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Death by smothering following forced quetiapine administration in an infant

Michael Philip Burke1, Dip Forens Path, Suhail Alamad

  • 1Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Australia. michaelb@vifp.monash.edu.au

The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology
|August 24, 2004
PubMed

We present a case of smothering of a 2-year-old male infant by his schizophrenic mother who was having a psychotic episode. In addition to the initial autopsy findings of conjunctival petechial hemorrhages, facial linear abrasions and bruises, and mucosal abrasions and bruises, expert odontologic examination revealed indentations of the cusps of central incisors and molars, providing additional evidence of smothering. The postmortem and toxicological examination revealed features of forced quetiapine administration. The case presented is the first case of forced administration of quetiapine described. Our case also highlights the value of expert forensic odontological examination.

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