Indiana’s child protection agency reported 61 fatalities due to abuse and neglect in 2022. Photo from Getty Images.

By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANA — The Indiana Department of Child Services found that 61 children in 2022 died as a direct result of caregiver maltreatment, according to a report released late December 2023. That’s up one fatality from 2021.

DCS reviews fatalities of children under age 3 whose deaths were sudden, unexpected or unexplained. The agency investigates all allegations of abuse or neglect against children.

In 2022, the agency was called to investigate 308 child fatalities. It found that 61, or 20%, of the deaths were due to maltreatment: 17 deaths of abuse and 44 of neglect.

Thirteen of those children (21%) were previously victims of a substantiated report of abuse or neglect, slightly down from 2021’s 25%.

DCS determined that nearly half the fatalities (31) were accidents, 17 were homicides and two were natural deaths. The agency hadn’t categorized an additional 11.

The most common primary cause of death — cited for 22 fatalities — was a weapon, including a fist. Asphyxia and drowning were the next most common causes, at seven fatalities each.

They were followed by motor vehicles, at seven deaths, and substances — poison, overdose or acute intoxication — at six deaths.

Other causes includes diabetes, fire, malnutrition or dehydration, other medical or perinatal conditions and pneumonia, according to the report.

Abuse

The report also included summaries of the fatalities.

One nine-month-old girl, who died of head trauma, had two previous substantiated assessments of maltreatment and one unsubstantiated report. The father reported slipping and falling while holding the child, but an autopsy found retinal hemorrhages, skull fractures and an acute brain injury — “all consistent with abusive head trauma.” The girl also had evidence of previous brain trauma and had a healing rib fracture.

In another case, a father admitted to forcefully shaking his two-month-old boy while the mother was at work “because he kept crying and throwing up,” according to the report. The parents called 911, and a hospital found fractured ribs, retinal hemorrhages and head trauma. The child died from those injuries.

Most of the 17 children who died of abuse were Black (eight) or white (seven), but two were multi-racial. Seven were female and 10 were male.

Some children had histories of maltreatment, lived in overcrowded residences, had been homeless or were “acutely ill” in the two weeks before dying, according to the report.

The majority of the 22 perpetrators (19) were 20 to 34 years old at the time. Most (14) are men and eight are women.

The most common stress factors for caregivers included substance abuse addiction, unemployment or a history of being abused themselves.

Neglect

Neglect cases were varied.

In one, the mother of a 13-year-old diabetic boy was not giving him insulin as prescribed and had a history of non-compliance despite being trained on how to handle her child’s diabetes. On the day he died of diabetic ketoacidosis, the boy was unable to eat, drink, talk or walk without help, according to the report.

In another, a two-year-old boy died of a gunshot wound. His family was preparing to leave for a vacation. The father said he placed his gun in the child’s diaper bag — left unzipped on the floor — while he cleaned in the kitchen. The mother said she knew the gun was there and that she knew the child would get into the bag “because he knew his drink and snacks were inside,” according to the report.

Of the 44 children who died of neglect, 18 were a year old or less. Most (32) were white, although 11 were Black and one was multi-racial. Twenty-nine were male and 15 were female.

Ten had histories of child maltreatment and another 10 had chronic illnesses or other prior disabilities.

The vast majority (28) died of incidents at home, but the second-most common incident location was a roadway.

Of the 58 perpetrators, most were between 20 and 40 years old at the time. Thirty-two are female and 26 are male.

Again, the most common stress factor for caregivers was a history of substance abuse.

Twenty-seven counties had at least one abuse or neglect fatality. The state’s most populous counties had more, with Marion County at 12 deaths and Lake County at 7.