New Season of Nobody Should Believe Me Tackles Medical Child Abuse

By Carmen Elena Mitchell, Larj Marketing Director

Seattle, WA June 15, 2023 — Larj Media is excited to announce the release of Nobody Should Believe Me for its highly anticipated second season. 

Hosted by author and victim advocate Andrea Dunlop and produced by Larj Media, Nobody Should Believe Me explores Medical Child Abuse (commonly known as Munchausen by proxy) a crime in which a caregiver feigns, exaggerates, or induces illness in their child for the purpose of receiving attention and sympathy from medical staff, their family, and the community.   

In Season 2, Andrea heads back to Tarrant County, Texas to explore the case of Brittany Phillips, a mother who medically abused her child in plain sight. For years, Brittany lied about her daughter Alyssa’s medical history and symptoms, subjected her to unnecessary medical procedures, and withheld food from her because of alleged gastrointestinal issues. All the while, family members, healthcare providers, and even Child Protective Services struggled with knowing how to stop her. 

“In our first season, we focused on perpetrator Hope Ybarra, this ‘mom next door’ who turned out to be a sophisticated con artist,” explained Andrea, “But everything I thought I knew about the ‘typical offender’ went out the window with the Brittany Phillips case. Everyone around her was concerned for her daughter. The tragedy of this case isn’t that people were fooled, but that, because of how broken the system is, Alyssa endured years of torture at her mother’s hands when everyone knew something was wrong.” 

Brittany’s daughter has since become a vocal advocate for “Alyssa’s Law”, a pending piece of Texas legislation that would make it a crime for a caregiver to lie to a medical professional about a child’s medical history or symptoms for the purpose of obtaining unnecessary medical treatment. 

“We hope this season of Nobody Should Believe Me will help get this important legislation passed,” continued Andrea, “and set the stage for laws in other states.”  

Fans of Season 1 will be happy to know that Detective Mike Weber, the lead investigator who helped put Hope Ybarra behind bars, is on the case once again; and we hear from other top experts in the field to help us understand the complexities of this abuse. Andrea will also reveal much more about her own family situation, unpacking the case against her sister that she touched on in Season 1.  

“We are thrilled to bring back Nobody Should Believe Me for a second season," said Larj Media Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Tina Nole. "With an average of 45,000 downloads per episode our first season got an incredible response. But the numbers only tell part of the story. We’ve heard not just from True Crime fans, but from people directly impacted by Medical Child Abuse, as well health care providers who are often the first line of defense in these cases. Our goal for Season 2 is to push this discussion out further into the mainstream and continue to raise awareness.” 

Since the release of Season 1, Andrea's work on medical child abuse has garnered widespread attention, including features on NPR, ABC News Live, and a long list of podcasts. Read our podcast case study to learn more about the success of the first season. 

Nobody Should Believe Me Season 2 premieres on Thursday June 15th and will be available on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. 

For press inquiries please contact Andrea Dunlop at andrea@andreadunlop.net 

For more information on the show please visit nobodyshouldbelieveme.com 

For information and resources concerning Medical Child Abuse visit: munchausensupport.com