Kaitlyn's Baby | Episode 1: The barking dog

Summary

Summary of "The Con: Kaitlyn's Baby" – Episode 1: "The Barking Dog"

Introduction

"The Con: Kaitlyn's Baby" is a gripping six-part true crime series produced by CBC and the BBC World Service. Season 2 delves into the intricate web of deception spun by Kaitlyn Braun, a young pregnant woman whose actions leave birth workers questioning their role and the authenticity of her crisis. Episode 1, titled "The Barking Dog," sets the stage for this complex narrative, introducing listeners to the emotional turmoil experienced by doulas Amy Perry and Katie as they navigate Kaitlyn's escalating medical and personal crises.

Setting the Scene

The episode opens on a chilly Friday night in November 2022. Amy Perry, a seasoned doula managing the Facebook group "Placenta Squad," is ill with an RSV virus, confined to her bed, and idly scrolling through social media. Despite her condition, Amy is drawn into a distressing situation when she encounters a post from Katie about a client in crisis.

Notable Quote:

Sarah Treleaven (00:35): "A warning. This story contains references to medical emergencies, including baby loss. We also deal with sexual assault and there is some strong language."

Introduction to Kaitlyn Braun

Katie, a fellow doula, shares her experience with Caitlin Braun, a 24-year-old grappling with the aftermath of a traumatic sexual assault that resulted in an unexpected pregnancy. Caitlin's claim of being a victim of systemic neglect and abuse sets the tone for the challenges ahead.

Notable Quote:

Katie (03:35): "She said, basically, like, she is just kind of a victim of the system, if you will, and had gone through, like, years of different forms of abuse and just was like somebody that had fallen through the cracks at kind of every point along the way."

Navigating Labor Online

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, doula support occurs primarily over the phone. As Caitlin enters labor, Katie and Amy provide continuous support, guiding her through contractions and offering emotional reassurance. Caitlin shares intimate details, such as naming her stillborn baby Eden, reinforcing the deep bond forming between her and the doulas.

Notable Quote:

Amy Perry (05:24): "We used the name Eden, both of us, regularly. She would say things like, 'I'm gonna get to hold you soon. Eden, you were brought into my life for a reason.'"

Escalation of Medical Emergencies

Caitlin's labor is tumultuous, marked by severe contractions, heavy vomiting, and fluctuating cognitive states. As labor progresses, Amy becomes increasingly concerned about Caitlin's deteriorating condition, prompting the need for hospitalization.

Notable Quote:

Amy Perry (12:03): "She tells me that she forgot to hit the confirm ride button. And so that's why the time had been dancing."

Suspicion and Red Flags

Upon reaching the hospital, inconsistencies begin to emerge. Caitlin is sent home despite being in active labor and is prescribed Pitocin with a suspiciously delayed appointment time. Amy and Katie start noticing discrepancies, such as Caitlin consistently wearing a sports bra instead of a hospital gown and the peculiar timing of medical interventions.

Notable Quote:

Amy Perry (15:10): "They wouldn't admit her until she was 5 centimeters, which sounds weird to me, but I'm not there."

Investigating the Deception

As Caitlin's medical issues compound—necessitating a hysterectomy, combating severe bleeding, and facing potential septicemia—Amy and Katie grow skeptical. They begin reverse image searching Caitlin's photos, uncovering that her images are commonly found online, raising doubts about her legitimacy.

Notable Quote:

Katie (37:00): "I started reverse image searching stuff that she had sent us. The photo of a stillborn baby that she sent to Amy. And it was like something so ridiculous, like if you type in '32 weeks stillborn baby' on Google Images, it's like the second picture that pops up."

The Barking Dog: A Mysterious Element

A critical moment occurs when Amy hears a dog barking in the ICU, an anomaly that deepens the mystery surrounding Caitlin's situation. This unusual detail, coupled with Caitlin's assurances that the assault by a doctor is being handled discreetly, intensifies Amy's suspicions.

Notable Quote:

Amy Perry (35:20): "She says, 'I'm in the back of the ambulance and there's a doctor here and he's scaring me.' And the phone call cuts and I am picturing her being raped in the back of an ambulance by a doctor."

Cliffhanger and Ongoing Mystery

The episode culminates in heightened tension as Caitlin reports being assaulted in an ambulance, only to later claim the incident is over. Conflicting reports and the lack of public news coverage about the alleged assault prompt Amy and Katie to question the authenticity of Caitlin's narrative. The presence of a dog in an ICU and Caitlin's evasive behavior further complicate the situation, suggesting that Kaitlyn might be orchestrating a sophisticated con.

