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

2. Writing Resources on My Blog:
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: Color age red Immediate 24 hr Dusky purple/blue black
Soon after
Green
4-5 days
Yellow
7 – 10 days
Resolution
14 – 15 days

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/
Facebook: Kerr Cuhulain