A shocking case out of Texas has left a community reeling after a mother was accused of forcing her teenage daughter to endure years of unnecessary and potentially harmful medical treatments. Denise Zamora, 40, was arrested by Tarrant County police on December 18 after serious concerns arose about the care she provided to her 15-year-old daughter.
Authorities say the situation unfolded over six years, during which Zamora allegedly misled doctors into believing her daughter suffered from numerous health issues. According to a detailed arrest affidavit, the turning point came when hospital staff in Tarrant County began questioning Zamora’s claims about her daughter’s condition. During a hospital visit, staff reportedly caught Zamora on camera using a syringe to manipulate the contents of her daughter’s feeding bag. She then allegedly claimed the girl had vomited.
Investigators believe Zamora fabricated her daughter’s medical history, claiming the teenager experienced severe headaches, stomach pains, seizures, and other ailments. She even told doctors her daughter had a rare genetic disorder called Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, which can cause tumors in various organs. Additionally, Zamora insisted her daughter was deaf, nonverbal, and reliant on a wheelchair. Medical professionals eventually noticed that Zamora would answer every question on behalf of her daughter, further raising suspicions.
The affidavit revealed that a doctor concluded the teenager was likely a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental health condition where a caregiver creates or exaggerates another person’s medical issues for attention or sympathy. In this case, Zamora’s actions led to the girl visiting the emergency room seven times, staying in hospitals 12 times, receiving 44 diagnoses, and being prescribed 19 different medications. Alarmingly, Zamora also allegedly gave her daughter ketamine, a powerful sedative.
Zamora now faces nine felony charges, including child endangerment, injury to a child, and assault with a deadly weapon. The deadly weapon in question was the scalpel used to insert an unnecessary feeding tube. Beyond her daughter’s medical care, authorities accused Zamora of faking her own cancer diagnosis to solicit money from others. She reportedly shaved her head and claimed she was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. While she hasn’t been charged for this, investigators are also looking into possible Medicaid fraud, estimating losses between $500,000 and $1 million.
Currently, Zamora is being held at the Lon Evans Correction Center with a $50,000 bond. If released, she will be prohibited from contacting her daughter or any other minors. For now, this case highlights the troubling consequences of fabricated medical conditions and the lasting impact they can have on innocent lives.
