Med Sci Law. 2024 Dec 5:258024241298149. doi: 10.1177/00258024241298149. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
A total of 126 cases of serial neonaticide (with at least 3 neonates killed) have been collected, 54 from medical reports and 72 from newspapers. Compared with single neonaticides, and especially when five or more infants have been killed, they have more often been perpetrated by women in conjugal or stable relationships and have more frequently involved other family members. In some cases, the explicit motive has been family limitation. It is clear from the preservation and care of the corpses, that some mothers have had an emotional attachment to their infants. Medical under-reporting and the apparent ease of concealment suggest that this criminal activity is more common than has been appreciated.
PMID:39639606 | DOI:10.1177/00258024241298149
