A 9-month-old female child in Philadelphia was found unresponsive on June 26, 2022, and was transported to a local hospital, where she presented with healing and new bilateral and acute subdural hematomas indicative of shaking. The child subsequently died on July 7, 2022, as a result of the injuries sustained. The investigation determined that the child's father was the sole caregiver at the time of the incident. He was named as the perpetrator and was criminally charged. The family had no prior documented child welfare involvement.
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 physical abuse" and that "The injuries sustained were indicative of shaking." Shaking a child constitutes an inflicted injury.
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?
The fatality report states "The child presented to the hospital with healing and new bilateral and acute subdural hematomas. The injuries sustained were indicative of shaking." This is an explicit description of shaken baby / 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?
The fatality report names "the victim child's father as the perpetrator" and states he "was the sole caregiver of the child at the time of the incident." While the document does not explicitly say "biological father," the use of "father" in a child welfare fatality report without any qualifier (such as stepfather or adoptive father) implies a biological relationship.
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: "At the time the report was indicated the father had been criminally charged."
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 notes the child presented with "healing and new bilateral and acute subdural hematomas," indicating that the child had sustained prior abusive injuries that were in the process of healing in addition to the acute injuries that ultimately caused death. This suggests a pattern of repeated abusive head trauma prior to the fatal incident, which is a substantive detail not directly addressed by the preceding questions.
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