Best Practices: Infant Death Scene Recreation and Investigation

Abstract

This manuscript will discuss Best Practices for Death Investigation when conducting Infant Death Scene Investigations. The autopsy starts at the scene, a thorough investigation cannot be done without completing a scene recreation. During the infant death scene investigation, the Death Investigator will gather information concerning all potential causes of the sudden unexpected infant death. The Pathologist will use this information to interpret autopsy findings, and determine cause and manner of death. One goal of the death scene recreation is to be able to accurately depict the sleep environment and sleep position in which the infant was last placed down to sleep, how the infant was last known to be alive and the position the infant was found unresponsive. Another goal of the scene recreation is to be able to provide the family with an explanation of what happened to their infant. Best Practice for the Death Investigator is to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation (SUIDI) Training guidelines. This includes the use of the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death reporting form. The SUIDI reporting form is an essential tool designed to standardize and improve the data collected at infant death scenes. Inaccurate classification of cause and manner of death hampers prevention efforts and researchers are unable to adequately monitor national trends, identify risk factors, or evaluate prevention programs. Valid and consistent data is needed to support research and prevention efforts if we want to reduce infant deaths.