Version 1 / Date of Issue: 10.29.15 / Issuing Authority: Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB)

OSAC Research Needs Assessment Form

Title of research need:

Keywords:

Submitting subcommittee(s): Date 

Approved:

(If SAC review identifies additional subcommittees, add them to the box above.)

Background information:

1. Description of research need:

2. Key bibliographic references relating to this research need:

Pediatric Forensic Pathology was rated as the second and top priority among the two surveys of 

medicolegal death investigation (MDI) professionals assessing areas of critical research needs via 

SWGMDI in 2009 and 2011. Unexplained deaths of infants and children represent the largest group 

of undetermined deaths in the field of MDI. Yet, given this overwhelming public health problem, the 

MDI community lacks evidence-based research and standard practices for these investigations.

This has likely resulted in inaccurate diagnoses and poor national statistics to address this public 

health issues.

Specific areas in pediatric forensic pathology to address include:

1. Autopsy standards including neuropathology

2. Sudden unexplained death

3. Cause of Death (COD) in unsafe sleep environments (e.g., bed sharing,

soft bedding, etc.) and deaths where findings are inconclusive

• SWGMDI's Report and Recommendations for Research in Forensic Pathology/Medicolegal Death

Investigation (June 2014), Scientific Working Group for Medicolegal Death Investigation (SWGMDI)

• Kim SY, Shapiro-Mendoza CK, Chu SY, Camperlengo LT, Anderson RN. Differentiating cause-of-death 

terminology for deaths coded as sudden infant death syndrome, accidental suffocation, and unknown 

cause: an investigation using US death certificates, 2003-2004. J Forensic Sci. 2012;57(2):364-369.

• Krous HF, Chadwick AE, Crandall L, Nadeau-Manning. Sudden Unexpected Death In Childhood: A Report 

of 50 Cases. Pediatric Dev Pathol. 2005;8:307-319

• Hesdorffer DC, Crandall LA, Friedman D, Devinsky O; Sudden unexplained death in childhood: A 

comparison of cases with and without a febrile seizure history. Epilepsia. 2015 Aug;56(8):1294-300. doi: 

10.1111/epi.13066. Epub 2015 Jun 29

• Rudd R, Capizzi Marain L, Crandall L To Hold or Not to Hold: Medicolegal Death Investigation Practices 

During Unexpected Child Death Investigations and the Experiences of Next of Kin. Am J Forensic Med 

Pathol. 2014 Jun;35(2):132-9

Pediatric Forensic Pathology to improve the accuracy of cause and 

manner of death certification

SIDS, SUID, sudden death, accidental suffocation, SUDC, unsafe sleep, autopsy

Medicolegal Death Investigation 1/28/16
Version 1 / Date of Issue: 10.29.15 / Issuing Authority: Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB)

3a. In what ways would the research results improve current laboratory capabilities?

3b. In what ways would the research results improve understanding of the scientific basis for the 

subcommittee(s)?

3c. In what ways would the research results improve services to the criminal justice system?

4. Status assessment (I, II, III, or IV): 

This research need has been identified by one or more subcommittees of OSAC and is being provided as an 

informational resource to the community.

Major gap 

in current 

knowledge

Minor gap 

in current 

knowledge

No or limited

current research 

is being 

conducted

I III

Existing current 

research is being 

conducted

II IV

The laboratory in which medicolegal death professionals work is that of a medical 

examiner/coroner office which is charged with investigating sudden and unexpected deaths. 

According to the CDC, about 3500 infants and 350 children (aged 1-18) die annually without a 

known cause. Research that supports accurate diagnoses of deaths that are currently classified as 

undetermined would significantly improve current death certification and direct public health 

efforts. These cases represent some of the most time and resource intensive investigations for an 

office, and yet evidence based research is severely lacking resulting in inconsistent and 

unstandardized efforts and a heavy burden on office resources.

Research would improve consistent data collection, and accurate diagnoses and manners of death. 

This will improve national data for the analysis of public health trends that guide public awareness 

and allocate funds for prevention measures.

Accurate causes and manners of death would increase the consistency of identifying cases where a 

crime has been committed and where one has not. Decreasing the annual incidence of thousands of 

pediatric undetermined deaths in the United States through accurate diagnoses will decrease the 

burden on the criminal justice system by allocating resources to cases in need of further 

investigation versus those that have been determined to be natural by evidence based research. 

I
Version 1 / Date of Issue: 10.29.15 / Issuing Authority: Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB)

// Approval date:

(Approval is by majority vote of subcommittee. Once approved, forward to SAC.)

1. Does the SAC agree with the research need? Yes ⃝ No ⃝ 

2. Does the SAC agree with the status assessment? Yes ⃝ No ⃝ 

If no, what is the status assessment of the SAC:

Approval date:

(Approval is by majority vote of SAC. Once approved, forward to NIST for posting.)

Subcommittee

SAC