they are keeping these kids sick, their disability funds (not sure how it works in the UK), housing situation, reputations etc etc change drastically. They could face fraud charges maybe? The parents need to continue this narrative to protect their livelihood.
They argue in the car, B gets out, starts running home to pack her things but they get there before she does. When she arrives, they try to stop her from leaving and blowing their cover, purposely or accidentally kill her and hide her body.
I’m prepared to get backlash for the MSBP theory because it may come off very insensitive, but people seem to really sympathize and feel bad for SaW, thinking that ScW is the “bad guy”... I think it’s possible he’s just a chump who’s been manipulated by a narcissist for so so long. Maybe it’s all been her idea from the start. Child support, attention, gov funding. He might not even know they’re not sick/that sick. Or he just is going along with it because she’s a narcissistic witch and he’s under her spell. Either way, I just can’t shake the feeling that she’s the “bad” one.
I understand there’s a lot of comments on fb about him being an abuser and I’m always one to believe victims first....but this is a complicated situation. What if ScW isn’t actually an abuser and it’s all a concocted narrative by SaW? It’s not atypical for a parent to turn their children against the other.
That being said, I haven’t read the comments on the telegraph post cuz I deleted my fb, so I’m not exactly in the know. But if that family has been suffering at the hands of ScW...there’s a chance he got so angry at Bernadette that he accidentally killed her and SaW had to go along with covering it up. Bc imagine how bad it would (does lol) look for that family. I agree that if ScW did kill her, SaW just might not know where BW is. Someone would have to stay home with and pacify that gaggle of children while the other hides her body.
Some have wondered why or what would cause someone to “suddenly” become abusive. Which is a loaded question.
- Substance abuse. If someone is put on a medication or starts using, it can really affect your personality and tendency toward irritability. Being an addictions counsellor, time and time again I have seen peoples personalities change drastically when using or going through withdrawls. A typical example is just how cranky people get when hungover! The sweetest of people can be unbearably mean when on cocaine. Aggressive when drunk. Irritable on oxy. I knew an otherwise docile family man who tried to kill his wife, in front of their toddler, while on crack and cocaine. If ScW was in an accident and has been prescribed an opiate, this could lead to him being abusive. Withdrawals are no joke. There’s also a thing called wet brain. When you’ve been drinking so long that you basically are just dumb and those thinking skills and emotional regulation is changed immensely. That being said pls note I do not believe that everybody who uses substances becomes abusive. I have known many people in or out of active addiction who have never displayed abusive behaviour.
- Head injury. If an accident occurred, a head injury could have happened and his pre frontal cortex etc could be damaged. His amygdala. Places that are responsible for emotional regulation or impulse control. Many serial killers or “psychopaths” have suffered head injuries. And it’s on like every dr Phil episode lol
- Affair/secret gambling. People who cheat or have something to hide will become paranoid and lash out. ScW was openly a gambler but if he had secretly gambled away way too much, the kind of pressure, keeping a huge secret, it can make someone snap.
- Time. Not just over a period of time but having too much time. He could have been abusive toward people from the start but subtle about it. Doing it in secret. Only abusing one person who either was silent or hadn’t quite realized bc of gaslighting. But since he’s home more it’s more evident. He could be becoming more unhinged and irritable now that he isn’t as busy at work. Maybe he abused person X but they only spent so much time together. Him being home all the time is more opportunity for him to lash out. Just consider what effects quarantine has had on domestic abuse situations and apply it here.
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Again 1) JMO, 2) yes I know this might be controversial to consider 3) I love WS and I’m happy to officially be a member 4) I think about you all the time, Bernadette