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Schumer seeks better research into child deaths

Posted at 8:00 AM, Nov 17, 2014
and last updated 2015-11-12 08:00:55-05

Sen. Charles Schumer is pushing legislation that would require improved research, investigation techniques and reporting protocols used after sudden unexplained death among infants and children.

Schumer will stand with impacted parents in Rochester and Buffalo Monday to say that current protocols for doctors, medical examiners and law enforcement are inadequate and inconsistent.

Schumer says there are more than 4,600 sudden unexpected infant deaths each year nationwide, over 25,000 stillbirths, and 200 children between 1 to 4 years old who die without a clear cause.

He said the most recent annual data shows New York had 46 sudden infant deaths, 61 deaths of unspecified cause, and 17 due to accidental suffocation in bed.