Notable Quote:

Amy Perry (35:43): "I have spent a lot of time in ICUs, both for myself and with other people and I have never and could not imagine a situation where someone would have a dog in an ICU."

Conclusion and Next Steps

As "The Barking Dog" wraps up, Amy and Katie are left in a state of disbelief and confusion, grappling with the realization that Kaitlyn Braun may not be who she claims to be. Their discovery of red flags and inconsistencies sets the stage for further investigation, promising a deeper unraveling of Kaitlyn’s motives and methods in subsequent episodes.

Notable Quote:

Amy Perry (37:46): "Like, I'm about to be kidnapped."

Final Thoughts

"The Barking Dog" masterfully intertwines personal narratives with investigative threads, highlighting the emotional and psychological toll of deceit on caregivers. The episode leaves listeners on edge, eager to uncover the truth behind Kaitlyn Braun's intricate web of lies and the true extent of her con.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Amy Perry (04:23): "We remind them that she's safe, that she's in good hands, that there's people here to help her, that she's not alone, that she's going to get to hold her baby soon."

• Amy Perry (12:03): "She tells me that she forgot to hit the confirm ride button. And so that's why the time had been dancing."

• Amy Perry (15:10): "They wouldn't admit her until she was 5 centimeters, which sounds weird to me, but I'm not there."

• Katie (37:00): "I started reverse image searching stuff that she had sent us. The photo of a stillborn baby that she sent to Amy. And it was like something so ridiculous, like if you type in '32 weeks stillborn baby' on Google Images, it's like the second picture that pops up."

• Amy Perry (35:20): "She says, 'I'm in the back of the ambulance and there's a doctor here and he's scaring me.' And the phone call cuts and I am picturing her being raped in the back of an ambulance by a doctor."

• Amy Perry (35:43): "I have spent a lot of time in ICUs, both for myself and with other people and I have never and could not imagine a situation where someone would have a dog in an ICU."

• Amy Perry (37:46): "Like, I'm about to be kidnapped."

Production Credits:

• Written and Produced by: Sarah Treleaven and Kathleen Goldhar
• Extra Production Support: Andrew Friesen and Alexis Green
• Sound Design and Scoring: Mitchell Stewart
• Digital Coordinating Producer: Emily Quinnell
• Senior Producer: Veronica Simmons
• Fact Checker: Emily Mathieu
• Executive Producers: Cecil Fernandez and Chris Oak
• Senior Manager: Tanya Springer
• Director of CBC Podcasts for the BBC World Service: R.F. Narrani
• Senior Producer: Kat Collins
• Podcast Commissioning Editor: John Mennell

Content Warnings:

This episode contains references to medical emergencies, baby loss, sexual assault, and includes strong language. Listener discretion is advised.

Availability:

"The Con: Kaitlyn's Baby" is available for streaming on CBC, BBC World Service, and all major podcast platforms.

Transcript

[Sarah Tralevin]

On an Evening in early December 2018.

[Amy Perry]

The young CEO of a cryptocurrency exchange reportedly dies while on his honeymoon in India.

[Sarah Tralevin]

This death is not announced to customers.

[Amy Perry]

For another month, and when they're told Gerald Cotten is the only person to hold the passwords to their funds, conspiracy theories grow, leaving some to wonder, could.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Gerald Cotten still be alive?

[Katie]

Honeymoon, moving the body, all the missing.

[Amy Perry]

Money, it was like. But what happened? A Death in Cryptoland Available now on cbc. Listen and everywhere you get your podcasts.

[Sarah Tralevin]

A BBC World Service and CBC podcast production. A warning. This story contains references to medical emergencies, including baby loss. We also deal with sexual assault and there is some strong language Please take care It's a Friday night in November 2022. Amy Perry is at home in a town just west of Toronto, Canada, and she's sick.

[Amy Perry]

I was fighting an RSV virus that was going around, so I was going to be home not doing anything.

[Sarah Tralevin]

She was spending most of her time in bed, bored and scrolling on Facebook.

[Amy Perry]

I manage a Facebook group for local birth workers called Placenta Squad.

[Sarah Tralevin]

I just love that name, Placenta Squad. Amy, along with most of the Placenta Squad, is a doula.

[Amy Perry]

I'm coming up on eight years. Yeah, I've been a doula for a long time. I've attended over 100 births now and it's been a ride.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Doulas work with pregnant people. They're not medical professionals. They assist people through labor and delivery by offering emotional support. The focus is on the woman, not the baby. They will help with massage or position or talk you through the pain or when things start to get too overwhelming. And they're different from midwives. A midwife has medical training. Often a doula will work alongside midwives or doctors, but unlike someone with medical expertise, they cannot give or prescribe medication.

