By Niki Kelly
Indiana Capital Chronicle
Fractured ribs, head injuries, accidental drownings and gunshot wounds. This is a glimpse at how 56 children died from abuse and neglect in 2023.
The Indiana Department of Child Services released its annual report on child deaths on New Year’s Eve. It investigated 261 child deaths in 2023 and determined 56 were a result of abuse or neglect. That is down slightly from the year before.
According to the report, 20 of the fatalities were due to abuse, and 36 were the result of neglect. The majority, 68%, of the fatalities involved a child 3 years old or younger, which is consistent with national trends.
Thirteen of the victims included in this report were previously victims in a DCS case of substantiated abuse or neglect.
If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Indiana Department of Child Services’ Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline today. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays.
You can report abuse and neglect anonymously at 1-800-800-5556.
Causes of death were taken from state death certificates. Death by weapon, including body part, was the leading cause of death, listed in 50% of cases. Using a closed fist is also an example of death by a weapon. Drowning and poisoning or overdose also were leading factors.
The number of abuse and neglect deaths has remained relatively steady in recent years. In 2022 and 2021, the number was 61 and 60 respectively. In 2020, 50 children died from abuse and neglect.
DCS reviews all child fatalities that meet the following circumstances:
- For children under 3 years of age: The death is sudden, unexpected or unexplained, or involves allegations of abuse and neglect.
- For children aged 3 or older: The death involves allegations of abuse or neglect.
The child’s biological parents were often deemed responsible for the child fatalities detailed in this report, accounting for 65 of the 76 alleged perpetrators. Multiple perpetrators can be involved in one child’s death.
Fifteen children in Marion County died from abuse and neglect. The remaining deaths occurred in 22 other counties.
At least 10 cases involved toddlers finding loaded firearms and shooting themselves or siblings.
In one case the parents left two children in the living room while doing cocaine in another room. They heard a loud pop and found their five-year-old son dead of a gunshot wound. The father stated he had left his gun pushed down into a couch cushion with the top of the gun’s handle sticking up.
In another case, a 2-year-old girl died from a gunshot wound. She lived with her parents. On the day of the fatality, the child was home with the mother while the father was at work. The mother was cleaning the home and heard a gunshot. The mother found the child suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the parents’ bedroom. It was common for the mother to keep a loaded firearm on her bedside table at night, and she had forgotten to move the gun that morning.
