Unraveling Infanticide: The Role of Autopsy in Forensic Investigations

Abstract

Background: Infanticide, defined as the intentionally illegal killing of an infant in the time of its first year of life, endures to be a significant but under-researched topic in forensic medicine. This study examines the role of autopsy in unraveling the intricate situations surrounding suspected infanticide cases, with a focus on decisive the reason and manner of death, classifying common patterns, and addressing the challenges inherent in these investigations. Methods: The study population enrolled 50 cases of suspected infanticide concerning infants aged 0 to 12 months. These cases were selected from autopsy records at Rajshahi Medical College, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology. Over 1 year from January 2024 to January 2025. Data were composed using a consistent data collection sheet to capture all relevant information. Data were investigated using evocative and illative statistics and executed by the statistical software SPSS version 26. Result: The results showed that asphyxia (40%) and trauma (30%) stayed the most communal causes of death, even though homicide was found in 60% of the cases. Only 16% of cases confirmed constructive for toxicology, saying that poisoning is rare. Fractures were seen in 36%, signs of asphyxia in 44%, and most infanticides were highly physical. New forensic methods will lead to improved investigation of these deaths, with 20% of cases initially assumed to be infanticide ultimately attributed to natural causes. Conclusion: This study highlights the irreplaceable utility of autopsy in the differentiation of natural, accidental, and homicidal deaths, and offers insight into the challenges of decomposition, subversion and geographic variance. The results support the implementation of cutting-edge forensic methodologies e.g., autopsy examination and requiring different kinds of forensic investigation methods for accurate characterization.