In their first 12 months of life, children are most at risk for critical or fatal outcomes from abuse and neglect, according to Connecticut child advocate officials.
When those outcomes turn fatal, the state Office of the Child Advocate — along with other agencies in some cases, depending on the circumstances — step in to investigate.
Sarah Egan, who has served as the state’s child advocate since September 2013, said her office investigates all infant deaths in Connecticut.
The most recent incident involving OCA — which remains under review by the state’s chief medical examiner and under investigation by local police — is the case of an apparent pre-term baby found by first responders dispatched to a reported medical call for at the Motel 6 on Hazard Avenue in Enfield.
The circumstances of the baby’s death are still unknown.
Police said the death, which was reported as a “fall,” sent first responders to the hotel just before 11 a.m. Tuesday. It’s unclear where the baby was found. Authorities have not yet released any updates on the case.
Data compiled by the OCA, which was formed in 1996 in the wake of a brutal child abuse and neglect case, examining child deaths from 2011 through 2020, showed that nearly all of them were among children 12 months and younger.
“We’re always focused on infants because they are the most at-risk for preventable child death,” Egan said.
Dating back to the 1980s, more than 10 children ages 12-months or younger have died from abuse or neglect in Connecticut, according to OCA data.
While these cases highlight some of the most brutal child deaths in Connecticut, there are many others investigated by the OCA and authorities that do not garner as much attention.
“Most of the infant deaths are not homicide-related,” Egan said. “Those deaths tend to get a lot of attention.”
Egan said most preventable infant deaths are typically classified by the medical examiner as “undetermined,” often in cases of sudden unexplained infant death. Egan said the investigation typically finds one or more environmental safe-sleeping risk factors in these incidents — like the baby sleeping in an adult’s bed, sleeping on its stomach, in a crib or bassinet with blankets and pillows or sleeping with an impaired caregiver.
There have also been instances over the years of deaths at day care and child care facilities, from over-the-counter medicine and sudden unexplained infant death.
Adam Seagull, a 4-month-old Shelton boy, died March 22, 2016, after police said a woman who ran an unlicensed day care out of her Edgewood Road home in Fairfield for 11 years gave him Benadryl. Carol Cardillo, the owner of the day care, pleaded no contest to a manslaughter charge and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
There are also cases of illegal substance exposure. Egan said the state has seen an uptick in young children — not necessarily just those under the age of 1 — dying after fentanyl exposure.
In 2021, based on data that has not yet been finalized, three children died from fentanyl exposure in Connecticut. Each death — two 1-year-olds and one 2-year-old — was ruled a homicide, Egan said. The ruling of another 2021 child death, a 10-month-old, is still pending further studies, but Egan said toxicology reports came back positive for fentanyl.
“It would take such a small amount of exposure,” to fentanyl to cause the death of a child, Egan said.
In 2020, there was one case of fatal fentanyl exposure among children — involving an 11-month-old, Egan said. The case was ruled a homicide. Egan said there were no child deaths reported from fentanyl exposure in 2019.
“It’s part of the landscape now,” she continued. “As we think about substances people use — both legally and illegally — we also have to think about the possible implications for a child in the home.”
Safe Haven Act
For those who are unable to care for their baby, there are options in Connecticut for them to legally give up their child.
In Connecticut, the Safe Havens Act for Newborns allows a parent to voluntarily give up custody of an infant that is 30-days-old or younger to nursing staff of an emergency room.
Egan said safe haven babies were “definitely up” during the pandemic. She said the overall number remains low, but there has been a “marked increase over previous years.”
When a parent surrenders a child, they are not subject to arrest for abandonment. The act, however, does not protect the parent from being arrested and criminally prosecuted if neglect or abuse is found to have occurred prior to surrendering the baby.
When a parent brings a child to surrender, a nurse meets with the parent in a private area to get information about the child’s medical history to help with future care. The nurse will ask the parent questions like their name and address. Parents are not required to answer any questions.
The parent will be given a packet of information on their rights and how to contact the state Department of Children and Families. Within 24 hours of the parent leaving the hospital, the nurse will contact DCF, who will take custody of the baby. DCF will then develop a permanent care plan for the child, including a court hearing to apply for legal termination of the parent’s parental rights to free the child for future potential adoption.
DCF is required by law to notify both parents of its intent to seek termination of parental rights if the parents’ names have been given. A court officer would then notify the parents of the court action and the first hearing date. If the names and addresses of the parents is known, DCF may publish notice in a local publication.
Anyone who has questions about the safe haven protections or process can call the DCF care line at 800-842-2288.
Anyone in need of referrals to resources throughout the safe haven process can call 211.
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Most Connecticut child deaths occur in first 12 months after birth, data shows - CT Insider
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