Co-sleeping, Infant Deaths, Scene Investigation & the Autopsy: A Comprehensive Review
This presentation utilizes various experts in order to aid understanding of the spectrum of issues concerning the investigation of unexplained infant deaths. The leading causes of infant deaths will be reviewed, along with what constitutes both safe sleep environments as well as unsafe sleep practices. Developmental milestones of infants will be covered, terms such as room sharing, bed sharing & co sleeping will be clarified. Medical recommendations for infant sleep will be reviewed. Next, the team will address how professionals must work together to conduct a comprehensive infant death scene investigation, including witness interviews and doll re-enactment. The team discusses critical scene and case information needed. Finally, the medical examiner will instruct the audience how to interpret the information that investigators collect, within the context of the physiologic findings on autopsy, and how the totality of the findings and circumstances informs both the cause and manner of death. This presentation best illustrates how our multidisciplinary approach is optimally applied to the investigation of infant deaths.