Empty Cradle

Jane Morgan, pregnant with her third child, enters labor five days after her due date. The moment is tense as her husband Bob watches anxiously. She prepares for the birth, unaware of the danger ahead.

During labor, Nurse Rita Donahue administers a sedation that leaves Jane disoriented. The hospital staff tells her the baby was stillborn, and the doctor notes unusual drug levels in her system. He suspects drug abuse, deepening the nightmare for Jane.

Rita, aided by her teenage son Patrick, abducts Jane's newborn daughter and swaps the records to make it look like a stillbirth. The move serves Rita's growing obsession and keeps Frank under the illusion of a baby. Hospital paperwork is altered to seal the deception.

Over the following months Rita maintains a fake pregnancy under the name Elaine Crisp to shadow a pregnant woman delivering a boy. She uses the ruse to keep Frank connected to her, hoping for a real child. The deception becomes a continuous game of lies and cover stories.

Rita induces labor in Theresa Richland at her home, murders Theresa, and steals Theresa's baby. The brutal act is aimed at obtaining a healthy boy to fulfill her schemes. She hides the crime behind a fresh infant and a new set of lies.

Jane becomes convinced that her baby was alive and challenges the belief that she is merely drug-addicted. Her relatives and best friend Sharon dismiss her concerns and push toward psychiatry. Yet she continues to recollect memories of her labor and her daughter’s fate.

Determined to regain her child, Jane hires attorney Gail Huddle to sue the hospital for record access and accountability. She discovers key files have vanished, apparently erased by Rita's manipulation. The case falters under the weight of missing documentation.

Nurse Ramsey recalls that Jane's baby was alive when she last checked, but she is afraid to come forward. Her reluctance mirrors the wider fear surrounding Rita's influence. Ramsey's memory remains a fragile thread in the investigation.

Detective Knoll suspects Rita as Theresa's killer after Tom Burke identifies her as the midwife involved. Rita provides a false alibi and even tries to direct Patrick on what to say to investigators. The investigation strains under Rita's deceptions.

An examination at the hospital reveals Theresa Richland had a hysterectomy over ten years earlier and could not bear children. Rita admits murdering Theresa and stealing two babies, but withholds the identity of the first mother. Knoll closes in on Rita as the chief suspect.

Knoll locates Jane and reunites her with the daughter who was taken from her. The reunion brings relief after a long, painful pursuit of the truth. Jane finally holds her child again and begins the slow process of healing.

The true story behind these events is explored in the non-fiction book Masking Evil by Carol Anne Davis. The book frames the case as part of a broader examination of deception and crime. It is presented as the real-life source that inspired the movie.