Offender Record · OFF-2026-182
Mary Beth Tinning (photo from the Radford University biography)
Marybeth Tinning
Also known as Mary Beth Tinning
Sex
Female
Race
White
Height
5'4"
Born
1942
Custody
Released
States
NY
Custody
Released at Taconic Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills (Westchester County), New York
Custody record at the facility
Released from incarceration on August 21, 2018, after serving 31 years of her 20-years-to-life sentence; discharged from parole supervision on July 22, 2023.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Marybeth Tinning was convicted of second-degree murder in July 1987 for smothering her 4-month-old daughter Tami Lynne on December 20, 1985, in Schenectady, New York. She confessed during police interrogation to also killing two of her sons, Timothy and Nathan, but was prosecuted and convicted only for Tami Lynne's death. She was sentenced to 20 years to life and incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. Tinning was released on parole on August 21, 2018, after serving 31 years, and was discharged from post-release supervision on July 22, 2023.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Dec 10, 1973, Schenectady, New York
Confessed but not prosecuted: Murder of Timothy Tinning
Schenectady Police Department / New York State Police · Schenectady County Court · New York Penal Law · Arrested Feb 04, 1986 · Charges dismissed Charges dismissed
Timothy Tinning, 3 weeks old, died on December 10, 1973. Marybeth Tinning confessed during police interrogation on February 4, 1986 to smothering Timothy with a pillow, but later recanted the confession. Prosecutors indicted her for this death but pursued only the Tami Lynne case, as it had the strongest forensic evidence. Timothy's death was initially attributed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
SourcesPeople v. Tinning, 536 N.Y.S.2d 193, 142 A.D.2d 402 (N.Y. App. Div. 1988); Marybeth Tinning
Offense date Sep 02, 1975, Schenectady, New York
Confessed but not prosecuted: Murder of Nathan Tinning
Schenectady Police Department / New York State Police · Schenectady County Court · New York Penal Law · Arrested Feb 04, 1986 · Charges dismissed Charges dismissed
Nathan Tinning, 5 months old, died on September 2, 1975. Marybeth Tinning reported that she was driving with Nathan in the car when she noticed he had stopped breathing. Marybeth confessed during police interrogation on February 4, 1986 to smothering Nathan with a pillow, but later recanted. Prosecutors indicted her for this death but did not pursue prosecution, focusing instead on the Tami Lynne case.
SourcesPeople v. Tinning, 536 N.Y.S.2d 193, 142 A.D.2d 402 (N.Y. App. Div. 1988); Marybeth Tinning; Radford University serial killer biography: Tinning, Mary Beth
Offense date Dec 20, 1985, Schenectady, New York
Second-degree murder
Schenectady Police Department / New York State Police · Schenectady County Court · New York Penal Law · Arrested Feb 04, 1986 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 20 years to life
Marybeth Tinning smothered her 4-month-old daughter Tami Lynne with a pillow on December 20, 1985. Medical examiners initially suspected sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), but forensic testing by Dr. Michael M. Baden determined the death resulted from asphyxia by suffocation. Tinning confessed during police interrogation on February 4, 1986, but later recanted, claiming coercion. A jury convicted her of second-degree murder under the theory of depraved indifference to human life on July 17, 1987, after a three-week trial. She was sentenced to 20 years to life on October 1, 1987.
