A pregnant British woman, who went missing last week, is suspected to be in Sweden waiting to give birth, according to TheLocal.se.
Fran Lyon, 22, is believed to suffer from Münchhausen’s syndrome by proxy, a condition that pushes people to invent an illness in someone for whom they are responsible. Because mothers have been known to injure their own children in response to this condition, the Northumberland County Council social services department in the UK recommended last summer that Lyon be separated from her child at birth.
Lyon argued against the recommendation and is now thought to be in contact with or in the care of a midwife in Sweden.
Eva Nilsson Bågenholm, chair of the Swedish Medical Association, said that Lyon will not be prevented from giving birth in Sweden.
“Obviously, we will provide care to any woman wanting to give birth here,” Bågenholm commented. “Of course, if someone comes from another country then it begs the question: why are you giving birth here? Then perhaps we’ll discover something.”
If doctors are suspicious of any irregularities, Lyon may be reported to the Swedish social services.