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The Tennessean Autopsies urged for unexplained child deaths Metro Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce Levy is pushing for a new state law
that would require an autopsy on every Tennessee child younger than 18
who dies in unexplained circumstances. He is also calling for other steps, such as mandatory training for emergency
workers, to improve the way all child deaths are investigated because
even with an autopsy, accidents, hard-to-spot illnesses and even homicides
can be overlooked. Levy first proposed the mandatory autopsies to the General Assembly in 1997, but the idea drew little support. "There was concern that families would be real upset and that mandatory autopsies would just further add to their grief," said state Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, who co-sponsored the bill. McNally said if the bill has a House sponsor during the next legislative session, he will push for it again. And local health officials say it is a good idea. "We support anything that helps better identify what is causing the death of children," said Brian Todd, a spokeman with Metro's Department of Health. The cost would be less than $100,000 a year, on average, for the state to help counties bear the expense of more autopsies, Levy said. Levy was named state medical examiner last year, but the position is advisory. He does not have have the authority to require autopsies outside of Nashville. A county's district attorney general or county medical examiner determines whether an autopsy is needed. County medical examiners often are local physicians who aren't trained forensics pathologists with expertise in determining causes of death, and who can't perform autopsies themselves. So the bill includes a measure that would allow the state medical examiner to set minimum standards to be followed across the state. It is not a new push for Levy, but two recent cases have added fuel to his cause. Levy and Metro police recently reviewed two unrelated 1996 child death cases, finding autopsies were performed but key evidence was missed. Both are now being investigated as homicide cases, and in each a parent has been arrested and charged. The cause of one of those deaths was listed as "undetermined," the other as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In the first case, 2-month-old Deshean Lockridge Jr. suffered extensive injuries, Levy said, but the cause of death was listed as undetermined. The child's father, Deshean Lockridge Sr., has been charged with homicide after the Oct. 28 death of his second child, Brandon. Deshean's case was reviewed after that, and the death was ruled a homicide. Investigators believe 5-month-old Brandon Lockridge died when his head was slammed against a wall. In the second case, 17-month-old Stephen Ward's death had been classified SIDS by another medical examiner, though the toddler was too old by national standards. Levy said most SIDS deaths occur in infants age 8 months or younger. SIDS is not considered after a child is past the age of 1. The standards, set by the National Institutes of Health, also call for autopsies and a review of a child's medical history before a death can be attributed to SIDS. But some counties in Tennessee still don't meet those standards. Last year, of the 76 child deaths in Tennessee blamed on SIDS, nine were classified without autopsies, according to state Department of Health figures. Don Garrison, a funeral director and embalmer with Phillips-Robinson County's Gallatin Road funeral chapel, said he understands the resistance to mandated autopsies. "An autopsy is one of those things that just compounds the grief and compounds the concern," he said. "I think most people hold the body as sacred. I wouldn't want one done. But it's just one of those necessary evils that we have to go through sometimes when there are accidents or homicides." But he said most parents of a child who dies in unusual circumstances probably would welcome the answers an autopsy would bring. "I would think the parents, at some point, would say, 'We need to know what happened here,'" he said. Sue Ross, a pediatric nurse practitioner who works with abused children at Our Kids Center, said she supports Levy's proposal and any steps to avoid missing possible cases of abuse. "They're not always easy to spot," she said. "Any time a child dies, you would hope that the family could find out why, so that a death might be prevented in the future." Levy already has printed a 150 page training manual for medical examiners that is being circulated throughout the state. But he wants to go further, training firefighters, emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officials and district attorneys general to probe further when a child dies without explanation. New forms Levy has drafted for investigators include more questions to ask parents of a deceased child - as detailed as what type of formula the child was given. Also, he details the evidence from the death scene - on down to the diaper the child was wearing - collected for analysis. Mandatory training would also be a part of the legislation he is proposing. Levy, who came to Nashville from New York in 1997, vowed to bring stability to an office that was known by forensic pathologists across the country for its troubled history, including losing four medical examiners in three years. Beth Warren covers the police beat for The Tennessean. She can be reached
at bwarren@tennessean.com or 664-2144. |
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