[Amy Perry]

It just made sense for me. I could make my own hours. I could work around my health. I could have my own business. I could be here when my kids were little and it made a lot of sense for us. I'm the child of two parents of chronic illness. Like, I've grown up taking care of people and this is very natural for me.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Doula work can involve helping women through trauma. In fact, many doulas come to this line of work through their own bad experiences. So it's a point of pride that they take on the really hard cases. And that night in November, Amy is scrolling on the Placenta Squad page when she sees a post from her friend and fellow doula, Katie. Katie is working with a client in crisis. Who says her pregnancy is the result of an assault? Here's Katie.

[Katie]

She told me that, you know, generally that she didn't have family or friends to support her, that it was just, like, as traumatic a scenario as it possibly could be because she had just found out that her baby didn't have a heartbeat as well.

[Sarah Tralevin]

This client's name was Kaitlin Braun, and she was 24 years old, and she would now have to birth a stillborn baby. Kaitlin found Katie through social media. After sending a message and setting things up, Katie and Kaitlin connected on the phone. Caitlyn said she lived with her mom, but they didn't have the best relationship. Her life had been hard and full of neglect.

[Katie]

She said, basically, like, she is just kind of a victim of the system, if you will, and had gone through, like, years of different forms of abuse and just was like somebody that had fallen through the cracks at kind of every point along the way.

[Sarah Tralevin]

This is November 2022. Remember Covid, much of our world was online or by phone, and that includes doula work. So when labor started, it was Katie on the phone with Caitlin.

[Katie]

She ended up having contractions while I was on the phone with her, like, working through contractions. They were timed out properly. When things would get more intense, her cognitive abilities would come and go, which is very normal. When her labor progressed, like, she would be throwing up.

[Sarah Tralevin]

It's at this point that Katie has to go to her day job. So she tags in Amy from the placenta squad, who's sick in bed but able to support Caitlyn through what is bound to be an emotional and difficult birth of a stillborn baby.

[Amy Perry]

We really spent most of that day on phone calls. She told me that she had earbuds in her ear so she could be hands free and that her phone was just in her pocket. And, you know, I was honestly in the same situation, just walking around the house, phone in my pocket, kind of puttering around, doing some cleaning, while I was coaching through contractions. Well, coaching through a stillbirth really isn't much different than coaching through any other delivery. When the contractions start, you know, we remind them that there's. That she's safe, that she's in good hands, that there's people here to help her, that she's not alone, that she's going to get to hold her baby soon.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Caitlin had mentioned to Amy that she was naming her child Eden.

[Amy Perry]

We used the name Eden, both of us, regularly. She would say things like, I'm gonna get to hold you soon. Eden, you were brought into my life for a reason. We're gonna get through this together. She would say things like, you're gonna be so beautiful. I would remind her that, you know, she's a good mom, that she's doing the best thing that she can do. There was a moment where she questioned whether she could call herself a mom. And I reassured her that, of course you can call yourself a mom. This is your baby.

[Sarah Tralevin]

While it might sound like a young woman having to deliver a stillborn baby that was conceived through rape could not possibly get more tragic. The truth of this story is devastating in a completely different way.

[Amy Perry]

Well, it took us a little bit to actually figure out what actually happened. And to be honest, I still don't fully have those answers.

[Sarah Tralevin]

I've reported on a lot of heart wrenching stories. Social workers who exploited vulnerable kids, Ponzi schemers who stole life savings. I've spent the last year and a half immersed in Caitlin's world. And this is one of the most complex stories I've ever covered. A story that has puzzled psychiatrists and legal systems. A story that contorts moral and ethical instincts and a perpetrator who takes up the valuable time of a stressed and overloaded medical system. A woman who took so much from people whose job is to give the people you will hear from never want any of this to happen again. But no one really knows what they would have done differently.

[Amy Perry]

We always were asking why. I mean, from the very first moment, I wanted to know why. So it's a long story.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Settle in for CBC and the BBC World Service. I'm Sarah Tralevin and this is the Caitlin's Baby Episode one, the Barking Dog. Hour after hour, Amy helps Caitlin with the early stages of labor. Amy constantly on the phone, encouraging, listening, crying. Everything and anything Caitlin needs.

