Inexplicable Child Deaths: Medicolegal Death Investigation Resources from the SUDC Foundation and the SUDC Registry and Research Collaborative

Every year in the US, about 400 children between one and 18 years of age die suddenly and unexpectedly without a known cause (1). Over 60% of these deaths are toddlers, aged one to four years, representing the fifth leading category of deaths for this age group (1). In 2005, the term SUDC—or sudden unexplained death in childhood—was first described. Defined as the sudden and unexpected death of a child 12 months and older that remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation is conducted, it must include examination of the death scene, performance of a complete autopsy, and a review of the child's and family's medical history (2). Sudden unexpected death in childhood is not a diagnosis, but a category of death that currently eludes our scientific understanding yet conveys a subcategory of undermined deaths that are comprehensive and not deemed suspicious