Transfer of control in any system is a period where slip-ups can happen. So we're back to risk factors. But when researchers tried to nail down a genetic tendency, they couldn't. They found that but the incidence of SIDS in identical twins is the same as in fraternal twins. This suggested the risk factor for SIDS might be something environmental in the families, such as poor prenatal care, or something else that would lead to poorly development brain mechanisms.
Director picks it up.
Oh, Cheng-Chi, thanks for getting back to me. Ok, thanks a lot. It seems that a small percentage of SIDS cases are actually willful harm, usually done by the mother. Even a cold, which normally isn't life-threatening, could lead to respiratory distress and a breathing blockage. Without a good rage reflex, that breathing blockage leads to suffocation.