[Amy Perry]

Yeah, I mean, it sounded exactly like a contraction. It had a buildup, it had a high point, it had a come down. They were well spaced apart. You know, there are some very subtle signs as birth workers that we can see that made sense to us. The way her voice just got a little in her chest when she was feeling crampy or when she would tell me the different positions, she would find herself just naturally going into through the contractions. She would tell me she was on her hands and knees or that she was squatting, that she was sitting on a yoga ball. But after quite a number of hours of this, I asked, like, do you specifically want to lean into this, like, or do you want the tips and tricks to, like, really get this rolled over into an actual active labor. I was really coaching on how to move her body through the contractions. I was really focused on things like making sure her moods stayed as positive as possible, because we know that that negativity just works against us through the labor process. So we were making jokes. We were building a rapport. We sort of learned kind of quickly. We have the same sense of dark humor. We were making comments about our families, and she was asking questions about me and getting to know me, and I was doing the same with her.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Here is this lonely young woman traumatized by a sexual assault that led to a pregnancy, a baby that died in utero at around 32 weeks, and she is now birthing her child alone. She tells Amy and Katie that her family has abandoned her, that they blamed her for the rape and didn't support her decision to keep the baby. In fact, Amy says that Kaitlin told her all sorts of intimate things, which isn't unusual for doulas.

[Amy Perry]

The one thing that really stood out to me that I was tiptoeing very carefully around when talking about getting the labor started, was some of these more like, pseudosexual type ways that we can move labor along. I was very informed from the beginning that this was a pregnancy via assault. You know, when we're dealing with, like, a loving couple, it's not all that weird or awkward to talk about how things like nipple stimulation or masturbation or pumping can move people over into active labor. She asked me specifically if nipple stimulation and pumping or masturbation would help. And I never would have offered that information in this situation, but she asked the question, so I answered. I was honest, and I said yes. And that was when she told me that she was doing some of those things through contractions and I'm a doula. Like, it's. This is normal for me in these situations. I was a little shocked that someone who had been through something like that would be okay with moving in this direction. But, you know, she had told me she was. So that was where we went.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Caitlyn has been in labor for nearly 40 hours, and Amy was hardly sleeping, hardly eating.

[Amy Perry]

We were getting to a point where, like, contractions were getting stronger, where they were getting closer together and longer, more powerful feeling through what I was listening to over the phone. And I said, you know, I'm starting to feel uncomfortable with the fact that you're at home, and I think we need to start getting you over to a hospital.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Amy is sick, so she can't meet Caitlin at The hospital and Amy's friend and doula partner, Katie. Is it work?

[Amy Perry]

But let's figure this out. I'd rather you be there alone than be at your house alone. And she right away was like, yep, I'll grab my keys, I'll get in the car. And I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Like, you're not driving yourself to the hospital. I'll call a cab for you. If you can't make the call, I'll help you set up an Uber.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Finally, after what felt like a lot more work than it should have, Amy convinces Caitlin to call a car.

[Amy Perry]

She'd say, okay, it's 11 minutes away. And I said, okay, great, we'll start counting them down. That's, like, in my mind, we have a contraction every, like, five minutes. So I was saying things like, that's two contractions. We can do that, right? That's two contractions till the. Till the Uber gets here. You know, I know it's going to take you some time to. I know you think you can get to the door in 10 minutes, but, like, you're in labor. This is going to take you time. Let's start getting our shoes on. Let's start getting the things we need. Let's make sure our stuff's at the door. We'll stop for contractions. But that 10 minutes would go by and there'd still be nobody. And she'd go, oh, he's still. Now he's 12 minutes away. And I'd be like, okay, well, maybe he's picking somebody up on the way. Like, I don't know. I'm not there. I can't see her phone. And I'm like, okay, did you do everything right? Yes. Another 10 minute goes by once we get it, 30 minutes. She tells me that she forgot to hit the confirm ride button. And so that's why the time had been dancing. And. And so she said, yep, it's for sure hidden. Now he's definitely on his way. I have a time he's going to be here. And I am honestly, like, freaking out at this point. Like, contractions are strong. And in my head, I am picturing her having a stillborn baby in the doorway of her house when an Uber driver pulls up. And I. I'm losing it. So I asked if I can call an ambulance for her, and she said no. I don't know her address at this point either. So even if I was to call 911, I don't have an address to send the ambulance.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Back and forth they go until finally the Car arrives.

[Amy Perry]

So she gets in the Uber. I hear like, what? Like, I hear a car accelerating and, and decelerating. She's speaking to somebody else in the car. I can't hear them because I'm just in her earbuds, but she's speaking as if there's somebody else in the car. And we're even making jokes about how this will be the story of his Uber career.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Amy feels a wave of relief once Caitlyn makes it to the hospital.

