Asked whether she remembers anything strange, Frost recalls that Penny seemed a bit paranoid about Ava’s health, in particular her claims about her daughter needing to be fed via her NG tube. “The little munchkin always ate fine when I watched her. And she was with me a couple of times a week while Penny was at work,” Frost said. “Seemed like maybe she was worrying a bit too much. So I guess I thought that was a little strange.”

The combination of her sick daughter and the fact that Penny’s husband was on a tour of duty in Afghanistan garnered plenty of sympathy for the young mother among peers who knew her, but according to a separate Facebook page Penny created called “Ava’s Rainbow: A community of support for my little soldier!” Stewart Granger had died in the line of duty. No one who knew the Grangers in person—and would therefore know that Stewart was very much alive—was in the Facebook group, which was set to private.

The community of Hayden, already shaken by the death of Ava Granger, has been rocked to its core as news has spread that Penny is a suspect in her murder. The Hayden Police are currently investigating whether Ava’s mysterious death in Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Spokane, WA, was caused by a lethal amount of sodium, fed to the child via her G-tube. Her mother had access, as she was constantly by her side in the hospital and left unsupervised for long stretches; it’s the motive that remains baffling. Why would a mother—especially one who appeared to the outside world to be so devoted—harm her child?

The bizarre case has raised the specter of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychiatric disorder that causes a parent—usually a mother—to invent, or even inflict, medical aliments in their child in order to receive attention and sympathy. Cases in this day and age are amplified by the ubiquity of social media outlets where mothers of children suffering from illnesses—real and imagined—can gather in previously unheard of numbers.

As the investigation into Ava’s death continues, the residents of Hayden struggle to make sense of the charges.

Samantha Perkins counts herself as a stalwart supporter.

“There’s just no way she’d ever hurt her. I’m a mom too, and moms just know,” she said, her eyes tearing up. “We just know.”

Liz Crosses the River

THAT SATURDAY, Gemma knocks on my door early.

“Good morning!”

I blink at her bleary eyed in the morning sunshine. It’s 9:00 a.m. and the summer is fleeting, the sun coming up a little later each day.

“Hi,” I say.

“Another late night of tango?”