CHILD FATALITY

Lt. Kenneth LandwehrWichita Police Department

Homicide Section

Multidisciplinary Team• Homicide Unit• EMCU• SRS• District Attorneys Office

Child Fatalities

• Natural Deaths• Accidents• Suicides• Homicides• Undetermined

Causes of Fatalities

Distinguishing between accidental and inflicted injuries

Definitions An accident is an event that occurs

incidentally, casually or by chance An abusive inflicted injury is one

that occurs voluntarily and under conscious control

Inflicted injuries may be intentional or unintentional

Accidental or NOT• Motor Vehicle• Drowning• Poisoning• Fire• Firearms

• Exposure• Falls• Choking• Suffocation• Strangulation

Abusive Inflicted Injury

• Intentional• Reckless• Negligent/Neglectful• Acute or Chronic

Law Enforcement Protocol

Homicide Unit responds to all child deaths with victims under the age of 6

Homicide also responds to victims with serious/ life threatening injuries

Traffic cases excluded All cases reported to State Child Death

Review Board

Law Enforcement Response

To a hospital To the scene Separate Witnesses Notification of Detectives Neighborhood Special problems due to dynamics

Detective Response

Identify and Secure potential scenes (could be multiple)

Physical exam of baby Processing of scene(s)/Consent or

Search Warrant Interviews with medical staff/EMS

Detective Response Obtain Family and medical history of child-

Releases or Subpoenas Obtain DNA samples /Consent or Search

Warrant Interviews with parents/caregivers Interview witnesses Interview siblings / family

Detective Response

• Attend Autopsy• Suspect Interrogation • Review Investigation with District

Attorney Felony Review Team• Follow up Investigation

CSI Response Boundaries of Scene Preservation of Scene and Evidence Documentation of Scene and Body Photographs, Measurements, Diagrams Collection of Evidence Chain of Custody

Evidence Last Meal dishes

bottles Meds,drugs poison Bedding Clothing/diaper Blood,saliva,vomit,

urine,feces Hair, fiber 911 tape

Latents Pattern

Instruments Weapons Documents Photos or videos

of child School records Phone records

Knowledge about Child Development

Essential in Distinguishing Accidental from Inflicted

injuries

Developmental Milestones Sitting up alone Rolls over Crawling/Up Walking alone Runs Toilet training 4-10 words

5-7 months 6-7 months 7-9 months 8-13 months 12-15 months 22-36 months 15-18 months

Fatal Falls You don’t CRUISE -You don’t BRUISE No significant injury-Fall < than 3

feet Fatal Outcome-Fall > than 2-3 stories Stairways do not usually result in life

threatening injuries

Separating Accidental from Inflicted

• Age of victim?• Is the history plausible?• Does history change with changing

information given to caretaker?• Does history change when related in

subsequent accounts by other family members?

More Questions• Are there non-familial witnesses to the event?• Is the caretaker defensive, belligerent, hostile,

passive or unconcerned?• Is the social situation in which the event

occurred a high-risk environment?• Most importantly, what else could have

caused the observed injuries?

Histories Suspicious for Abuse

Delay in seeking medical attention Discrepant history Fractures in varying stages of healing Extremity plus skull fracture Intracranial injuries plus skull fracture

Head Injury• Impulsive loading without impact

whiplash• Struck by moving object causing head

acceleration • Moving head strikes object• Head compression vise• Penetrating

SYMPTOMS• Decreased

responsiveness• Irritability• Lethargy • Limpness• Convulsions• Vomiting

• Low body temperature

• Low heart rate• Increased

breathing rate• Coma with fixed

and dilated pupils• Death

Shaken Baby SyndromeShaken Impact Syndrome

Commonest cause of mortality and long term disability due to physical abuse

Age range-newborn to 4 years Most occur before babies first

birthday Average age: 3-8 months of age

SBS/ SIS Inconsolable crying is usual trigger

mechanism Perpetrator grabs infant by the thorax,

upper arms or neck, and violently shakes the baby

Time of shaking-- 5-20 seconds

Shaken Baby Intracranial Injury

• Bridging veins from the brain to the dura tear open and bleed, creating subdural hemotoma and subarachnoid hemorrhages

