ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 January 2003
Page Count: 3

Stun Gun Injuries in the Abuse and Death of a Seven-Month-Old Infant
Jumbelic, MI
Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office, NY

Turner, MS
SUNY Upstate Medical University, NY

(Received 22 August 2002; accepted 17 August 2002)

Abstract

The author autopsied a seven-month-old infant who was shocked repeatedly with a stun gun by his foster mother, in an attempt by the foster mother to get the infant to stop crying. The stun gun injuries were round, well-circumscribed, erythematous macular lesions, which were found in pairs. The lesions were 2 in. apart, and were found to match the distance between the electrodes of the stun gun found in the foster mother's purse. Based on the electrical output of the stun gun, the small size of the infant, location of stun gun discharge, and the decreased resistance of the infant's skin, it can be concluded that the stun gun injury is responsible for the infant's death.

Keywords:
forensic science, stun gun injuries, stun gun homicide, stun gun deaths, electrocution, infant homicide

Paper ID: JFS2002046
DOI: 10.1520/JFS2002046
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