[Amy Perry]

So we get to the hospital. I hear, you know, you hear when people are walking through different environments. So I could hear, you know, it sounded like a lobby. I could hear what sounded like more enclosed space, like an elevator. We did a contraction in the lobby. She was working her way up. She was excited that there was nobody in the elevator. And when she got to labor and delivery, she told me she was going to hang up so that she could deal with that and she was going right in.

[Sarah Tralevin]

When they finally reconnect, there's news. Caitlin's labor is progressing. She's 4cm dilated, which for Amy means she's now in active labor and can be admitted to the hospital. But oddly, Caitlin is being sent home.

[Amy Perry]

They wouldn't admit her until she was 5 centimeters, which sounds weird to me, but I'm not there. And that she was being sent home with the promise of Pitocin the next morning.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Pitocin is a drug that induces labor the next day.

[Amy Perry]

I spent the entire Saturday alone at my house on the phone with her continuing this labor. We started our conversation with me saying, okay, like, when are you going in for this Pitocin? Like, when's your appointment? And she told me 2:00 in the afternoon, which I right away was a little red flagged on because she had told me Pitocin in the morning. And like a 2pm afternoon appointment is like far away from what was happening in my mind. But I don't know what's happening at the hospital. I don't know what's going on. So I really just hung out on the phone with her.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Amy coaches Caitlin through more contractions.

[Amy Perry]

They all sounded really real to me.

[Sarah Tralevin]

They do the car booking dance again.

[Amy Perry]

Not quite the same where she forgot to hit the button, but this time she told me the name of the driver. And again there was like a conversation with this driver that I could hear through her. I didn't hear this person, but I heard, you know, the same like car sounds. And she got to her appointment, she went right in.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Caitlin narrates as she goes through triage, then up the elevator and she's booked into labor and delivery. Finally, finally, things seem to be going in the right direction. And Amy's relieved that Kaitlin will not be having this stillborn baby by herself. A few hours later, there's news. Baby Eden is here.

[Amy Perry]

We had a lovely stillbirth delivery, like, you know, as nice as it could be. She described to us what the baby looked like when she was holding her. She got that immediate skin to skin, and she described what it was like to hold the baby and what she felt like.

[Sarah Tralevin]

It's such a heartbreaking situation. And they made the best of it together, all of this. Remember, Amy is just on the phone.

[Amy Perry]

And then she started making noises like she was in pain again. She was making like, oof, like, ugh. Kind of noises, like, like something was being done to her body. And she explained to me that they were tugging at her placenta, that they were tugging at the cord and that it was painful and she was having a hard time with that. And so I was just reminding her to breathe, you know, let her body do what it's supposed to do, you know, I'm here for you, whatever happens. And just reminding her she's not alone.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Caitlin is bleeding a lot. She tells Amy that the doctors are nervous and she's heading to the operating table.

[Amy Perry]

Ultimately, the decision was made that she needs a hysterectomy.

[Sarah Tralevin]

A hysterectomy is when a woman's uterus is removed. It's major surgery.

[Amy Perry]

And so I'm on the phone with a 24 year old girl who's just had a stillborn baby to a sexual assault. And now I have to process with her that she needs a hysterectomy after this.

[Sarah Tralevin]

And I just want to pause you there for one second. Tell me about where Caitlin's at at this moment.

[Amy Perry]

She's just acting very sad at this moment. To me, it was acting like she was a little bit dissociative, like she maybe wasn't really present in the moment. She started, like, whispering a lot of the bad news. So she would, she would like, get really quiet and say they want to do a hysterectomy. And then you'd be like, okay, that really blows. Like, let's, let's figure that out. But, like, right now you just need to know that you're safe. Like, these are medical professionals. They're trying to do what's best for you. If you're bleeding this badly, then, like, they're trying to save your life. And I'm here for you, right?

[Sarah Tralevin]

But things go from bad to worse. The hysterectomy didn't stop the bleeding. Caitlin needs life saving surgery and needs to be moved to a bigger hospital with a trauma unit.

[Amy Perry]

It sounded like she was fading, like it sounded like she was having difficulty talking, like she was having difficulty staying awake. She would talk about how scared she was.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Amy stays with Caitlyn on the phone the whole ambulance ride to the bigger hospital.

[Amy Perry]

She would explain what the inside of the ambulance looked like. Honestly, she used a lot of tactics that I have been taught all my life in therapy. Things like focusing on one object in the room and describing that object in the room or focusing on one feeling you're having instead of all the different feelings you're having. And so we, we spent time doing that. I would remind her, you know, it's 20 minutes up the road in an ambulance driving bat out of hell, you know, we're not going to be that long. We can do this. We counted down the minutes together.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Suddenly Amy realizes that none of the doctors or nurses working on Caitlyn have Amy's contact information.

