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Chapter 4
Fatalities
Child Maltreatment 2002

Child fatalities are the most tragic consequence of maltreatment. In this chapter, national estimates of the number and rate of child maltreatment deaths per 100,000 children are provided. The characteristics of these fatality victims also are discussed.

Number of Child Fatalities

For 2002, an estimated 1,400 children died from abuse or neglect at a rate of 1.98 deaths per 100,000 children.¹ The national estimate was based on data from State child welfare information systems, as well as other data sources available to the States. The rate of fatalities per 100,000 children has increased from 1.84 for 2000 to 1.96 for 2001, and 1.98 for 2002.²

While most fatality data were from State child welfare agencies, many of these agencies also received data from additional sources. For example, statistics on approximately 20 percent (21.1%) of fatalities were from health departments and fatality review boards for 2002, compared to 11.4 percent for 2001. The coordination of data collection with other agencies contributes to a greater understanding of the size of the phenomenon as well as to better estimation. It is likely that the observed increased rate of fatalities is due to improved reporting by some of the States.

Deaths of children under the custody or supervision of the child welfare agency are of special concern. CPS agencies in 50 States reported the deaths of 17 children (1.2% of reported deaths) in foster care.³

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Fatalities by Age and Sex

Three-quarters (76.1%) of children who were killed were younger than 4 years of age; 11.8 percent were 4-7 years of age; 6.4 percent were 8-11 years of age; and 5.9 percent were 12-17 years of age (figure 4-1).

The youngest children experienced the highest rates of fatalities. Based on case-level data from 31 States, infant boys (younger than 1 year old) had a fatality rate of 18.8 deaths per 100,000 boys of the same age.⁴ Infant girls (younger than 1 year old) had a fatality rate of 12.4 deaths per 100,000 girls of the same age. Rates for both boys and girls decreased with the age of the children.

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Parental Status of Perpetrators

Almost one-third (32.6%) of fatalities were perpetrated by the mother acting alone.⁵ Three-quarters (78.9%) of child fatalities were caused by one or more parents (figure 4-2).⁶ Nonparental perpetrators (e.g., daycare providers, foster parents, or residential facility staff) were responsible for 15.9 percent of fatalities.

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Fatalities by Type of Maltreatment

The three main categories of maltreatment recorded related to fatalities were neglect (37.6%), physical abuse (29.9%), and combinations of maltreatment types (28.9%) (figure 4-3).⁷

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Fatalities by Prior Contact with CPS

Some children who died were already known to the child welfare agency. Children whose families had received family preservation services in the past 5 years accounted for 12 percent of child fatalities. Two percent had been in foster care and reunited with their families in the past 5 years.⁸

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Supplementary Tables

The following pages contain the tables referenced in Chapter 4. Unless otherwise explained, a blank indicates that the State did not submit usable data. Specific information about State submissions can be found in Appendix D.

Chapter Four: Figures and Tables

Notes

¹ Supporting data are provided in supplementary table 4-1, which is located at the end of this chapter. back
² See supplementary table 4-2. back
³ See supplementary table 4-3. back
⁴ See supplementary table 4-4. back
⁵ See supplementary table 4-5. back
⁶ Includes the following categories: Mother only, Father only, Mother and Father, Mother with other, and Father with other. back
⁷ See supplementary table 4-6. back
⁸ See supplementary table 4-7. back

 

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