Infanticide

Hideous Crime!!!

1. INFANTICIDE Presented By:Siddhi Kuperkar ( MSc-1) Institute of Forensic Science, Mumbai .

2. CONTENT Introduction Still Birth Dead Birth Live Birth Signs of Live Birth Causes of Infant Death A Case Study

3. Infanticide is unlawful destruction of a child under the age of one year by anyone. Filicide is killing of child older than 24 hours by its own parents. 1. Maternal Filicide 2. Paternal Filicide Feticide is the killing of fetus at any time prior to birth. Neonaticide is killing of an infant within 24 hours of birth.

4. STILL BIRTH A stillborn child is one which is born after 28 th week of pregnancy and which did not breathe or show any other signs of life at any time after being completely born. Salient Features : Sudden Antenatal Death Syndrome (SADS) The child was alive in utero . Frequently occurs among immature male children. Incidence Causes

5. Causes Prematurity Birth Trauma Placental abnormalities Toxaemias of Pregnancy Erythroblastosis foetalis

6. DEAD BIRTH A deadborn child is one, which has died in utero , and shows one of the following signs after it is completely born. Maceration Rigor Mortis Putrefaction Adipocere Mummification

7. Maceration Process of “ Aseptic Autolysis ” Remains in utero – 3 to 4 days in liquor amnii , without air. If air present – Putrefaction Features 1. Earliest sign – Reddening of skin with peeling and slippage (12 hrs) 2 . Robert’s sign - Presence of gas in great vessels (aorta – 12 hrs) 3. Body – soft, flaccid, flattens out when placed on level surface 4. Sweetish, disagreeable odour 5. Large blebs – with serous or serosanguinous fluid

8. 6. Abdomen distended, bones flexible readily detachable, joints abnormally mobile 7. Viscera – soft oedematous and lose their morphology (lungs and uterus) 8. Umbilical cord – red, smooth, thickened, and soft 9. Skull bones seperated 10. Brains has greyish – red pulpy appearance 11.Collapse of vertibral column appears Spalding sign – Appears 2days after death. Overlapping of fetal skull bones seen on X-ray. Due to shrinkage of cerebrum after intrauterine death.

9. Maceration Mummification Putrefaction

10. The foetus is alive, complete birth? OR at least one part of its body comes out of the mother’s body? Sign Of Live Birth As Recognised By Civil Law a.Cry of the baby - Vagitus vaginalis and Vagitus uterinus b. Movement of any part of body c. Sneezing and yawning d. Heartbeat LIVE BIRTH

11. SIGNS OF LIVE BIRTH Shape of the Chest Before respiration – Flat After respiration – Drum shaped Position of Diaphragm Before respiration – at level of 4 th or 5 th rib After respiration – at level of 6 th or 7 th rib Lungs Radiography of lungs Microscopic Examination Test for fetal lung maturity

12. Difference between Lungs of Infant BEFORE and AFTER Respiration SR. NO. POINTS BEFORE RESPIRATION AFTER RESPIRATION 1 Volume Normal or Small Larger and cover the heart 2 Margins Sharp Rounded 3 Consistency Dense, Firm, non- crepitant Soft, spongy, elastic, crepitant 4 Color Uniformly reddish-brown or bluish-red Mottled or Marbled appearance 5 Blood in Lung Beds Normal Twice than normal 6 Weight 1/70 of body weight 1/35 of body weight 7 Air vesicles Not Inflated Inflated 8 Section Little frothless blood exudes on pressure Abundant frothy blood exudes on section 9 Floatation Whole and parts sink in water Expanded areas or whole float in water

13. Examination of Lungs Static Test or Fodere’s Test Ploucquet’s Test Hydrostatic Test ( Raygat’s Test) Changes in Stomach and Intestines Breaslau’s second life Test Presence of milk/honey in stomach Changes in Ear Wredin’s Test Other Signs Blood Meconium Caput Succedaneum Skin Umbilical Cord Placenta Circulation

14. NATURAL CAUSES Prematurity Birth Trauma Neonatal infection Post maturity Pre- ecclamptic toxemia Congenital malformation Intrapartum asphyxia ABO and Rh -incompatibility Early seperation of placenta SIDS

15. Congenital Malformation Post Maturity Neonatal Infection

16. UNNATURAL CAUSES ACCIDENTAL During Birth Prolonged Labor Prolapsed cord or Pressure on cord Twisting of cord around neck or knobs of the cord Injuries to the mother Death of mother After Birth Asphyxia Precipitate Labor

17. Twisting of the Cord round the neck Knots of the Cord

18. CRIMINAL Act of Commission Strangulation Suffocation Drowning Burning Fractures and Dislocation of cervical vertebrae Wounds Poisoning Blunt head Injury

19. Act of Omission or Neglect The following Acts of Omission amount to crime: Failure to Proper assistance during labor Tie cord Clear air passage Exposure to heat /cold Proper food

20. Abandoning of Infants : Section 317 of IPC If the father or mother of a child under the age of 12 years, or anyone having a care of such child, leaves such a child in any place with the intention of abandoning the child, shall be punished with imprisonment upto 7 years. Concealment of Birth : Section 318 of IPC Whoever, secretly buries or otherwise disposes of the dead body of child, whether such child dies before or after or during its birth, intentionally conceals the birth of such child, shall be punished with imprisonment upto 2 years.

21. A Case Study On 6/5/2011 Mrs.Seetha was admitted in government maternity hospital where she gave birth to a female child at 5.43 pm. On the same day between 9.30 pm and 10 pm the baby was found dead. The treating Obstetrician, Dr Shobha Nagesh complained to the Peenya police about the suspicious death of the baby. A case was booked U/S 174 ‗C‘ Crpc and the requisition for autopsy was given by police. On perusal of history, hospital case records, autopsy findings and histopathological report, cause of death was opined as ―Death is due to combined effect of manual strangulation and blunt injuries to the head, chest and abdomen sustained (Homicidal in manner)”.

22. References https://www.slideshare.net [Infanticide and Child Abuse] https://www.slideshare.net [Infant Death 1] https://studylib.net [Infanticide [PPT] ] The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology by Dr. KS Narayan Reddy Infanticide - Handbook of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Textbook of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology by Nageshkumar G Rao Case Study - file:///H:/Infanticide%20Case%20Study.pdf Pictures - Google Images