[Amy Perry]

She described to me and I listened to her speaking to somebody else and giving my contact information and it being written down on a pink sticky note which was put on the front of her file that was being passed over, that if something happened to her during the surgery that like her mom didn't know us, her family didn't know us, no one would know to call us. Katie and I were fully prepared to be searching obituaries for the next four days if we didn't hear from her.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Caitlyn tells Amy that she's being wheeled into surgery and hangs up. Amy is alone off the phone for the first time in days.

[Amy Perry]

I am just standing in the shower, staring at the wall, scalding hot water, thinking like I'm two days in and I have no idea what's coming.

[Sarah Tralevin]

At around 3am, not long after, an exhausted Amy finally drifts off to sleep. She gets a call from Caitlin, out of surgery, but not out of danger.

[Amy Perry]

So she would say things like, oh, like this pain is building in my stomach. I'm starting to feel pain in my belly, I'm feeling bloated. And then she would look down or reach down and she would see blood. And I would have to say, is there someone there? Is there someone you can speak to? Have they left you the call button? And she'd say, I don't want to press the call button. And I'd say, girl, you got to press the call button. Like, we don't have a choice right now. Press your call button. She'd go, okay, I press the call button. And then she would describe a nurse coming and checking on her, lifting the sheets. And then basically she would say, my nurse looks concerned. Oh, my nurse is hitting the emergency button on the wall. And so I thought, like, this girl's still bleeding. She's still having a hard time. And this is not over.

[Sarah Tralevin]

It is not over a $6 billion con.

[Amy Perry]

It didn't take long for it to spread like wildfire.

[Sarah Tralevin]

You got to take a look at.

[Amy Perry]

This really crazy gold stock. A buddy of mine got in at.

[Sarah Tralevin]

A dime, which destroyed lives and devastated communities.

[Amy Perry]

Every little town across the nation, people have shares in this. We lost everything.

[Sarah Tralevin]

And to date, no one has been brought to justice.

[Amy Perry]

Somebody knows more than we know.

[Sarah Tralevin]

The $6 billion gold scam from the BBC World Service and CBC. All episodes are available now. Find it wherever you get your podcasts.

[Amy Perry]

In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news. So I started a podcast called On Drugs. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with season three of On Drugs. And this time, it's gonna get personal. I don't know who sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy. On Drugs is available now. Wherever you get your podcast.

[Sarah Tralevin]

I want to just stop here and acknowledge that this is a lot like so much. And in hindsight, Amy sees that now. But at the time, she was tending to Kaitlin, even though it was all on the phone, it was overwhelming. She hardly ate, rarely slept. All she did was focus all of her energy on what Caitlin needed. And as someone who had chosen a profession that at its core is about caring for others, her instinct wasn't to say, hey, this seems like a lot for one person.

[Amy Perry]

At this point, more than anything, I am exhausted. I am completely emotionally checked out. I am no longer taking care of myself.

[Sarah Tralevin]

It's something Amy's ex husband has noticed. It's why he was keeping their kids at his place. Amy's girlfriend at the time is also concerned. But at this point, everyone is just doing what they can to support Amy, and Amy needs the support. It's been three days now, and Caitlyn's problems just keep getting worse and worse.

[Amy Perry]

She starts hinting to us that this no longer seems like necessarily a gynecological issue, but maybe something more is going on here. We have Another emergency hospital transfer, and this time it's in a helicopter. So she tells me that she's being helicoptered from McMaster in Hamilton to Toronto General. She says she's covering her mic when it's loud so that I don't hear too much of what's going on. She makes a little quip about, oh, your pink sticky note still on the front of the file so everyone will know to contact you if they need. And she tells me when she can see the CN Tower. And she's using phrases like, I feel like I'm dying. It's so hard to live right now. I just want to give up. And all I can do is just encourage her to keep breathing and keep focusing on the environment she's in and know that she's getting somewhere where she's going to be safe.

[Sarah Tralevin]

At this point, Katie, Amy's friend and fellow doula, is back on the calls, sometimes together and sometimes with Caitlyn alone.

[Katie]

There was no ability to just like, continue on with life as this was happening. Like, everything was on hold. I was calling in sick from work. I told my boss, like, I have a friend going through an emergency. I need some time off. My partner was like, basically keeping me fed and like semi functional and like having to explain to our families at that point too of like, I was at my partner's house and his mom was like, hey, why hasn't Katie left the basement in like a Wayne again?

