NCJ Number
139718
Journal
Medicine, Science, and Law Volume: 32 Issue: 3 Dated: (1992) Pages: 247-250
Date Published
1992
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The 131 child homicides that were referred to the Leeds University Department of Forensic Medicine in England between 1970 and 1989 were studied to determine trends, the method of death, and the incidence of previous child abuse in the victims.
Abstract
Information regarding the age of the victim, mode of death, and post-mortem evidence of previous abuse was noted from the case reports and relevant documents available on each case. The numbers of cases ranged from 3 to 11 per year, with the majority occurring in the first 3 years of life. Blunt injury accounted for almost half of the cases, while 34 percent revealed evidence of previous physical or sexual abuse. In the deaths of infants under 1 year of age, a pattern emerged that has previously been described as the "shaken baby syndrome." Results suggested the difficulty of trying to identify and protect children who show little or no evidence of external injury or prior abuse, but who make up the majority of child homicide victims. Figures and 7 references (Author abstract modified)