Tuerkheimer writes that the presence of all three factors in a case has been — wrongly, from where she sits — "in essence, a medical diagnosis of murder."
The new research, she says, "has cast doubt on the forensic significance of this triad, thus undermining the foundations of thousands of shaken baby syndrome convictions."
Several medical journal articles corroborate the professor's point of view, revealing that experts are in serious disagreement as to whether the existence of the "triad" is proof-positive of child abuse.
Dr. Patrick Lantz, a medical examiner in North Carolina, said at a 2006 meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Science:
"Contrary to what many doctors have been taught, we found [in a years-long study] that the number and location of hemorrhages of the eyes' retinas aren't always proof of child abuse . . . Retinal hemorrhages occur in child abuse, but they don't always mean a child was abused."
And there is the issue of the supposed telltale bleeding in the protective layer between Dillon's skull and his brain.
Recent medical studies show that people who suffer brain bleeding similar to Dillon's, which in his case supposedly was an epidural bleed, may not show signs of serious injury for many hours.
A well-known example came in March 2009, when actress Natasha Richardson died after what first seemed a minor fall on a Canadian ski slope. Hours passed before Richardson took ill, slipped into a coma, and soon died.
Experts call the period of time before the effects of a brain injury kick in a "lucid interval," and medical journals report that it can occur in infants as well as adults.
The "lucid interval" is important in the Randall case because it means Dillon could have gotten injured — again, if he was injured at all — hours before Lisa Randall ever saw him that day.
Is it possible that Dillon Uutela did seem fine (even though he still had that viral infection) on the morning of April 18, 2007 — first to his parents and then to Randall — until he just stopped breathing?
The answer, according to defense expert David Posey, a pathologist from La Canada, California, is yes.
Posey also surmised that Dillon may have been suffering from an undiagnosed case of acute lymphocytic leukemia, a blood cancer characterized by a greatly elevated white blood-cell count.
As possible evidence, Posey notes that Dillon's white blood-cell reading at the two hospitals after he stopped breathing was about five times what would be considered normal.
Laboratory tests on April 18 also showed a low red blood-cell count, indicative of anemia and other medical issues that Dr. Posey has claimed could not have been caused by blunt-force trauma.
"When Dillon was admitted to the hospital on April 18, 2007, he was a very sick little baby," Posey wrote in May 2008. "No external injuries are found on Dillon, yet he had very abnormal blood tests that could not have been caused by trauma of any type.
"No physician caring for Dillon or the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy used the laboratory tests to analyze and explain why Dillon was suddenly found unresponsive. They focused only on alleged trauma and not on the medical facts and data they had in front of them."
As Dr. Posey sees it, the lack of subdural hemorrhaging (by far the most common type of brain bleeding seen in child-abuse cases) and the absence of any injury to Dillon's neck or any external evidence of injury tell him that "the findings reported in this case are not those of the shaken infant syndrome either with or without impact."
Instead, he suspects that an illness may have caused Dillon's brain to swell and move around, which led to the epidural and retinal bleeding, perhaps even the supposed skull fractures.
Posey suggested that medical personnel may have caused the tiny "depressed" skull fracture — if that's what it was — during their emergency treatment of the infant.
But not even Lisa Randall's defense experts agree on the most likely cause of baby Dillon's death, other than to say it's not what prosecutors say it was.
Last January, Dr. F. Ralph Berberich of Berkeley, California, concluded that the infant may have been the victim of sudden infant death syndrome.
The doctor wrote that "it would appear most likely that this baby, in recovery phase from a viral illness, had a SIDS-like event leading to apnea and cardiopulmonary arrest from which he was resuscitated. There followed the physical effects, laboratory abnormalities and organ failure associated with profound and prolonged apnea."
Berberich concluded that "it would likely [be] held unwise, but not negligent, to place a 4-month-old infant in prone position on a blanket without constant supervision."
But prosecutors and their medical witnesses — doctors from Phoenix Children's Hospital and the pathologist who conducted the autopsy on the baby — were expected to testify that the defense experts were wrong.