[Amy Perry]

She had told us that the blood clots were getting bigger, that one of them was weighed in at 5.7 pounds. She even explained how it ripped her as it came out. She would start sending us selfies, but they were all very close so we couldn't necessarily see what was happening in the background. And the whole time she wore the self same sports bra. We had like a half a thought, like, why isn't she wearing a hospital gown?

[Sarah Tralevin]

Caitlyn tells the T doulas that she's starting to go septic. She needs dialysis. It's a smorgasbord of catastrophe. Everything that can go wrong is going wrong. And all to this desperate young woman who just lost her baby.

[Amy Perry]

At some point there was a more major surgery that needed to happen or something that we couldn't be there for. And she's getting more weak sounding and she says that she can hear doctors yelling at each other. And, you know, people are disagreeing with treatment. Like it feels tense on her end and we are hysterical. I mean, we're both crying and we just listened basically like at Some point, she's just stopped talking. And all we could hear was her breathing on the phone. And we kind of assumed maybe she had been put under, but we weren't really sure. And then the call was still going, but it just goes quiet. And we, we were even, like, we were both on the call, not speaking, texting each other, going, how long until we hang up? Like, once in a while, we're just saying, you know, we love you, Caitlin. If you can hear us, like, you're gonna be okay. We'll talk to you when you wake up. Everything's gonna be okay. Like, you're gonna see another day.

[Sarah Tralevin]

At some point, the call drops. For a few hours, Katie and Amy do nothing but worry until Caitlin gets back in touch at 5am the next day.

[Amy Perry]

And then she texted us that she was being diagnosed with stage four, a pelvic cancer.

[Sarah Tralevin]

It's now been a week since Caitlyn went into labor.

[Amy Perry]

She told us that it was specifically in her vagina, in her pelvis, and in her rectum. We asked what they said the next steps were going to be, if there was a prognosis with this information. She told us that the next steps included a vaginectomy, radiation, and palliative care. So at this point, we are under the understanding that at some point she is going to die. She told us that they gave her brochures of the different palliative care options. We had real conversations about, when is.

[Sarah Tralevin]

It okay to give up and just die?

[Amy Perry]

And just die.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Just one week after Amy started coaching Caitlin on giving birth, she's now coaching her for her own death. Amy suggests it's a good time for Caitlin to reach out to her estranged sister in England and tell her that things aren't looking good. They talked about who Caitlyn would give her social media passwords to, what they should say after she died. They figure out where Caitlyn should be buried. Amy helps Caitlyn write a will to disperse her very few meaningful possessions. And then Caitlyn says that she's having a nurse witness and sign it.

[Amy Perry]

She was saying things like, we're all trauma bonded forever. I don't ever want to get rid of you. We're gonna be in this together forever. We're never gonna forget each other now. Like, also making it very clear that she was sorry that she was putting us through this. So she would say things like, I'm so sorry. You have to listen, like, you don't have to stay here with me if you don't want to. You can go at any time, like, almost pushing us away so that we would become even more solid in our, like, no, we're here for you. We're going to be with you through this. We're not going anywhere.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Amy and Katie promise they'll come and spend Christmas with Caitlin. It's just a month away and Caitlin is really worried that she'll be all alone, if she's even still alive. The two doulas commit to decorating her room at the hospice and singing Caitlin's favorite carols.

[Amy Perry]

I got to a place of being so connected to her that I was saying, like, like, screw your mom. Like, I'm your mom now. You don't need her in your life.

[Sarah Tralevin]

At some point in all of this mess, a little over a week since Caitlin went into labor, it's decided that Caitlyn has to be moved again to another hospital to deal with the cancer. Caitlyn tells Amy that she's been loaded into yet another ambulance.

[Amy Perry]

It's late at night, it's about 10:00 at night. And I'm on the phone with her by myself and she starts getting very quiet. And she says to me, I'm not alone. And I'm like, what do you mean you're not alone? And she says that she's in the back of the ambulance and that there's a doctor here and he's scaring her. And I'm confused, but my body is, is. I mean, I'm physically reacting to this already. What do you mean you're alone? What do you mean you're uncomfortable? Can you see his name tag, Caitlin? Can you tell me what his name is? And it goes on. And she's sounding more and more scared. He's here. He's getting closer. I don't know what to do. She says, oh my God. And the phone call cuts and I am picturing her being raped in the back of an ambulance by a doctor.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Amy is freaking out. She can't believe this is happening.

