Health Official Defends Not Investigating SIDS Cases

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 07/22/2025) A state official who oversees the investigation of child deaths told a House committee Tuesday that his unit doesn't look into sudden infant death cases – as was suggested by the Auditor General – because there's little to be gained by it.

The House Child Welfare Oversight Committee questioned the head of children’s welfare about an audit from April that found 135 children’s deaths were not properly evaluated.

But Children’s Service Administration Senior Deputy Director Demetrius Starling said the Office of Family Advocate did not investigate 150 child deaths in the Michigan Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System between Jan. 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, because the coroner didn't find the child was abused or neglected.

“We, unfortunately, in Michigan, have a lot of positional facilitation deaths – safe sleep – and as a result of those complaints being investigated by either or in tandem with law enforcement and also getting the medical report from the coroner’s office, is not deemed child abuse or neglect. These are unfortunate and traumatic incidents that happen at way too high of a rate,” Starling said.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development defines these cases as Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUIDs), which includes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, and unknown causes.

Starling said the cases aren’t investigated because they had already been determined through a law enforcement investigation and child protective services.

He said it isn’t worth retraumatizing the parents for a third time for an investigation by the Office of Family Advocate, which he said is separate from Child Protective Services.

“There isn’t a lot that you can glean from reviewing all safe sleep deaths. These are very unfortunate, traumatic situations that occur,” he said.