Cole Roberts, a Caucasian male born on November 2, 2022, died in Pulaski County, Arkansas, at approximately 2 months of age. The incident was reported on January 24, 2023. The child was placed with a relative at the time of the incident, and the alleged offender was identified as a relative. Allegations included neglect, inadequate supervision, and exposure to poisonous or noxious substances. The Arkansas Department of Human Services had prior history of involvement with the family.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
The fatality report lists the allegation as "Neglect; Inadequate Supervision Abuse; Poisonous/noxious substances." The inclusion of "Poisonous/noxious substances" for a roughly 2-month-old infant strongly implies child ingestion of or exposure to a harmful substance.
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)?
The fatality report explicitly lists "Inadequate Supervision" as one of the allegations: "Allegation: Neglect; Inadequate Supervision Abuse; Poisonous/noxious substances."
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
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?
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)
The fatality report lists "Alleged Offenders: Relative" and "Placement: Relative." In child welfare contexts, "Placement: Relative" typically indicates the child was placed with a non-parent relative. The alleged offender being identified as "Relative" in conjunction with a relative placement strongly implies that another adult relative (not a parent) was involved in the death.
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?
The fatality report states "Placement: Relative." In official DHS reports, the term "Placement" typically implies the child was placed by the agency, suggesting the child may have been in DHS custody in a kinship foster care arrangement at the time of the incident. However, the document does not explicitly confirm foster care status, making this ambiguous.
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
The fatality report states "Placement: Relative," directly indicating the child was living with a relative (not parents) at the time of the incident.
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)?
The fatality report explicitly states "DHS Involvement: Prior History," indicating that there was prior child protection involvement before this fatal incident.
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?
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
The fatality report contains a notable discrepancy: the "Date of Incident" is listed as "1/24/2022," which predates the child's listed "Date of Birth" of "11/2/2022." This is logically impossible and is almost certainly a typographical error, likely intended to read 1/24/2023, which matches the "Date Reported: 1/24/2023." This data quality issue in an official state fatality report could materially affect a researcher's understanding of the timeline of events.
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