The 2024 DCS Child Fatality Report, which covers the Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 period, shows 59 Hoosier children died directly as a result of caregiver maltreatment, including one abused child and three neglected children in Lake County, one abused child in Porter County, and one neglected child in LaPorte County.
The statewide total is three more than the 56 child abuse and neglect deaths recorded in 2023, but down from Indiana's 61 child abuse and neglect deaths in 2022. The annual tally stood at 50 as recently as 2020, records show.
Altogether, 276 child deaths that occurred during 2024 were investigated by local and state officials to determine whether suspicions of child abuse or neglect were valid, up from 261 investigations of 2023 child deaths.
DCS reviews all deaths of children under three years old when the death is sudden, unexpected or unexplained, or involves allegations of abuse or neglect. For children age 3 and older, only deaths involving allegations of abuse or neglect are investigated by child protection officials.
The 38-page Child Fatality Report details the causes and circumstances of each of the 59 child deaths in which abuse or neglect was substantiated.
It does not, however, specify the names or hometowns of the children, or the legal dispositions of the perpetrators.
According to the report, 5 of the 18 (28%) fatally abused Hoosier children were younger than 1 year old. Of the 41 child-neglect deaths, 19 (46%) never reached their first birthdays.
The victims in 42 of the 59 fatalities (71%) were 3 years old or younger, continuing a state and national trend of young children being most at risk of dying from abuse or neglect, according to the report.
The majority of children dying from abuse suffered abusive head trauma, followed by beating and/or kicking, suffocation, or poisoning, the report said.
The largest share of children dying from neglect lost their lives due to asphyxia, poisoning or drug overdose, drowning, or malnutrition.
Other top causes of neglect deaths included children endangered in a vehicle; the use of an easily accessible weapon; untreated health issues; or due to fire, burn or electrocution.
The perpetrator in the majority of child abuse and neglect deaths was the child's biological parent or the parent's partner, the report said.
It found that the top risk factors among caregivers leading to a child's death from abuse or neglect were low income, substance abuse, unemployment, and a history of domestic violence.
Failure to provide the necessities of life and a lack of supervision were frequently cited in death investigations, along with exposing children to hazards and declining to seek treatment or follow-up treatment following an incident.
DCS previously substantiated a history of abuse or neglect with the families of 15 of the 59 children (25%) before their deaths, according to the report.
Indiana law requires all Hoosiers to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to the state's child abuse hotline at 800-800-5556, or to local police.
© Copyright 2025, nwitimes.com, Munster, IN