Paediatric homicides: A retrospective study from a tertiary care centre in South India – Psychiatry AI: Real-Time AI Scoping Review

AI Summary

Intrafamilial perpetrators accounted for 74.4% of paediatric homicides; children <5 years were significantly more likely to be killed by family members (OR 5.8, p=0.039).
Asphyxia was the leading cause of death (37.2%), followed by multiple injuries (30.2%) and burns (27.9%).
Excluding five multi-victim familicide clusters, non-clustered cases showed male predominance and mechanical injuries became the leading mechanism.

AI Summary

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study identified the sociodemographic patterns, perpetrator traits, and causes of death in paediatric homicides from a South Indian tertiary care centre.

METHODS: This STROBE-compliant retrospective observational study analysed autopsy records of 43 homicidal deaths in victims aged under 18 years, spanning 15 years (2007-2021).

Initial crude data indicated a female predominance (55.8%); however, a sensitivity analysis excluding all five identified multi-victim familicide clusters (n = 13) yielded a male predominance in the non-clustered cohort (56.7% male, 43.3% female; n = 30), with mechanical injuries becoming the leading mechanism of death (43.3%), asphyxial deaths reduced (26.7%), and burn-related deaths proportionally stable (30.0%).

Basic summary

J Forensic Leg Med. 2026 Jun 25;121:103193. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103193. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study identified the sociodemographic patterns, perpetrator traits, and causes of death in paediatric homicides from a South Indian tertiary care centre.

METHODS: This STROBE-compliant retrospective observational study analysed autopsy records of 43 homicidal deaths in victims aged under 18 years, spanning 15 years (2007-2021). Fisher’s exact test was used for categorical associations. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and proportions were estimated using the Wilson score method.

RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 24 female victims (55.8%) and 19 male victims (44.2%). Age distribution represented 4 infants (9.3%), 16 toddlers (37.2%), 8 children aged 5-10 years (18.6%) and 15 adolescents (34.9%). Asphyxia was the leading cause of death (16 cases, 37.2%), followed by multiple injuries (13, 30.2%), burns (12, 27.9%) and poisoning (2, 4.7%). Social stigma was identified as the primary motive in 7 victims (16.3%). Among burn victims, 8 of 12 (66.7%) were female (p = 0.50, OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 0.47-7.54). Intrafamilial perpetrators accounted for 74.4% of cases, with victim age being a significant predictor of perpetrator type: children <5 years were more frequently killed by intrafamilial perpetrators (18 of 20, 90%) compared with children ≥5 years (14 of 23, 60.9%; OR = 5.8, 95% CI: 1.07-31.16, p = 0.039).

CONCLUSION: This single-centre retrospective forensic cohort describes demographic patterns, perpetrator relationships, mechanisms of injury, and recorded motives among 43 paediatric homicide cases. Initial crude data indicated a female predominance (55.8%); however, a sensitivity analysis excluding all five identified multi-victim familicide clusters (n = 13) yielded a male predominance in the non-clustered cohort (56.7% male, 43.3% female; n = 30), with mechanical injuries becoming the leading mechanism of death (43.3%), asphyxial deaths reduced (26.7%), and burn-related deaths proportionally stable (30.0%). Intrafamilial actors predominated (74.4%). Findings are descriptive and hypothesis-generating, and causal inference is not possible from this design.

PMID:42349030 | DOI:10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103193

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