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Child Abuse Investigation: Forensic Issues

Child Abuse Investigation: Forensic Issues. Charles Ennis VPD Det. (retired) Police Dispatcher for ECOMM for SW BC. Writing Resources on My Blog :. http://caennis.wordpress.com / Police procedural Medieval arms and armor Occult lexicon. Car 86. Child abuse and neglect investigation.

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Child Abuse Investigation: Forensic Issues

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  1. Child Abuse Investigation: Forensic Issues Charles Ennis VPD Det. (retired) Police Dispatcher for ECOMM for SW BC

  2. Writing Resources on My Blog: • http://caennis.wordpress.com/ • Police procedural • Medieval arms and armor • Occult lexicon

  3. Car 86 Child abuse and neglect investigation

  4. Car 87/88 • Dealing with mentally disordered individuals

  5. Attempted Exculpations(My Favorite Excuses From Suspects) • “I only had 2 beers” • “I only use occasionally” • “The babysitter was on the way when I left” • “I was only gone for 5 minutes” • “I’m (shopping/cleaning/doing laundry) tomorrow” • “But they have toys!” • “I only hit him lightly”

  6. Forensic Issues

  7. Children frequently fall or bump into things • Skin over lower legs, forearms & face easily crushed, causing bruises • Skin over padded parts of anatomy such as buttocks hard to bruise

  8. Primary Target Zone Back from neck down to the back of the knees, including the shoulders and the entire length of the victim’s arms.

  9. Primary Target Zone(Source: Child Abuse and Neglect, Volcano Press)

  10. Red Flag Areas Ear Neck Back

  11. Common Weapons

  12. Bruise Aging:

  13. Linear Bruising

  14. Linear Bruising

  15. Things Mistaken for Bruises • Hemophiliacs bruise easily • Allergic Rhinitis (inflammation of mucous membrane of the nose) can cause a black eye • Migrating bruise from forehead can cause a black eye • Cao Gio • Cupping • Mongolian Spots

  16. Hemophilia

  17. Allergic Rhinitis

  18. Mongolian Spots • 95 % of Black children • 81% of Hispanic children • 10% of White children

  19. Mongolian Spots

  20. Cao Gio: A common fever remedy in Asia

  21. Cupping: Another Fever Remedy

  22. Shaken Baby • Violent shaking of the baby, causing injury similar to whiplash suffered by victims of motor vehicle accidents. The brain is thrown about inside the skull, causing torn blood vessels and bruising.

  23. Shaken Baby Stats: • 1,000 to 1,500 infants/year. • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: • Of the almost 2,000 children who die from abuse or neglect each year, shaken baby syndrome accounts for 10%-12% • Victims commonly between 3 and 8 months old; however, it has been reported in newborns and in children up to 4 years of age. • 25% of all children diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome die from their injuries.

  24. Shaken Baby Syndrome Causes: • Infants have very weak neck muscles and large and heavy heads in proportion to their bodies. In addition, because the infant brain is immature and needs room to grow, there is naturally a virtual space between the skull and brain to allow for development. Violently shaking an infant can cause the brain to move within the skull, resulting in cerebral contusions (bruising of brain tissue) and shearing (tearing) of blood vessels. Most commonly, the injuries associated with shaken baby syndrome include bleeding around the brain (subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages), bleeding in the eyes (retinal hemorrhages), and spinal cord or neck injuries.

  25. Shaken Baby Symptoms: • Injuries may not be immediately noticeable. • These symptoms are caused by the developing increased pressure within the brain (intracranial pressure) caused by brain hemorrhages and swelling: • Irritability • Pale or blue skin • Vomiting • Lethargy • Breathing difficulties • Seizures

  26. ACCIDENTAL BURNS • Usually the result of glancing contact • Typically affect small area • Usually located on an extremity • Accidental cigarette burn: • irregular in shape • Appear on parts of body not normally clothed

  27. DELIBERATE BURNS • Result from prolonged contact • Usually symmetrical and deep • Have well defined margins • Located in suspicious areas (eg: buttocks) • Deliberate cigarette burn: • Regular shape • Commonly found on palms, soles of feet, buttocks

  28. ACCIDENTAL IMMERSION BURNS • Children do not accidentally burn themselves in the bathtub by playing with the taps or by putting their hands in hot liquids in the kitchen. • Affect a small area of skin • Usually at extremities • Irregular with slurred margins

  29. DELIBERATE IMMERSION BURNS • Typically cover large area • Clearly delineated margin

  30. Deliberate 3rd degree burn

  31. Weapon used:

  32. Impetigo(streptococcal infection: often mistaken for a cigarette burn)

  33. Cigarette Burn Scars

  34. Puncture Wound Scars

  35. Other Symptoms of Child Abuse • Deterioration of health and personal hygiene • Failure to thrive • Aggressive behavior • Sexually inappropriate behavior • Regressive behavior • Fear of a particular person or place • Fear of abandonment • Sleep disturbances or nightmares • Withdrawal from family and friends • Poor performance in school • Truancy

  36. What a mess!

  37. What a mess 2

  38. Contact Me: • C.A. Ennis blog: http://caennis.wordpress.com/ • Email: cuhulain@telus.net • Twitter: @warriorwitch • Facebook: Kerr Cuhulain

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