• Brain strikes the inner skull, causing direct trauma to the brain and swelling

Other Injuries of SBS• Most significant are the retinal and

petechial hemorrhages• Skull fractures with sufficient impact• Posterior rib fractures reflect chest

compression during shaking• Bruising of the head, face, chest, and

other areas or other fractures

Head Trauma History

Symptoms will begin immediately LUCID INTERVAL –A period of

unconsciousness followed by a period of apparent recovery (0nly in adults and adolescents, Never documented in a child)

Abdominal Injuries Organs most Frequently injured

Small Intestine, Liver, Pancreas May not produce dramatic signs or

symptoms Quickly Liver damage most likely Blunt

Uppercut

Thoracic Injuries Rib cage Internal Organs-heart,lungs, blood

vessels,nerves,esophagus, trachea, diaphragm

Types of Force: Direct impact Penetration,Compressions

Likely Inflicted Thoracic Injury

• Posterior Rib Fracture• Perforation of the posterior

pharynx or upper esophagus• Chylothorax-Allows Milky Chyle to

leak into thoracic cavity

Skeletal Injury• Humeral – common in abuse• Femoral-if accidental either motor

vehicle crash or major blunt trauma• Clavicular –uncommon under 3yrs,can

result from shaking• Vertebral-due to compression of

vertebral bodies during shaking

Suspicious Fractures• Metaphyseal in children

under 2yrs(disc like or bucket handle)

• Posterior rib • Medial or lateral

clavicular• Scapular• Sternum

• Skull• Multiple• Bilateral(longbones

on both sides)• Repetitive(in same

child)• Fractures in hands or

feet

Suffocation• Hypoxia-lack of oxygen• Minimal or no external or internal

trauma Petechial hemorrhages may or may not be present• Overlaying • Wedging

Poisonings

• Administration of Toxic agents • Salt Poisoning• Most Toxic screens miss

Strangulation Manual may have some external marks,

fingerpad bruises,crescent abrasions Ligature may see marks,abrasions, or

bruises from instrument Broken Hyoid, Thyroid,Crioids bone and

cartilage Internal bleeding Petechial hemorrhages

BURNS

• IMMERSION BURNS• DRY CONTACT BURNS• CHEMICAL BURNS

IMMERSION BURNS Uniformity of the burn Sparing of skin surface by skin folds Sharply demarcated margins of the burn Most often involve the upper and lower

extremities and the buttocks

DRY CONTACT BURNS

• Uniform in degree• Often involve exposed surfaces

of the body (arms, legs, hands, and feet)• Associated with discrepant

histories

CHEMICAL BURNS

Associated with acid or alkali substances

May involve the skin or the internal organs, particularly the mouth, throat, esophagus.

Pattern Burns• Conforms to heating elements (Irons,

grills, curling irons, cigarette lighters, or stove heating elements)• May be accidental or inflicted• Factors: age of child, location of

burn, history

Neglect

Failure to meet child’s needs food, shelter,clothing,

medical care,safekeeping

Prosecution• Negligent Supervision• Medical Neglect• Reckless Acts• Intentional Acts

Criminal Charges 1ST Pre-meditated or Felony Murder 2ND Intentional or Reckless Voluntary Manslaughter Involuntary Manslaughter- reckless or

commission of Misdemeanor Abuse of Child, Endangering a Child

Abandonment or other persons crimes

Prosecution Problems Parent as Killer Invisible Trauma Establishing Mens

Rea (State of Mind)

Multiple Killers

Time of Injury Mechanism of

Injury Poor Investigation Public Perception

Successful Investigation and Prosecution

• Timely Response• Coordinated Response• Careful and Complete

Documentation• Well trained investigators and

prosecutors

Toshua A Pool 3mo 5-17-2004 Multiple closed head wounds

Anthony Melton 18 W\M

Boyfriend of Mom not the father

Plead to 2nd Intentional and two Aggravated batteries

Left Skate South at 8:00 PM on June 9, 2006

Chelsea Brooks 14

Everett Gentry 17

Gentry will Plead Guilty to first degree murder

Theodore Burnett 49

Burnett will be found guilty of Capital Murder sentenced to 50 years

Elgin Ray Robinson 20

Robinson found guilty of Capital Murder sentenced to 50 years