In January 2022, 22‑year‑old Hannah Pettey was hospitalized with seizures and extreme weight loss; doctors found massive lead deposits throughout her body and concluded the poisoning was deliberate. Investigators learned Hannah had been given nightly supplement capsules and later recovered thin lead at her husband’s chiropractic clinic that could be shaved into capsule fillings. Prosecutors cited motive — life‑insurance policies worth more than $5 million — and circumstantial evidence; Brian Mann was convicted in 2025 and sentenced to life. Hannah has since recovered, earned a teaching degree and moved back home with her children.
Nearly Killed by Lead: How a Young Mother Survived — And Her Husband Was Convicted
Hannah and Brian Mann / Credit: Hannah Pettey
In January 2022, 22‑year‑old mother Hannah Pettey arrived at the University of Alabama at Birmingham after months of worsening pain, extreme weakness and seizures. What doctors discovered — and the investigation that followed — revealed a rare and disturbing case of intentional lead poisoning that nearly killed her.
When Hannah arrived at the hospital, doctors told her mother she had hours to live. / Credit: Nicole Pettey
The Emergency
Hannah, mother of a three‑year‑old boy and a two‑year‑old girl, says she was bedridden for days and barely able to walk. On Jan. 18, after a phone call with her mother Nicole, Hannah asked to be taken to the hospital. At UAB, clinicians said she was emaciated, having seizures and “starving to death.” Her condition worsened: she suffered a prolonged seizure, lost consciousness for nearly 48 hours, and was later placed in a medically induced coma while surgeons drained excess fluid from her brain.
An X-ray shows Hannah Pettey's body filled will lead. / Credit: Hartselle Police Department
Shocking Medical Findings
Eight days into her hospital stay, neurologists told Nicole the cause: Hannah carried an "astronomical" amount of lead. Doctors described her colon as nearly packed with lead and found deposits in her bones and throughout her body. The treating team concluded the contamination was consistent with repeated, deliberate ingestion rather than accidental exposure.
From left, Brian Mann, Hannah Pettey and Nicole Pettey.
Early Investigation
Hospital staff alerted state child welfare and investigators. Because the poisoning appeared deliberate, visitors were restricted and close contacts were treated as potential suspects. Investigators pressed Hannah’s family for details about foods, medicines and supplements. Nicole recalled Hannah saying her husband, chiropractor Brian Mann, placed supplement capsules on her nightstand each night — a detail that drew investigators’ attention.
Hannah and Brian Mann on their wedding day in May 2018. / Credit: Chelsea Vaughn Photography
Evidence, Motive and the Clinic Tip
Initial searches of the Mann home and property returned no obvious source of lead and police found no capsule filled with lead. The investigation took a crucial turn when contractor Danny Hill — who had lined Brian’s chiropractic office X‑ray room with soft lead — told police he had left leftover rolls of lead that Brian asked him to take. Hill demonstrated how thin, malleable lead sheets can be scraped into tiny shavings small enough to hide in a pill capsule. Police later recovered thin lead from the clinic that they said could be shaved and concealed.
Hannah Petty in January 2022. Doctors put her in a medical coma to drain excess fluid from her body. / Credit: Hannah Pettey Facebook
Investigators also uncovered a possible financial motive: Hannah said Brian had taken out life‑insurance policies on her while they were dating, and during her hospitalization he attempted to obtain additional policies that together could have paid more than $5 million if she died.
Brian Mann was arrested and charged with attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty. / Credit: Morgan County Sheriff's Office
Criminal Case and Trial
Prosecutors presented the medical findings, the contractor’s tip and circumstantial evidence about access and motive to a grand jury. In September 2022, Brian Mann was arrested and charged with attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond under conditions that included weekend jail reporting and restrictions on contact with the children.
Contractor Danny Hill showed
The trial opened in June 2025 in Decatur, Alabama. Prosecutors argued Mann slowly poisoned Hannah with lead‑filled capsules he supplied as nightly supplements; the defense emphasized that officers never found a single lead‑filled capsule or direct eyewitness evidence and suggested other possible theories. Hannah testified about the nightly supplements and the pain that left her barely able to swallow; she also revealed she had been told by doctors she would no longer be able to have children.
A thin sheet of lead recovered from inside a section of a wall in the X-ray room of Brian Mann's chiropractic office. / Credit: Hartselle Police Department
After the prosecution rested following seven witnesses, the defense called no witnesses. The jury returned a guilty verdict. In August 2025, a judge sentenced Brian Mann to life in prison.
Hannah Pettey / Credit: Carly Humphries Photography
Aftermath and Recovery
Doctors once feared Hannah would never recover cognitively enough to testify. Instead, she rehabilitated, completed a college degree in teaching and moved back into the family home with her children after repainting and redecorating. Hannah and Brian remain legally married while their divorce proceedings continue.
Resources
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence or poisoning, seek immediate help. In the U.S., contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1‑800‑799‑7233 or visit thehotline.org. For suspected poisoning, call your local emergency services or poison control at 1‑800‑222‑1222.
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