Originally written for the Death Investigation Academy newsletter Sudden unexplained infant deaths (SUID) are some of the most challenging death investigations you will ever have to conduct. One, you are dealing with the death of a child, which is upsetting for even the most hardened investigator. Two, it can be tough to focus on the task at hand as you observe the immeasurable grief families experience at the loss of a child. Three, because these deaths typically occur inside the home, you often won’t have 3rd party witnesses or surveillance video available to help piece together the truth of what happened. These incidents occur in the home and because of the insular nature of where these deaths take place; investigators should always be on high alert for possible staging. Noted homicide expert, Vernon Gerberth defined crime scene staging as “when the perpetrator purposely alters the crime scene to mislead the authorities and/or redirect the investigation and is a conscious criminal action on the part of an offender to thwart an investigation” [1]. When a child dies in the home, more often than not, it’s going to be a parent or other guardian who first discovers/reports the death. Moreover, nearly 78% of child homicides [2] are committed by a parent, meaning that in cases of child homicide you are typically dealing with a suspect who has complete control over the scene, is comfortable at the scene and has control over when and how the death is reported. For a variety of reasons, in my experience, the cause of a child’s death is often not readily apparent from the scene but just because the cause isn’t initially known doesn’t change the fact that foul play could be involved. The challenge for the investigator is to conduct a thorough, professional investigation under heart wrenching circumstances without the benefit of knowing what the likely cause of death is. Here are three possibilities to keep in mind when investigating child deaths without a clear cause. Abusive Head Trauma More commonly known as shaken baby, abusive head trauma (AHT) is the leading cause of child abuse homicides for children under two years of age. Although commonly associated with shaking, the actual mechanism of AHT can also include blunt force to the head, the violent rotation of the head or the acceleration and sudden deceleration of the head [3]. Children are at a higher risk for these injuries since their developing brains have not fully formed within the skull and thus have more room for the brain to be bounced around within the skull. The challenger for the investigator at scene is that external injuries may or may not be present and the caregiver is unlikely to report shaking, slamming or assaulting the child in any way. Determining if AHT is present can be challenging even for an experienced forensic pathologist, requiring an in-depth examination of the child’s injuries at autopsy. In a perfect world, the scene would be kept secure until the autopsy can be completed but that’s just not practical for many agencies. The best you can do as an investigator is to investigate and process the scene as a homicide, if it’s later determined to be something else, that’s great but it’s better than having missed something the first time because you made an assumption that turned out to be false. Document the scene and interview everyone in the home. Whatever history they provide for the circumstances leading up to death needs to be fully investigated and documented. Should the medical examiner determine this to be AHT, that history is the lie you will need to disprove in court and will guide you in figuring out how they attempted to stage the scene. Drug Overdose Another possibility to consider is that child somehow ingested narcotics. Anyone who’s been around small children knows they are prone to putting things in their mouth. With the number of drug overdoses continuing to rise in our country, it’s inevitable that fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics are going to find its way into the children who grow up in these environments through no fault of their own. Here are a couple of considerations to keep in mind as you conduct your investigation.
Unsafe Sleep Unsafe sleep is a leading cause of unintentional child deaths and should be considered whenever investigating a child death with no other apparent cause [5]. These can be tricky to investigate and often don’t reveal anything definitive at autopsy. Investigative consideration number one should be the reported sleeping area. Common problems to look for are a soft surface, unsecured blankets or other objects in the sleeping area that could have prevented the child from breathing properly. Your second consideration should be how was the child positioned; both when found and when put to sleep. If the child was found face down, you likely have your cause. Your third consideration is whether or not the child was actually sleeping in the reported area or is this part of the staging. If the crib is full of garbage or other items and there is no imprint or other signs that the child was actually sleeping there, you need to figure out why. Is it possible that someone was sleeping with the child and is now trying to cover up that fact? Sleeping with a child can be extremely dangerous and something that the caregiver may not want to take responsibility for. Another challenge is determining if this was a tragic mistake or a reckless act that might lead to criminal culpability because the caregiver was intoxicated or some other extenuating circumstance was present. Conclusion In conclusion, here are some red flags to look out for that in my experience apply to all child death investigations.
To end with, there are no do overs in death investigation. As professional investigators, we should be constantly striving to discover the truth. To do so, it’s imperative that investigators consider all possibilities and document the scene extensively so that should foul play be discovered later on, the investigation is not stalled by poor crime scene processing. Remember, it’s better to do it right the first time. AuthorJim Twardesky is a veteran police detective and adjunct instructor for the Macomb Public Service Institute. He offers training on investigating child abuse and sex crimes, having lectured regularly on these topics since 2017. REFERENCES
1. Gerberth, Vernon J. “The Staged Crime Scene.” Law & Order Magazine, vol. 44, no. 2, 1996, www.practicalhomicide.com/articles/staging.htm 2. Stöckl, H., Dekel, B., Morris-Gehring, A., Watts, C., & Abrahams, N. (2017). Child homicide perpetrators worldwide: A systematic review. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2017-000112 3. Hung KL. Pediatric abusive head trauma. Biomed J. 2020 Jun;43(3):240-250. doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2020.03.008. Epub 2020 Apr 21. PMID: 32330675; PMCID: PMC7424091. 4. HARPSTER TRACY, ADAMS SUSAN. Analyzing 911 Homicide Calls: Practical Aspects and Applications. CRC PRESS, 2021. 5. Parks SE, Erck Lambert AB, Hauck FR, Cottengim CR, Faulkner M, Shapiro-Mendoza CK. Explaining Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths, 2011-2017. Pediatrics. 2021 May;147(5):e2020035873. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-035873. PMID: 33906930; PMCID: PMC8132195.
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