SourcesPeople v. Tinning, 536 N.Y.S.2d 193, 142 A.D.2d 402 (N.Y. App. Div. 1988); Tinning found guilty of murdering infant daughter; Tinning Sentence Is 20 Years to Life For Killing Baby; Marybeth Tinning
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
3
Victims confessed
8
Victims suspected
Active years
1972–1985
Victim profile
Children, Family members
Stated motive
Power or control
Range from home
local
Confessed
Yes
Marital history
Married
Children
9
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Schenectady Police Department · NY
Investigated deaths of Timothy (1973) and Nathan (1975); investigated Tami Lynne death (1985)
Source: Crime Library, CBS News
Taconic Correctional Facility · NY
Women's prison in Bedford Hills; housed Tinning from October 1987 through August 2018
Bureau of Criminal Investigation; investigated deaths including Timothy (1973), Nathan (1975), and Tami Lynne (1985)
Source: Crime Library, CBS News
Schenectady County Jail · NY
Held Tinning briefly before transfer to Oneida County Jail due to overcrowding (February 1986)
Schenectady County District Attorney's Office · NY
Prosecuted under District Attorney John B. Poersch; charged in Tami Lynne death only
Oneida County Jail · NY
Received Tinning from Schenectady County Jail due to overcrowding (1986)
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
NY
Town of Duanesburg, New York
approx. 1942 – 1965 · Birthplace and childhood residence
Schenectady, New York
1965 – 1985 · Family home where children died and where Marybeth worked as waitress and school bus driver
Town of Duanesburg, New York
approx. 1972 – 1975 · Foster parent (took in foster child Robert, then Linda)
Schenectady, New York
1972 – 1972 · Waitress at Flavorland
Town of Duanesburg, New York
approx. 1982 – 1983 · Lived with Joe's parents for 11 months; purchased trailer that caught fire
Town of Duanesburg, New York
approx. 1984 – 1985 · School bus driver for Dubb Transportation; volunteer ambulance driver for Duanesburg ambulance corps until summer 1984
Schenectady, New York
Feb 04, 1986 – Mar 15, 1986 · Schenectady County Jail; arrested February 4, 1986; released on $100,000 bail March 15, 1986
Schenectady, New York
Jul 17, 1987 – Oct 1987 · Schenectady County Jail; remanded after conviction July 17, 1987; remained pending sentencing in October
Bedford Hills, New York
Oct 1987 – Aug 21, 2018 · Taconic Correctional Facility (medium-security) in Bedford Hills, Westchester County; sentenced October 1, 1987; released August 21, 2018
Timeline
Sep 11, 1942
Marybeth Roe born in Duanesburg, New York.
1965
Marybeth Roe married Joe Tinning.
May 31, 1967
First child, Barbara, born.
Jan 10, 1970
Second child, Joseph Jr., born.
Dec 26, 1971
Third child, Jennifer, born.
Jan 03, 1972
Jennifer dies at 8 days old from hemorrhagic meningitis and multiple brain abscesses.
Jan 20, 1972
Joseph Jr. dies at 2 years old; death attributed to cardiopulmonary arrest.
Mar 02, 1972
Barbara dies at 4.5 years old; death attributed to Reye's Syndrome.
Nov 21, 1973
Fourth child, Timothy, born.
Dec 10, 1973
Timothy dies at 3 weeks old; death attributed to sudden infant death syndrome.
Mar 30, 1975
Fifth child, Nathan, born.
Sep 02, 1975
Nathan dies at 5 months old; Marybeth reports he stopped breathing while in the car.
Aug 03, 1978
Marybeth adopts sixth child, Michael, shortly after his birth.
Oct 29, 1978
Seventh child, Mary Frances, born.
Jan 20, 1979
Mary Frances rushed to hospital unconscious; hospital reports 'aborted SIDS.'
Feb 20, 1979
Mary Frances returned to hospital in full cardiac arrest; revived but with irreversible brain damage.
Feb 22, 1979
Mary Frances dies after Marybeth agrees to take her off life support.
Nov 19, 1979
Eighth child, Jonathan, born.
Mar 24, 1980
Jonathan dies after being kept on life support for four weeks.
Mar 02, 1981
Michael dies after Marybeth takes him to the doctor; he won't wake up.
Aug 22, 1985
Ninth child, Tami Lynne, born.
Dec 20, 1985
Tami Lynne dies; Marybeth reports she found her unresponsive. Death later determined to result from asphyxia by suffocation.
Feb 04, 1986
Marybeth Tinning arrested and taken to Schenectady Police Department for questioning; confesses to smothering Tami Lynne, Timothy, and Nathan.
Feb 05, 1986
Marybeth Tinning formally charged with the murder of Tami Lynne.
