Texas parents whose daughter became America’s first measles death in a decade have given a disturbing interview in which they made a series of unproven health claims.
The couple insisted measles ‘is good for the body’ and urged parents not to give their children the MMR vaccine, which reduces the risk of catching measles 97 percent.
The parents, who are members of a Mennonite community in west Texas, spoke with Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group founded by health chief Robert F Kennedy Jr, this week.
All five of their children had been infected several weeks earlier with measles, a highly contagious illness that has ripped through Texas and neighboring New Mexico infected more than 300 people – more than the entire US in all of 2024.
While four of their children had a mild illness, their six-year-old daughter, Kaylee, died after a three-week battle with measles.
All of the children, like many in their community, were unvaccinated.
Though the couple choked back tears as they discussed their daughter’s fate, they said it was Kaylee’s ‘time on Earth’ and urged parents to avoid taking the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in favor of alternative treatments like cod liver oil and vitamin C.
![The parents of six-year-old Kaylee, who died of measles last month, urged parents to not get their children the MMR vaccine and insisted measles is 'not as bad as [the media] are making it out to be.' The couple are pictured above in a screenshot from their interview with RFK Jr-founded Children's Health Defense](https://usercontent.one/wp/businesstelegraph.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Parents-of-Texas-girl-6-who-died-from-measles-give.jpg?media=1732534182)
The parents of six-year-old Kaylee, who died of measles last month, urged parents to not get their children the MMR vaccine and insisted measles is ‘not as bad as [the media] are making it out to be.’ The couple are pictured above in a screenshot from their interview with RFK Jr-founded Children’s Health Defense
The above is a stock image of a child infected with measles in Texas
Speaking in a dialect of German through a translator, Kaylee’s mother told interviewers: ‘Don’t do the shots. There are doctors that can help with measles. They’re not as bad as [the media] are making it out to be.’
Kaylee’s father, who said his name was Peter in an earlier interview, also claimed ‘measles are good for the body’ and can protect the immune system against other diseases, a theory promoted by RFK Jr.
The couple’s translator said: ‘They think it’s not as bad as the media is making it out to be, and it was [Kaylee’s] time on Earth.
‘They believe that she’s better off where she is now versus all the negativity and all the stuff going on. They think she was too good for this Earth.’
Peter and his wife, who has not been named, said Kaylee was the first of their children to come down with measles.
The family told Children’s Health Defense that Kaylee seemed to have a ‘normal’ case at first.
However, in the following days, she suffered a high fever, fatigue, and breathing problems.
The girl’s mother said emergency room doctors gave her cough medicine and suggested she take Tylenol for her fever.
‘They just put us in a room in the back,’ she said.
Kaylee tested positive for pneumonia, which is common in severe measles cases. She was later placed on a ventilator before dying.
Days after Kaylee’s funeral, the couple and their other children, ages two to seven, became sickened by measles.
‘It was hard,’ the mother said.
Kaylee’s father, Peter, claimed ‘measles are good for the body’ and can protect the immune system against other diseases, a theory promoted by RFK Jr (pictured above)
The above shows Seminole, in the west of Texas, where the outbreak was first reported. Seminole is located in Gaines county, which has reported the majority of cases
The family took their other children to Dr Ben Edwards, who runs Veritas Wellness holistic clinic in Lubbock, Texas, and is a member of the Mennonite community.
The clinic allegedly distributes untested measles remedies like cod liver oil and vitamin C. It’s unclear exactly what he gave Kaylee’s family.
The mother said: ‘He gave them treatments and medicine and they had a really good recovery.’
Kaylee’s family took their other children to Dr Ben Edwards, who runs a holistic clinic in Lubbock, Texas, that gives measles remedies
The family is from Seminole, considered the ‘ground zero’ of this year’s measles outbreak. Of the 279 confirmed cases in Texas, 191 have been in Gaines County, where Seminole is located.
The vaccination rate in the area is 82 percent, well below the 95 percent needed to maintain herd immunity. The national average was 93 percent last school year.
Peter said in a previous interview that measles is common for their community, and while their religious doctrine doesn’t forbid vaccines, many like him are doubtful of their efficacy.
The MMR vaccine is considered 97 percent effective against measles.
Without vaccination, measles kills around one in 1,000 people it infects due to complications like pneumonia or brain swelling.
The CDC said in a statement last month: ‘Vaccination remains the best defense against measles infection.’
Despite their daughter’s death, Kaylee’s parents said they are still opposed to the MMR vaccine.
Kaylee’s mother said: ‘Absolutely not take the MMR [vaccine].
The measles wasn’t that bad. [The other children] got over it pretty quickly. And Dr. Edwards was there for us.’
