Homicides without clues in children
Du Chesne, A.; Bajanowski, T.; Brinkmann, B.
Archiv für Kriminologie 199(1-2): 21-26
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9225 PMID: 9157833 Document Number: 470786
From 1990 to 1995, 274 deaths of infants (age range 7 days-6 years) were investigated in Münster, where there were no indications of suspicious circumstances. In 167 cases a legal autopsy was carried out and revealed 5 homicides. In 107 cases where an autopsy was not ordered by the prosecutor 3 homicides were discovered. A similar frequency of homicides in both groups indicates that the criteria used to form the basis of a decision by the prosecutor to release the body are insufficient. On average one out of 30 cases was found to be a homicide as the result of the autopsy where the initial assumption was death from natural causes.