Crib death is always a tragedy, but in a handful of cases it may also mask cold-blooded murder.
Sudden infant death syndrome is the unexpected death of an infant or baby in which an autopsy can’t pinpoint the cause.
It’s believed to occur in 1 of every 1,000 live births in the United States and there’s a variety of risk factors: women who smoke during pregnancy, premature birth, and babies who suffer interruptions of breathing, or apnea.
But some recent high-profile cases of phony SIDS have made medical and legal authorities much more sensitive to “crib death” cases.
Philadelphia mom Marie Noe, 70, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years probation after it was determined she had killed eight of her 10 babies between 1949 and 1968.
Tioga County, N.Y., mom Waneta Hoyt was accused of smothering her five infants in the 1960s and 1970s. Her conviction was recently overturned because she never had a chance to have her appeal heard.