The Annual CFRP report on child fatalities within the state of Missouri for the year 2012 cites a total of 984 child deaths for the period. Review boards across the state gather data regarding each fatality which is compiled into the annual report.
Of the 579 child fatalities that were due to illness or natural causes, 468 were "clear and not suspicious," according to the recently published report.
Seventy-five percent of those occurred during a child's first year of life and were often related to prematurity or birth defects.
Noted in the report is a significant decrease in the number of Sudden Infant Deaths (SIDS) over a period of 22 years. Records kept on file since 1992 indicate there were 121 SIDS deaths that year. Ten years later in 2002, that number dropped to 69, and diminished further to nine in the 2012 report. Credited with that decrease is continued public education and awareness programs concerning safe sleep practices for infants. Also noted on the recent CFRP report is that only one of the nine SIDS deaths in 2012 involved a child who was known to have been sleeping alone on its back, in a crib.
Accounting for 26 percent of the natural child deaths was cancer, with 21 percent attributed to congenital anomalies. Additionally, cardiac conditions accounted for 10 percent of the natural deaths in children and neurological disorders 18 percent. Those numbers represent the leading natural causes of death for children one year of age and older.
Thirty-one percent of child fatalities in 2012 were due to injury, of which 63 percent were unintentional, the CFRP report states. The two leading causes of deaths from injuries sustained in vehicular crashes. Sixty-three of the fatalities deemed to have been from injuries stemmed from unintentional suffocation. Fifty-seven of those were infants. Thirty-eight were related to the infant sharing the same sleep surface with an other person, referred to as infant "co-sleeping."
There were 72 "unintentional motor vehicle-related" child fatalities in 2012 that involved child restraint issues. Seventeen children who died were not restrained. It was determined that one child died when a child restraint was not properly being used, and 17 had "unknown restraint use."
The CFRP report also states that the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths were from drowning, fire/burn, poisoning and from firearms.
Twelve children drowned in 2012, and six of those were under the age of four. Five children drowned in swimming pools; four were in open water locations. None of them were wearing personal flotation devices.
"Of the others," the report states, "one drowned in a bucket, one in a toilet and one due to a medical feeding equipment mishap."
Nine children died from fire or burn injuries, with two of them being under five years of age. All nine deaths involved residential structure fires, and none of those residences were equipped with smoke detectors.
Unintentional poisoning accounted for seven child fatalities in 2012. Six of those involved children between 15 and 17 years of age. Six died from prescription and over-the-counter products, and one died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Five children died of unintentional firearm injuries. Four were over the age of five. One child was reportedly injured during a hunting accident, and the other four were reported to have been playing with a gun when it went off. Four of those firearms were handguns, and one was a shotgun.
Homicide by non-caretakers accounted for 22 Missouri child fatalities in 2012. Of that number, 17 were related to youth violence by various causes. Of those, 10 victims were directly involved in what the report says were "harmful behaviors and activities which put them at risk." Intentional firearm injuries accounted for 18 of the 22 non-caretaker homicide fatalities.
Intentional self-inflicted injury, or suicide, was listed as the cause of death of 20 children with ages running from 12 to 17. Ten of those deaths were from suffocation/strangulation. Eight were from firearms, and two were the result of poison.
Sixteen children died in 2012 of injuries whose manner, both intentional or unintentional, could not be determined.
A total of 86 child fatalities in 2012 were attributed to abuse and neglect, which is defined in the report as "inflicted physical injury and/or grossly negligent treatment by a parent or caretaker, regardless of motive or intent."
Homicide by caretakers or guardians accounted for 43 of those deaths. The remaining 43 child neglect deaths were initially listed as unintentional, natural, non-caretaker homicide or undetermined manner of death, but the CFRP panels believed that gross negligence by a parent of caretaker contributed to the child's death.
Of the total 86 deaths relating to abuse and neglect, 31 of them (36 percent) involved children under the age of one year. Thirty of them (35 percent) were ages one to four.
Firearms were involved in 19 of the 86 abuse and neglect fatalities. Eighteen died from suffocation/strangulation, 14 from vehicular crashes that involved impairment and lack of appropriate restraints), and 10 children died from abusive trauma.
Stoddard County's Child Fatality Review Team is comprised of Chief Juvenile Officer of the 35th Judicial Circuit Mike Davis, who serves as chairman of the panel, Sheriff's Deputy Tommy Horton, Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver, Joy Hudgens of the Stoddard County Public Health Center, Patty Gray of Missouri Child Services, Coroner Kenny Pope, Jody Laramore of the Highway Patrol, and Stoddard County EMS Manager Dave Cooper.
"Sometimes we seek additional input from others," Davis explains. "When we meet, we are discussing one incident. We will sometimes meet to review results of our findings and to compile information."
Davis says that no records are kept of their findings once the information is sent to the Jefferson City.
"All paperwork is destroyed," he says. "All meeting are strictly confidential."