Twenty percent of the child fatalities investigated by the Indiana Department of Child Services in 2022 resulted from caregiver mistreatment.
According to the department’s annual report released last week, 44 of the deaths were due to neglect and 17 due to abuse. The total of 308 child fatalities was up from 271 in 2021.
The yearly report details child fatalities in the state and identifies common risk factors in deaths from abuse or neglect.
Weapons, including a body part, were responsible for 22 of the 61 deaths due to abuse or neglect. Drowning and asphyxia each accounted for nine deaths. Thirty-one deaths were determined to be accidental, 17 due to homicide and 11 were from undetermined causes.
Thirty-nine of the victims were male, and in 41 of the fatalities, the victim was 3 years old or younger.
The report found the biological parents responsible for 80 percent of the deaths.
Marion County had the highest number of deaths caused by abuse or neglect with 12. No deaths from abuse or neglect were recorded in Monroe County, but Lawrence and Vigo each recorded one death.
DCS investigates all deaths of children in the state under 3 years old and deaths of children over 3 years old when allegations of abuse or neglect are involved.