[Amy Perry]

I called Katie, I said, like, do I call 911? I don't know what ambulance she's in.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Before the doulas can even decide what to do, Caitlyn calls back. She tells them that the attack is over and the doctor is out of the ambulance. She tells Amy that she's at the new hospital and has reported the incident. But to Amy, she seems oddly calm and Caitlin really wants to recount every graphic detail.

[Amy Perry]

We were told that they were going to collect evidence and that they would be in touch with the police. But like, we were we were a mess. I mean I'm a sexual assault survivor. Like after that ambulance call I, I was even more checked out.

[Sarah Tralevin]

And when you say checked out, I.

[Amy Perry]

Mean I hung up that phone and I went and I vomited.

[Sarah Tralevin]

This whole ordeal of goes on for a total of 10 days. Frantic calls that go on for hours. Katie and Amy putting their lives on hold for Caitlin.

[Amy Perry]

I was a zombie. I mean I, I am a smart, well spoken, educated individual and I, I had none of those abilities.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Friends are checking, family is worried. But neither Amy nor Katie can get off the train. They are trauma bonded.

[Amy Perry]

I had a friend who I was, who's a doula, who I was. She made a comment on that Thursday kind of mid afternoon to me and all she said was, wow, I can't believe that all of this is happening to the same person.

[Sarah Tralevin]

That comment, Amy's friend wondering out loud what we are all wondering, finally makes Amy ask the same thing. Those red flags, the old sports bra instead of a hospital gown, the strange timing of the Pitocin shot, all of a sudden these were pretty hard to ignore. And then Amy remembers something that happened a few days before.

[Amy Perry]

She's again being taken into the operating room and we hear a dog bark. And I have spent a lot of time in ICUs, both for myself and with other people and I have never and could not imagine a situation where someone would have a dog in an icu.

[Sarah Tralevin]

And then Amy's girlfriend has more questions.

[Amy Perry]

She calls me and she says, amy, I need to tell you something. And I'm like preparing myself, like what could this be? And she says if these doctors are getting arrested, it's not on the news.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Caitlyn told Amy that the doctor that assaulted her was being arrested. And Amy starts to think her girlfriend has a point. Surely if a doctor's arrested for sexually assaulting a dying woman in an ambulance, it would make the news.

[Amy Perry]

So we started digging and very quickly we started getting our answers.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Katie is put in charge of sleuthing, trying to verify everything Caitlyn had told them. All of the pictures she had sent.

[Katie]

I started reverse image searching stuff that she had sent us. The photo of a stillborn baby that she sent to Amy. And it was like something so ridiculous, like if you type in 32 weeks stillborn baby on Google Images, it's like the second picture that pops up. Like she didn't even try that hard to hide her tracks. The picture of a tumor that she sent us that had supposedly come out of her. Reverse search that. And it was like the Wikipedia picture for like colon cancer or something like that.

[Amy Perry]

By this point, I'm out. I'm like, fuck this whole situation. I don't believe a word of it anymore. I don't know what's going on.

[Sarah Tralevin]

Amy's mind is racing. What is happening? But also, why? Why would anyone lie about all of this? What did Caitlin really want from them? And how is it possible that she was able to do all of this so well? And in that moment it occurred to.

[Amy Perry]

Her, there's no way we're the first.

[Sarah Tralevin]

They weren't.

[Katie]

She texted me, oh, you can just come in, you know, haha, I might be fully naked.

[Amy Perry]

And that was the first time it crossed my mind that something was off.

[Katie]

Like something felt off about that. And I had a moment where I stopped before I went in and I thought, I'm about to be kidnapped.

[Sarah Tralevin]

That's next time on the Con. Caitlyn's Baby. We made numerous attempts to contact Kaitlin Braun, outlining the allegations made through the series and inviting her to respond to what has been said. She made it clear to me that she didn't want to be involved with the podcast. The invitation remains open to Caitlin should she change her mind and wish to respond. This is a CBC and BBC World Service production. The show is written, researched and produced by me, Sarah Tralevin. It was also written and produced produced by Kathleen Goldhar. Extra production support from Andrew Friesen and Alexis Green. Sound design and scoring by Mitchell Stewart. Emily Quinnell is our digital coordinating producer. Our senior producer is Veronica Simmons. The fact checker is Emily Mathieu. Our executive producers are Cecil Fernandez and Chris Oak. Tanya Springer is our Senior Manager and R.F. narrani is the Director of CBC Podcasts for the BBC World Service. Kat Collins is the senior producer and John Mennell is the podcast commissioning ed. A BBC World Service and CBC Podcast production.