Article
Murder misdiagnosed as SIDS: a perpetrator's perspective
J Stanton, A Simpson
Faculty of Medicine
and Health Service, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92-019, Auckland, New Zealand
Correspondence to: Dr Stanton j.stanton{at}auckland.ac.nz
Accepted 3 September
2001
AIMS
Child murder misdiagnosed as
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a difficult area to study. We
present a perpetrator's descriptions to enrich clinicians' knowledge
of possible presenting features of this phenomenon.
METHODSInterview material was
collected as part of a qualitative study of maternal filicide performed
from a naturalistic paradigm in order to access the perpetrators' view
of events. The woman participant has been convicted for three child
murders and two attempted murders which were initially misdiagnosed as
SIDS. Interviews were done in the participant's home with her partner
present, while she was on leave from prison. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed, and analysed for themes. Specific ethical permission was gained to present this case in isolation and the paper was written in consultation with the woman described.
RESULTSShe described initial
intense attachment to her first victim and described killing her
because she was unable to bear her apnoea attacks and her fear of
losing her. She described difficulty grieving for this child and
subsequent failure to attach to her next child or feel for the other victims.
CONCLUSIONSExpressions of intense
attachment to an infant and description of intense grief over a death
in a way which engages compassion should not deter a paediatrician from
considering the possibility of the parent having killed the child.
Keywords: SIDS; infanticide; child murder
© 2001 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
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