Child Death and Homicide Investigation

Instructor: William Ralston III

Duration: 2 Days (16 PD hours)

Cost: $500.00

Schedule Note: This is a full 16-hour training course, so daily sessions run from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time each day.

Course Overview

This comprehensive two-day program provides an in-depth examination of specialized investigative techniques used in cases involving pediatric injuries and fatalities. The course explores the distinctive methodologies required to differentiate between natural causes, accidental injuries, and intentional harm in cases affecting children.

Topics Covered

The curriculum addresses:

• Sudden natural deaths in infants and children, including infectious diseases and inherited conditions
• Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUDI), with focus on interview techniques, scene examination, and autopsy findings
• Differentiation between accidental and inflicted injury patterns
• Age-specific injury patterns, including head trauma, abdominal injuries, and skeletal injuries
• Neonaticide investigation, including perpetrator characteristics and specialized procedures
• Stranger abduction homicides
• Factitious illness and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
• Natural conditions frequently confused with abuse
• Scene findings, victim characteristics, and perpetrator behaviors across various age groups

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Identify common causes of death across infancy, toddler, and older pediatric populations
• Distinguish accidental injury patterns from those caused by inflicted trauma
• Recognize natural medical conditions that may be mistaken for abuse
• Understand typical victim and perpetrator characteristics in inflicted injury deaths
• Recognize patterns and indicators in neonaticide and factitious illness cases
• Apply scene investigation techniques specific to pediatric cases
• Analyze victim and perpetrator characteristics for different age groups and death causes
• Understand the complexity and precision necessary for pediatric death investigations

Instructional Method

The course utilizes medical examiner case materials for instruction, including visual presentations of actual cases with scene and autopsy findings. Please note: This training contains graphic content and is presented with realistic case imagery.

Intended Audience

This intensive program is designed for law enforcement investigators, prosecutors involved in cases affecting children, social workers, pediatricians, emergency medical personnel, death investigators, and pathologists.