Coroners undergo sudden infant death investigation training

Sudden, unexplained infant deaths are some of the most traumatic and heart- wrenching cases county coroners are called to investigate.

Therefore, County Coroner Stuart Smedley, Chief Deputy Coroner Daniel Stramp and deputy coroners Rick Albaugh, Jayson Neighbors and Ryan Hamilton recently underwent Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation training in Little Rock to help them better investigate and deal with such tragic cases.

“An infant death, obviously, is a very traumatic experience. It’s traumatic not only for the family involved, but it’s traumatic for the investigators. That’s a very, very difficult situation to investigate,” Smedley said.

“Your heart goes out to the family, but at the same time we still have to investigate why, which involves asking hard

questions, not from the standpoint of accusing anybody of anything, but trying to gather information.”

Smedley said that while he and his deputy coroners have all been trained in death scene investigations, “when you factor in that it’s an infant, that just makes everybody’s heart rate go up.”

“These are some proven and tested guidelines for how to conduct the investigation, things to look for, how to deal with the family,” he said.

Smedley said the bodies of all infants in SUIDI cases undergo autopsies at the state medical examiner’s office. He said the training enables coroners to assist state medical examiners with needed on- scene information.

“We’re their eyes and ears. We’re the troops on the ground here.”

A news release said the voluntary training sponsored by the Arkansas Commission on Child Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence, and recommended for coroners by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is designed to “enhance the cognition and skills of coroners when investigating the sudden and unexplained death of an infant less than 12 months of age.”

“Sudden unexplained infant death is the death of an infant in which the cause and manner of death are not immediately obvious. These deaths require a comprehensive investigation, autopsy, and review of clinical records,” the news release said.

“The SUID training teaches attendees about infant growth and development, differentiation between the different types of SUID, interviewing psychology, conducting witness interviews, scene investigation techniques, doll re- enactment procedures and pre- and post- autopsy reporting.”

The news release also said that proper death scene investigations “assist in accurately identifying the cause and manner of death in order to increase accuracy of reporting, guide research and influence the development of interventions. Proper DSI will assist the family by providing an accurate explanation for their loss, and will allow for appropriate referrals and counseling.”