Thrusday, January 14, 1999
Coroners combat child abuse
Conference goal early intervention
BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIDDLETOWN — Frustrated by a string of child-abuse deaths, a group of coroners wants to work with police and other agencies to stop the epidemic before cases reach their morgues.
“We coroners see the end result of child abuse,” said Butler County Coroner Richard P. Burkhardt.
After a couple Southwest Ohio child abuse cases ended in deaths — notably the 1995 murder of 4-year-old Samantha Ritchie, whose body was dumped in a water-filled pit in Dayton, Ohio — area coroners “decided we should try to do something to stop this war on children,” Dr. Burkhardt said.
On Wednesday, more than 180 professionals from several counties traveled through an ice storm to a child abuse conference at Miami University-Middletown. The conference, sponsored by the Southwest Regional Coroners and the Ohio State Coroners associations, was aimed at helping police, medical and child welfare personnel recognize, investigate and intervene in child abuse cases — before they become coroner's cases.
Big response
“A lot of people probably don't realize it, but we as coroners come into contact with a wide range of agencies — everything from social services to EMS and law enforcement, and we're able to tap into those resources and help bridge gaps,” said Dr. Kevin L. Sharrett, Greene County coroner. “We've had such an overwhelming response on this topic. But in the future, we may also be able to tackle other topics, like domestic violence.”
About 250 people had originally signed up for the day-long seminar, but nasty weather deterred about 70 potential attendees and forced workshop sponsors to cut the program short.
Still, Dr. Burkhardt, who headed the conference's organizing committee, said he was encouraged by the number of people who made the effort to attend. That, he said, is testimony to the topic's importance.
Nationally, about four in every 1,000 children is abused, said Dr. Robert A. Shapiro of Children's Hospital Medical Center.
What to look for
His presentation included a series of slides showing children who had suffered bruises, burns and broken bones — and he emphasized techniques that can help investigators distinguish between injuries from abuse and injuries from genuine accidents. He also warned that some medical conditions can mimic abuse.
In recent years, considerable attention has been focused on false accusations of child abuse, Dr. Sharrett acknowledged.
“Do they happen a lot? I don't think so. Can they happen? Yes,” he said.
“That's the whole point of training people in a session like this. One: They can recognize cases that truly are abuse. And, two: Weed out the cases that appear to be, but aren't.”
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