(The story was pulled at the last moment because of breaking news. We will let you know when it will air.)Minnesota's favorite fugitive mother and her daughter are expected to appear on Inside Edition tonight.
Holly Collins and her daughter Jennifer graced the homepage of INSIDE Edition today, as the show promoted its upcoming feature, "Mom and Daughter in Exile: Find out why they were on the run for 14 years."
The show is scheduled to air tonight, Wednesday, in Minneapolis on the WUCW at 5:30 p.m. For show times in other locales, click here.
On December 22, 1992, after a brutal court battle, Collins lost custody of her children. Despite warnings from doctors and psychiatrists that her ex-husband was dangerous, and claims from the children that their father was hurting them, Hennepin County Family Court Judge Michael J. Davis awarded Mark Collins of Crystal full custody of Zachary and Jennifer, then ages 7 and 9. Holly Collins, the judge argued, suffered from a "personality disorder"—most likely Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a rare illness in which a mother secretly hurts her kids to gain attention.
More than a year later, when the children claimed continuing abuse at the hands of their father, Collins fled, kidnapping her children. After months on the road in disguises, the family ended up in the Netherlands, where in 1997 they were granted asylum.
This September, Hennepin County dropped the outstanding felony kidnapping charges in exchange for Holly Collins pleading to a lesser charge of contempt of court.
Posted by Beth Walton at November 12, 2008 4:00 PM
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2008/11/holly_collins_g.php