Dillon would have shown immediate signs of severe neurological damage after suffering the blunt-force trauma, prosecutors alleged during pretrial court hearings and in police interviews.
"This is a non-accidental blunt-force injury case," key prosecution witness Dr. Kevin Horn testified in 2008, "and that baby would have been affected right away after it was inflicted. I am very sure of this."
Its interesting to hear Lisa say nothing like this ever happened to her before, but how can she froget that it has? This is the second baby to die under Lisa's watchful care. The first baby was also thought to have died from SIDS. How do you forget that? She is not the saint she has been made out to be here.
Viral Syndrome my ass! Vaccine injury. See the article by Harold Buttram, MD "The Stepchildren of Modern Medicine, as Applied to Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)/Non-accidental Injury (NAI)"
He explains the mechanism. Severe Vitamin C deficiency following vaccination. There are lots of references. http://www.vaccinationcouncil....
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Phoenix Childrens hospital did the same thing to my family. It took me 3 years 4 months to find out what really happened to my granddaughter she has a genetic disorder called mirochondrial myopathy. surprise & el mirage police picked & picked at my son till they could put him in jail for something. I blame those police & pch for everything that's happened to my family. I've tried to find a lawyer to go against pch but no one wants to go against pch. so I guess they get to keep wrongfully accusing people of shaken baby syndrome. I wouldn't take my dog to this hospital!!!!
Being a parent myself, my heart goes out to the parents of this baby. My heart also goes out to this poor woman. I hope that she will not spend the rest of her life fighting this horrible stigma. I could not imagine going through those interrogations, the threats I'm sure she received from strangers, the feeling that so many people believe you did something that you didn't do. I just can't imagine. If she wouldn't have had the love and support (financial and emotional) that she got from her family and close friends, she would probably be on death row by now. I wish her the best, and I hope she lives a happy life.
The government uses us "American's" as TEST PROJECTS, like rats in a lab, we are being studied. Population control as well last but never very least control period!
There are thousands of parents and daycare workers in U.S. prisons after being convicted of SHAKING A BABY. There stories are all the same. There isnt any broken necks or bruises. It is brain hemorrhaging from vaccines. It states on the vaccine package insert that brain hemorrhaging occurs. Doctors make this diagnosis and call police without doing any further test. They never want to blame vaccines because their business thrives on the damage they create. They win in court cause everyone trust the doctor. This FALSE ACCUSATION has gone on for 20 years and it has never been proven. Elizabeth Whittle is still in prison after being sentenced to 150 years for shaking her new quadruplets in 1999. She is INNOCENT also. The doctors gave her 3lb babies a HepB shot when they arent suppose to get any until they are at normal birth weight. I cant believe they get away with M
I'm not going to argue about your accusations I'm just going to ask a question. How many children would die if they wern't immunized against deadly diseases like polio, smallpox, hep a, hep b, measles, mumps, rubella, typhoid, diptheria, etc, etc.?
This case is the doctors fault, you are NEVER suppose to give a baby vaccines when they have been sick with an earache. A babies immune system is not developed to handle 2 different assaults. Vaccines contain many toxic chemicals. Alluminum, Formaldehyde, Polyethylene Glycol, Phenol and Mercury. Babies are having more reactions now than ever. They are also giving more vaccines than ever. Its not COMMON SENSE or NATURAL to inject these disgusting things into a baby. VACCINES CAUSE SIDS AND SBS
First, my heart goes out to Dillon's parents. Being a parent myself, I can imagine how devastating it must be to lose a child.
Second, I think it is an absolute shame that the pediatrician did not recognize how sick this child was. It is too bad that insurance companies, in the spirit of saving costs, discourage doctors to run necessary tests to properly diagnose patients. Perhaps Dillon would be alive today if the pediatrician had a clue. I'm giving the pediatrician the benefit of the doubt here, and assuming that the failure to comprehend the seriousness of Dillon's condition was not due to negligence or incompetence.
