Death in the Family

by John Chipman

In this national bestseller, a work of vigorous reporting, deep compassion and unerring integrity, award-winning journalist and documentarian John Chipman investigates the lives left ruined in the wake of Dr. Charles Smith's ignominious career.In the mid-'90s, the Ontario Coroner's office decided that death investigation teams needed to "think dirty." They wanted coroners, pathologists and police to be more suspicious--to "assume that all deaths are homicides until satisfied that they are not." They were particularly concerned about pediatric deaths, which historically had been exceedingly difficult to investigate. There were usually no witnesses; no evidence to gather at the scene; no outward signs of trauma on the body. If the pathologist did not discover the truth of what had happened, child abuse could go uncovered.      Among those charged to "think dirty" was Dr. Charles Smith, Ontario's top pediatric forensic pathologist at the time. But with virtually no training in forensics, Dr. Smith was ill prepared for his work. Instead of basing his judgments on forensic evidence found during autopsies, he allowed himself to be swayed by circumstantial evidence. The defendants were often single mothers--some on welfare, some struggling with substance abuse. And they made for easy targets. Dr. Smith made dangerous assumptions, and the results were catastrophic. Numerous individuals were pronounced guilty, and incarcerated, on his shaky evidence.     This penetrating investigative work explores the wide ripples of destruction caused when the justice system fails, the burden felt by ethical individuals working within that system and the importance of its victims finally being heard.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Canada, Medical

429 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 10, 2017

Reviews

[Debra Komar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am torn about this book (and - full disclosure - I know some of the doctors detailed here). Chipman relays four cases in which parents are charged with child abuse causing death based on the testimony of many doctors, including Charles Smith. Professional organizations later discredited Smith, finding serious fault with his opinions and questioning his qualifications.

Chipman goes for emotion here, and as a result the stories are powerful. It is difficult to judge how accurate they are - Chipman includes a list of sources at the back of the book but there are no citations or footnotes linking specific pieces of information to their source. Much of it reads as "creative non-fiction" and as a result, it's hard to know when the author is taking creative license and when there is credible information behind it. If Chipman wants full audience trust, he needs to make the sources of his information more transparent.

The other drawback to the book is that Chipman - who has no medical background - claims the moral high ground in a work that is meant to enrage the reader. The piece would have been far more effective had Chipman taken a more neutral stance, allowing the readers to decide for themselves what happened here. The reason I point out Chipman's lack of medical credentials is that he relies heavily on the opinions of those who support his thesis while discounting the opinions of those who disagree with him. The bias in this book is obvious from the cover. I'm not supporting or apologizing for Dr. Smith - I am simply saying that medical opinion is not as black and white as Chipman seems to believe.

The court room sections need a serious edit and the autopsy sections are repetitious. Chipman knows how to tell an emotional story - it is the aspect of the book that works best - but he is a long way from objective and it threatens the books credibility in the end.

[Tracy Hollen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Terri Durling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thorough investigative book into the horror that Dr. Charles Smith, a Canadian pediatric pathologist, created when he helped convict innocent parents of their children’s deaths and allowed a murderer to go free. Although I am usually a fan of true crime, this was a very difficult read as it involved innocent children and took place in Canada where I live. Much of the book centres around four children, although Dr. Smith was responsible for many more botched cases that deeply affected those related to the victims. Some of these parents ended up serving time for crimes they did not commit; others spent many years trying to prove their innocence. Justice was served when Dr. Smith was investigated and his work was found to have not been carried out unprofessionally, and without actual evidence to back up his opinions which led to many false accusations. Having just lost a child, I can’t imagine the pain of then being accused of murdering them. This book is deeply disturbing and definitely not for the faint of heart. It is thoroughly researched but there is a lot of detail and I was lost trying to get through some of it, especially the legal parts. The good thing is that Dr. Smith was finally held responsible for his actions but, for the parents, it does not bring back their child or erase the years of being labelled the murderer of your own child. There is an episode on W5 featuring two of the parents wrongly accused and the subsequent downfall of Dr. Charles Smith. He has never apologized to the parents whose lives were forever changed by his actions.

