1st Edition

Pediatric Homicide Medical Investigation

Edited By Karen Griest Copyright 2010
    256 Pages 8 Color & 104 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Pediatric homicide investigations are clouded by a number of factors, not the least of which is a lack of straightforward resources. The cause of death in infants and children is often subtle and difficult to establish. Designed for quick access, Pediatric Homicide: Medical Investigation provides an invaluable resource for medical examiners, police, child abuse investigators, and attorneys charged with either making or ruling out the diagnosis of homicide.

    Focusing on forensic pathology aspects, this book covers the causes of death which are most difficult to determine, including:

    • head injury
    • asphyxiation
    • drowning
    • abdominal trauma
    • poisoning
    • starvation and dehydration

    With contributions by a team of expert pathologists, the book provides a scientific foundation for diagnosing homicide, discusses methods to determine the timing of injuries and death, and reviews the legal requirements for presenting evidence in court. More than 100 photographs enhance the text and clarify the source of injury in these difficult cases.

    Intentional Head Injury in Infants and Young Children, Helen Whitwell

    Introduction

    Investigation of Suspected Pediatric Non-Accidental Injury Cases

    Autopsy Examination

    Skull and Spinal Fractures

    Neuropathology of Inflicted Head Injury

    Problem Areas

    Neonaticide, Kim A. Collins

    Definitions

    Victim and Perpetrator

    Cause of Death

    Scene Investigation

    Concealment and Denial of Pregnancy and Birth

    Stillborn versus Liveborn

    Placenta and Umbilical Cord

    Ancillary Studies

    Blunt Force Trauma

    Intentional Suffocation in Infants and Young Children, Karen J. Griest

    Definitions

    Intentional Strangulation in Infants and Young Children

    Intentional Smothering, Choking, and Compression Asphyxia in Infants and Young Children

    Distinction of Intentional from Accidental Strangulation, Suffocation, and Compression Asphyxia

    Autopsy Protocol in Childhood Suffocation Cases

    Inflicted Fatal Thoracic and Abdominal Injuries in Infants and Young Children, Karen J. Griest

    Inflicted Fatal Thoracic Injuries in Infants and Young Children

    Inflicted Abdominal Injuries in Infants and Young Children

    Child Abuse by Drowning, Karen J. Griest

    Introduction

    Overview of Drowning in Infants and Young Children

    Overview of Bathtub Drowning in Young Children

    Pathophysiology of Drowning

    Clinical Aspects of Drowning

    Child Abuse by Drowning

    The Investigation in Drowning

    Supporting Evidence in Physical Child Abuse, Karen J. Griest

    Introduction

    Cutaneous Injuries in Children

    Alopecia and Scalp Hemorrhages in Child Abuse

    Bite Marks in Child Abuse

    Orofacial Trauma in Child Abuse

    Burns in Child Abuse

    Skeletal Injury in Child Abuse

    Intentional Starvation/Malnutrition and Dehydration in Children, Kim A. Collins

    Lethal Neglect

    The Victim

    The Investigation

    The Postmortem Examination

    Ancillary Studies

    Secondary Infections

    Mimickers

    Proving Pediatric Poisoning in the Courtroom, Steven B. Karch

    Introduction

    Genetic Diseases

    The Courts and the Scientific Method

    Problem Poisonings

    References

    Timing of Death and Injuries in Infants and

    Young Children, Karen J. Griest

    Determination of Time of Death

    Wound Age Estimation

    Index

    Biography

    Dr. Karen Griest is the editor and a major contributor to The Pediatric Trauma and Forensic Newsletter, established in 1993. She has taught forensic medical investigation to police officers, criminal investigators, medical personnel, attorneys, and forensic professionals. She has also consulted on hundreds of child injury and death cases and has testified in state and federal courts throughout the United States.

    I found this an interesting and easy book to read and it has provided me with a source of references for further reading, some of which have subsequently proven useful. The book aims to provide a scientific basis for the diagnoses of inflicted injury and death in infants and young children, which I think it achieves, despite being a (reassuringly) compact text. I would certainly recommend this book to doctors involved in paediatric medicolegal work, particularly forensic and paediatric pathologists, but also to clinicians working in paediatric medicine or surgery.
    —Dr Matt Lyall, Specialist Registrar in Forensic Pathology, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, writing in The Bulletin of the Royal College of Pathologists, October 2010, No. 152

    I can heartily recommend this book to medical examiners, the police personnel of all levels, child abuse investigators, and attorneys charged with either making or ruling out the diagnosis of homicide. I would imagine that it is going to be an invaluable resource for them.

    —Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology