Newborn Declared Dead and Found Alive at Wake Later Dies, Prompting Multiple Investigations

Overview

• The Acre health department reported the death at 23:15 on Oct. 26 from septic shock and neonatal sepsis after treatment in the neonatal ICU.
• Homicide detectives seized medical records and opened a 30-day inquiry to assess compliance with protocols and whether negligence could amount to culpable homicide.
• The medical team that certified the death was removed from duty while an internal audit by the state health authority proceeds.
• Forensic examinations by the Rio Branco medical examiner's office are in progress, with officials saying conclusions depend on full case and document analysis.
• The family, transferred from Pauini for advanced care, found the newborn alive in the coffin roughly 12 hours after the hospital declared death and prepared the body.