On January 1, 2023, a 13-month-old child was found unresponsive at a home in West Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and was subsequently pronounced dead. The child's biological father, 25-year-old Timothy Sampson of Newville, was the sole caregiver at the time of the incident, which occurred during the overnight hours between December 31, 2022, and January 1, 2023. An autopsy performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Wayne Ross determined the cause of death was asphyxia due to multiple traumatic internal injuries caused by compressive loading, which requires substantial force and is an intentional act that takes several minutes. The manner of death was ruled homicide. Sampson was arrested and charged with First Degree Murder, Third Degree Murder, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child by a Parent or Guardian. He was arraigned and denied bail. The family had no prior documented child welfare involvement, and two other children in the home were placed in the mother's care with the father having no unsupervised contact.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The fatality report states the child died "as a result of asphyxiation from multiple traumatic internal injuries; the injuries sustained were caused by a prolonged compression lasting a number of minutes." The DA press release further specifies that "the cause of death was asphyxia due to multiple traumatic injuries caused by compressive loading" and that "injuries due to compressive loading require substantial force" and "death caused in that way is an intentional act that takes several minutes." These injuries were clearly inflicted by the father through sustained, forceful compression.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
All three documents explicitly identify the biological father as being responsible for the child's death. The fatality report names "the victim child's father as the perpetrator" and states "the father was the sole caregiver of the child at the time of the incident." The DA press release states "Timothy Sampson is the biological father of the 13-month-old victim" and that the victim "suffered from asphyxia at his father's hands." The news article confirms "The child's biological father, 25-year-old Timothy Sampson has been arrested."
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The fatality report states "the father had been criminally charged." The DA press release details the charges: "First Degree Murder, Third Degree Murder, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child by a Parent or Guardian" against Timothy Sampson. The news article confirms "Sampson has been charged with murder of the 1st degree, murder of the 3rd degree, and endangering the welfare of children" and that "Sampson has been arraigned and has been denied bail."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
There is a notable discrepancy in the child's reported gender between documents. The fatality report (Document 1) explicitly describes the victim as "A 13-month-old female child," while the DA press release (Document 2) uses the male pronoun "his" when stating "the 13-month-old victim suffered from asphyxia at his father's hands." This discrepancy could be a typographical or grammatical error in one of the sources, but it is worth flagging for research purposes as it may affect demographic data accuracy.
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