Finally, I think it is absolutely appalling that it took our legal system over three years to finally figure out that this case should be dismissed. I suspect that Lisa’s life has been ruined. She should not have had to spend one day in prison. What ever happened to “innocent until proven guilty”? What happened to our sixth amendment “right to a speedy and public trial”? Shame on everyone involved, the detectives, the medical experts, and the prosecuting attorneys for their negligence, incompetence, maliciousness, and/or their dishonesty throughout this tragic travesty. And the public foots the bill for this blatant injustice, and will likely pay even more when this poor woman sues the pants off of these circus clowns. It is time for some major reform!
The police in this Valley of the Sun are extremely incompetent. Obviously the medical examiner is too as they did not even do a proper autopsy. I have been a victim of the police here not doing their job correctly. Too many badge heavy police with egos trying to make a name for themselves same as the med examiner and the hospital. This poor woman, since she was last with baby let's just blame her? What the hell is that? The incompetency that goes on in police departments as well as prosecutors etc. should all be made aware to the people of this valley and people better take warning, this could happen to you.
It's happened to our family . The legal system in AZ is just WRONG! A very unhappy/cheating wife made her daughter lie to the police there and said my brother molested her . They arrested him & charged him with 8+ acts to a child , no examination was done and the girl ( stepdaughter ) changed her story multiple times ! CPS took the girl and guess where her mom went? She left the state and left her kid in CPS's care while she went to her boyfriends home in Chicago. Wendy Dutton also testified at my brothers trial as an EXPERT WITNESS ( BS ) , what she didn't tell the court was that , there was another child in that home who gave a statement that nothing happened but THEY forgot to push the record button when they interviewed her . We couldn't afford a lawyer so his fate was left in the hands of AZ courts . They gave him 63 years for crimes he did not do . So to read this story , I can honestly say that I know what nightmare her family went through ... My deepest condolences to the Dillon's family , I'm very sorry for your loss . Lisa , I hope that life treats you so much better these days , it's not easy to FORGET but I hope you can get past that nightmare and start living your life again with family and friends who obviously adore you . God Bless ,Chicago Family
This woman's life is ruined forever! Too bad the law has people working for it that are more intended on winning a badge of fame than actually finding the truth! This state, in it's courtrooms, over and over again, has ignored the law itself in determining a verdict. Judges, prosecuting attorneys, etc... there should be an investigation of Arizona in general, it's disgusting.
I'm not even finished reading the entire article and know from experience the rediculous crap this poor woman has suffered. Now, I wasn't there and don't know all of the details, but can tell you Phoenix Children's Hospital gets paid to try to incriminate innocent parents and caregivers and that it is part of their policy. I can see these damned doctors trying to make a name for themselves instead of using their medical knowledge to give THE FACTS! I know because my now 5 year old son was once given one bite of a peanut butter sandwhich while I was away at work. My sister was his sitter at the time. I never leave my son in any care provider's hands for a full day eventhough I pay full price day care. I was not told until I called to say I was running late that day, that my son had had an allergic reaction. When the scenario was explained to me I knew immediately my child had had an anaphylactic reaction to the peanut butter. My sister assured me he was fine. When I arrived I saw contusions and swelling consistent with a suddenb histamine reaction. Eventhough hours later my child was still quite swollen across the entire region of the face. My sister and back up sitter had only monitored him, reporting there had been no irregularities in his breathing. They had not sought emergency medical attention and had used home remedies to abate the condition. I thought, saw and reacted differently. I took him to Phoenix Children's Hospital along with the child's father. We arrived approximately 6 hours after initial onset of the condition which I wasn't even made aware of until after the first 4 hours and that being by phone.
Upon arriving I made the intake nurse aware of the condition of adverse reaction to a food stuff. I was treated incredulously for having the ability to possess medical knowledge of my child's injuries. To the point of being bullied by the attending nurse. I finally confronted the nurse and told him I would not be harrassed or challenged and would kindly wait for the doctor. When the doctor (not doctor in training) arrived he diagnosed my son with peanut allergy and prescribed appropriate meds along with an epi pen I have to this day!
