Fort Bragg investigates infant deaths

By Eve Meinhardt
Paraglide

Two unexplained infant deaths in the same Fort Bragg house prompted officials to begin an investigation into the children’s cause of death.

The deaths occurred within three months of each other in 2009. Fort Bragg has seen 10 unexplained infant deaths in the last four years.

The Fort Bragg Criminal Investigation Command in cooperation with the Fort Bragg leadership, Womack Army Medical Center Preventive Medicine and other agencies are currently investigating two of the deaths and reviewing the remaining eight cases.

“Army CID has found no concrete information or evidence showing any causal linkage in these deaths,” said Chris Grey, CID public affairs officer, at a press conference Tuesday.

Grey went on to say that there were no obvious signs of foul play in any of the deaths.
Of the 10 deaths, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology ruled seven of the deaths as undetermined and one was attributed as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. There is no determination to date on the two cases under investigation. The children were all between the ages of 2 weeks and 1 year old.

The two infant deaths in the same quarters were preceded by an infant death in November 2007 at the same location. The first death occurred outside the home at an off-post daycare facility.
The fact that three of the infants were residing at same address brought the issue to the command’s attention, said Brig. Gen. Michael Garrett, chief of staff, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg.

Each of the houses where the children died has been tested for a variety of possible issues from air quality to black mold. All tests so far have come up negative, including the test for the presence of Chinese drywall, a defective form of drywall that has been blamed for a variety of issues in other locations across the country, from corroding electrical wires to numerous health problems, according to complaints lodged with the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Grey said that the names of the infants, as well as the locations of the houses and neighborhoods will remain confidential to maintain the integrity of the investigation and protect the rights of the Families.

The house where the three infants lived is currently vacant and will remain so until a determination is made, added Garrett.

“We are very concerned about this and have taken, and will continue to take, active measures to determine if there are any possible links between the causes of these deaths,” he said.

While there is no causal link in the 10 deaths, Dr. (Col.) Jeffrey Kingsbury, chief of Preventive Medicine, WAMC, said parents can immediately address some of the risk factors for SIDS by modifying their behavior. He said that parents should avoid smoking in the home and not put additional items in the crib, such as stuffed animals. Kingsbury also stressed that babies should sleep on their backs, which significantly reduces the risk of SIDS.

Colonel Stephen Sicinski, Fort Bragg garrison commander, said that there are about 270 births each month at WAMC, making it one of the busiest maternity wards in the Army. While not all the babies born at WAMC live in on-post houses, there are over 6,200 Families living on Fort Bragg.
Sicinski said that anyone living on post who is concerned about their quarters, should bring their concerns forward. He said that anyone with health concerns should visit their primary care physician.

John Shay, program manager, Picerne Military Housing, said each house on post is inspected and must meet the same specifications as a houses off post to receive an occupancy certificate. Additionally, each house contains hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

While the houses do undergo regular inspections and meet building codes, any resident with concerns about their living quarters can request an additional inspection at any time by contacting their neighborhood center.

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