Authorities say so far, no patients were involved, but a Toledo mother says she was never alerted after Dr. Howard Saal’s departure.
TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo mother is sharing her story after learning the geneticist who examined her baby is now at the center of a criminal investigation and lawsuit in Cincinnati.
When her daughter, Milee, was born, Holly Shropshire said her ProMedica pediatrician suspected a genetic disorder and referred her to Dr. Howard Saal, 73, a Cincinnati-based geneticist, for a telehealth visit.
“I met him a total of two times. I met him in August 2024 and then, we’ve seen him for a follow-up visit in November 2024,” Shropshire said.
But she said those visits quickly raised red flags.
“The thing that alarmed probably me the most was the fact that he would use his own camera in the virtual visit while the nurse was taking pictures with the camera,” Shropshire said. “The other thing was that he would just be all, like, giddy and happy and to see her and would just make like quirky little comments.”
‘I need to get my pictures’
She said Saal asked to see her daughter without a diaper, something that didn’t make sense to the mother.
“He did want her facial features. He did want to see, like, her limbs and everything, … because of what her syndrome is. And then he did get to the part where he asked to see under her diaper and he asked for that. He would call it his ‘pictures’ (as in), ‘I need to get my pictures.'”
Shropshire even recorded one of those moments during the telehealth visit, in which Saal is heard saying, “OK, I need to get my pictures. Hold on, I need a picture. I need my picture.” WTOL 11 has reviewed a recording provided by Shropshire; we have not independently verified when or how it was made.
She said Saal asked for those photos at both visits.
“He did ask on both visits, which the second time seemed off to me … when her syndrome didn’t pertain to underneath her diaper. (That) felt really odd to me,” Shropshire said.
Accused of more than 150K porn images
Months later, Shropshire learned through media reports that Saal was under investigation for allegations of possessing child pornography. She said neither ProMedica nor Cincinnati Children’s Hospital contacted her. She received a letter stating that Saal left Cincinnati Children’s effective July 14, 2025, with no mention of the child pornography charges.
Investigators say Saal was charged with possessing more than 150,000 images and 470 videos of child sex abuse material. Some of the alleged victims are newborns, according to investigators.
“I was so distraught, like, that was my child, that’s my infant, that’s my baby. And now I don’t know at that point – I didn’t know what had happened to any of her pictures or anything,” Shropshire said.
Attorney Rob Lewis is representing two Cincinnati families in a lawsuit against Saal and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Lewis asserts the alleged activity spanned three decades.
“What we’re going to focus on is, you know, who else in the system knew or should have known,” Lewis said.
‘Not the standard of care’
Lewis said he consulted a geneticist before filing the lawsuit.
“There were three things he told us about how things work in genetics, and it is repeated pictures that don’t go in the medical chart aren’t the standard of care in genetics. Repeated genital examinations are not the standard of care in genetics and the idea of collecting pictures, in multiple poses and from multiple patients on every single occasion is not the standard of care in genetics. Any picture that’s taken needs to be done with consent and it needs to go into the medical record,” Lewis said.
Shropshire said she obtained her daughter’s medical records and while a few photos do exist within the file, there are none of her genital area, leading her to ask what Saal did with those pictures.
“My biggest fear is that, you know, he maybe profited off of them,” she said. “(Maybe) he gave them away. My daughter is out there now in the world, and I don’t know where, where any of her pictures are at,” Shropshire said.
As of an Aug. 12 statement from the US Attorney General’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, investigators have not located any evidence of child pornography involving patients or children associated with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
ProMedica statement on Saal
Ohio law does not generally require hospitals or healthcare entities to notify families when a physician is under investigation. Notification duties arise only in specific circumstances, such as when a doctor has been convicted or placed on probation for misconduct under Senate Bill 109, or when a physician leaves a practice under Ohio Revised Code 4731.228 – and even then, the notice relates to employment status and patient records, not to the details of any allegations.
When 11 Investigates asked ProMedica why it did not alert Shropshire about the accusations against Saal, a spokesperson emailed this statement:
“ProMedica became aware of the investigation through broad media reports to the general public. Our understanding is that Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the former employer of the physician in question, took steps to inform patients’ families about the situation and supplied telephone/email resources for those seeking more information. Further, law enforcement officials stated that the charges against the former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital physician do not involve patients.”
Attorney Lewis says more than 100 people have reached out about joining the lawsuit, and other law firms are filing similar cases. He added that additional defendants could be named, including Cincinnati Children’s employees or other facilities where Saal conducted exams.
11 investigates reached out to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on Monday to ask why it did not alert parents that Saal was under investigation and whether it can be certain that patients are not included in the pornographic images held by Saal. We will post the response if it is sent.
11 Investigates also sought comment from Saal’s attorney; no response was received as of publication.