Having thought I was rudely received, but yet also havingg received excellent and immediate care I thought we'd be leaving. To my surprise I was made to passively wait for nearly an hour for what I thought was a simple paper release since we had already received meds. To my surprise, another doctor, who was not a part of the original assessment team walked in, introduced himself and began to ask surreptitious questions. At first, I did not know what was going on, but then it hit me! I had been flagged for possible child abuse because I brought my child to a hospital that is PAID to imply child abuse on innocent victims to continue to receive funding. SO even when their is NO LEGITIMATE concern of child abuse, the hospital and many of the doctor's FABRICATE it so their filthy pockets get filled!!!!
For those unfortunate victims who comply, the ball of was only gets bigger. I stopped it immediately, confronting that doctor as well. I told him I would not participate in his profiling of a Woman of Color since I brought my child immediately to the hospital to get help for his condition as I am not a doctor and can't prescribe an epi pen!
Granted, there are people who might mask symptoms, but generally their cover ups can be seen straight through with those who have medical knowledge. The doctor doesn't normally walk in and agree with the condition of fact, find the exact symptoms match the described incident, etc. I walked out on the sneaky idiot and I have a feeling this grandmother could have done the same waaaaay up front and saved her and her family a lot of heartache! Cooperating with idiots never insures your sanity or freedoms. Though I think the woman in this article should NOT have been watching 11 children at one time alone (and of course who can be sure that potential fact has been accurately reported even), still, my heart goes out to her, the deceased and fam as well as the frightening circumstance she has found herself in. I hope she sues the bastards!!!
My daughter is a victim of shaken baby syndrom... the same thing happened to my daughter that happened to Dillion, symptom wise. She was being abused by her father and had many of the symptoms. She had a dr visit two weeks prior with a "viral infection" and then had the subdurial bleeding in her brain. The first hospital did a CT scan and an MRI on her and immediately flew us to a children's hospital. Of course I was the one who took her so I was immediately questioned. Then, they questioned her father. She has many, many difficulties today. I am very fortuntate that she did not pass unlike baby Dillon. I know that Lisa may not have done this, but it looks like maybe a parent? There were three people and it looks like only the last one was throughly looked at......
What a tragic story. My heart goes out to Dillon's family, Lisa and her family as well. This woman did not hurt this sweet little baby. I would bet my own life on it. I hope someday soon all will be at peace with this.
Where'd all the comments go? No more option to 'Show more'? These new boards need a little fixin'.
She had one baby die in her care before. Why was that never brought up? And as far as her saying that her only brush with the law was when she was 16? That is a bald face LIE. She had police called on her for BEATING HER OWN NIECE. The police officer that responded to that 911 call was her neighbor, who let her leave without so much as a warning. Lisa and her family are a bunch of liars and manipulators.
Wow. You are so full of shit. Not one thing you just said is accurate. You clearly have all of this wrong. You have no sources, because your information is incorrect. Give it up already.
I have to wonder who would feel the need to make stuff up. It seems like all of her former clients like her and many came to her defense, and while it doesn't specify how the parents of Dillon feel now, it sure doesn't sound like they're vindictive, and it sounds like they may be questioning her guilt as well.
How can anyone look after 11 children? This is ridiculous. I had one child and looked after her day and night. It was a full-time job. Ten other kids would have put me in an institution. And, of course I was at home all the time.
Wow... horrible choice of graphic. What else can you expect from a free publication who's "paper" consists of mostly tattoo parlor ads and bar specials. With your main demographic being drunken students about to fail out of college after finding out their one night stand is/got them pregnant, you probably don't have to worry about offending anyone, right?
The Medical community would rather put a parent or daycare worker in prison than admit the thousands of children every year die from unnessesary vaccinations and even more are mentally damaged or their immune systems are damaged beyond repair. This is the biggest tradgedy in America today.
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