Mar 15, 1986
Marybeth Tinning released from Schenectady County Jail on $100,000 bail.
Jun 22, 1987
Trial begins in Schenectady County Court before Judge Clifford T. Harrigan.
Jul 17, 1987
Jury finds Marybeth Tinning guilty of second-degree murder of Tami Lynne after three-week trial and 23 hours of deliberation.
Oct 01, 1987
Marybeth Tinning sentenced to 20 years to life by Judge Clifford T. Harrigan.
Oct 1987
Marybeth Tinning enters Taconic Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills, New York.
Dec 29, 1988
Appeal to New York State Supreme Court's Appellate Division denied.
Mar 2007
First parole hearing; Marybeth Tinning denied parole.
Jan 2009
Second parole hearing; Marybeth Tinning denied parole.
Jan 2011
Third parole hearing; Marybeth Tinning denied parole.
Jul 16, 2018
Seventh parole hearing; Marybeth Tinning granted parole after six prior denials.
Aug 21, 2018
Marybeth Tinning released from Taconic Correctional Facility after 31 years of incarceration.
Jul 22, 2023
Marybeth Tinning discharged from post-release parole supervision.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Crime Library ·
Marybeth Tinning killed her nine babies“On February 5, 1986, Marybeth Tinning, 43, a local housewife and former school bus operator, was arrested and charged with the murder of her 4-month-old daughter, Tami Lynne.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Marybeth Tinning“Born September 11, 1942 in Duanesburg, New York; convicted in July 1987 of second-degree murder and sentenced to twenty years to life in prison.”
News report · Daily Gazette ·
Child killer Marybeth Tinning discharged from parole“Convicted child killer Marybeth Tinning was discharged from post-release supervision effective July 22, 2023, after being released to parole in 2018.”
News report · Times Union ·
Crimes and criminals that captivated the Capital Region“Schenectady resident Mary Beth Tinning is serving 20 years to life in prison for smothering her 4-month-old baby in 1985; between 1967 and 1985, Tinning had eight children and adopted a boy, none lived to be older than 4.”
News report · Daily Gazette ·
Convicted child killer Marybeth Tinning released“Tinning, 75, walked out of the medium-security Taconic Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills, Westchester County, Tuesday morning after serving more than 31 years of her 20-years-to-life sentence.”
News report · CBS News ·
Marybeth Tinning, mom who killed four-month-old daughter Tami Lynne in 1985, gets parole on seventh try“A jury convicted the Schenectady resident of killing her ninth child, 4-month-old Tami Lynne, in December 1985 and was suspected in other child deaths; Marybeth Tinning was convicted of murder in 1987 for smothering Tami Lynne.”
News report · Fox News ·
Notorious child killer imprisoned since the 1980s to be released“Marybeth Tinning, 75, who is being held in a Westchester County prison, could be released as early as next month; she was granted parole last week after her seventh hearing before the board.”
Other · Radford University ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Tinning, Mary Beth“Nine of Tinning's children died under Marybeth's care over fourteen years between 1972 and 1985.”
Court record · vLex ·
People v. Tinning, 536 N.Y.S.2d 193, 142 A.D.2d 402 (N.Y. App. Div. 1988)“Defendant accompanied two police officers for questioning on February 4, 1986 and admitted to smothering her infant daughter Tami Lynne; defendant confessed to killing two of her other children, Timothy in 1973 and Nathan in 1975, by smothering each with a pillow.”
News report · Daily Gazette ·
Tinning Sentence Is 20 Years to Life For Killing Baby“Marybeth Tinning will spend at least the next 20 years of her life in state prison for smothering her 4-month-old daughter, Tami Lynne, to death with a pillow; sentenced by County Judge Clifford T. Harrigan to 20 years to life for her July conviction after trial of second-degree murder.”
News report · UPI ·
Tinning found guilty of murdering infant daughter“A Schenectady County court jury found Tinning guilty Friday of one count of second-degree murder in the Dec. 20, 1985, killing of 4-month-old Tami Lynne; Marybeth Tinning may eventually face charges in the deaths of at least two of her eight other children.”
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