It is likely that more aquatic pediatric homicides, abuse, sexual assault and torture are being missed than caught. Drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion; there are no recognized medical tests for drowning. A toddler can be suffocated with a pillow and placed in a bathtub to stage an accidental drowning. A drowned infant can be dried off and placed in a crib to mimic SUIDI. Hence, a thorough investigation is absolutely critical for determining the actual cause and manner of death. Obstacles include: few responders/investigators are trained in aquatic homicide investigations, officers are often responding in rescue mode to ‘grieving loved ones' performing CPR, assumptions of drowning COD and accident MOD are made by all, clearly dead infants/children are transported to hospitals, etc with the result that critical evidence is often lost, necessary questions are not asked, and incorrect assumptions can be perpetuated. Training can change this so let’s start now.
Learning Objectives:
State and describe at least five types of aquatic child maltreatment
Describe the signs and symptoms of nonfatal child maltreatment
List what to document in regard to aquatic child maltreatment