[Patricia Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is really about dr.charles smith who was a Ontario s top pediatric forensic pathologist. he had no training in forensic s nearly half of the autopsies he did in suspicious deaths were wrong and the mothers went to jail for killing their children. families were ruined and reputations were also. these women spent years in jail as a result of his findings he was never criminally charged for these and only had his licence taken away so he cannot work any where in Canada. but the damage to these families were hard to understand.instead of treating them as a grieving parent that lost a child they were accused and charged.....this book is a must read I got it from my daughter and before that my mother read it..i would recommend this book to everyone....a number 1 book.....

[Erin Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as a giveaway on Goodreads, and found it to be a well written and informative read. It says a lot about the cracks in our criminal justice system, and how human error can completely alter a life. Parts of it read like a court room transcript, but you really felt the pain and humanity in each of these stories. Chipman's writing really drew you in so well that you truly can't read it without feeling anger against Dr. Smith and shattering remorse for the families he destroyed. This book is a fantastic piece of journalism. I couldn't put it down. "Death in the Family" is a marvelous, timely, humane, gripping read, loaded with insight, and shedding light on one of the most egregious series of miscarriages of justice in Ontario’s history.

[Cait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy, this book will make you MAD.

I found Chipman's narrative to be very detailed and engaging, even when dealing with complex medical and legal terminology. It's unbelievable the miscarriages of justice under Dr. Charles Smith went unrecognized for so long, even despite numerous complaints and official repudiations.

Overall a very good read, though at times it can be a bit dense due to the aforementioned heavy terminology and subject matter.

[Marnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death in the Family was illuminating to read. I was familiar with the subject matter prior to cracking the book's cover but I was gripped right from the start. A true story that has permanently impacted the lives of so many innocent people, the author left me in tears at times with his superb writing. I would not hesitate to recommend this book.

[Mrs. Danvers · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's kind of terrifying to think about the fragility of life of a baby or toddler, and to suffer the horror of also being accused and convicted of murdering that child is almost impossible to fathom. This is a tough book to read.

[Lauren Hannough-Bergmans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular study of a few significant cases Smith provided his "expert" opinion on. This is a particular area of interest of mine so I had a feeling that I would enjoy it. Not for the faint of heart.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot of frustrating heartbreak in this book, but what stands out to me is the pitifully low fines paid out by the negligent former doctor - around $2500 weighed against families destroyed, prison sentences served, and dozens of flawed “expert opinions” relied on.

[Trudy Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of how child forensic pathologist Dr Smiths shoddy workmanship led to wrongful convictions, sex predators not being charged and child killers getting away. After hearing a story I bought the book. The details can be mind numbing but the stories are fascinating.

[Sarca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Charles Smith: What a retched man. This book truly made me lose faith in our coroners and pathologists to see the facts for what they are, not use our loved ones to push some child abuse agenda. This guy ruined lives! A fascinating read. Unbelievable, unforgettable.

[Anabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories dragged on and on. There was too much emphasis scrutinizing each details on the autopsies and later on second, third opinions from other pathologists I felt it was an episode from Forensic Files. Alot of focus was spent on dissecting autopsy reports. But basically in a nutshell Smith is a quack who was stripped of his license long after he destroyed the reputation and lives of those people.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. All of the stories of the affected families were very sad.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Death In the Family” which I won through Goodreads Giveaways is a well-researched and careful analysis of the lives shattered by the incompetent, negligence of a top Ontario pediatric forensic pathologist at a time when there was a growing concern about an increase in unexplained pediatric deaths in the province. John Chipman investigates four cases of anguished victims often single mothers charged in the murder of their young children based on Smith’s flawed assumptions and circumstantial evidence.

This renowned investigative journalist delves into the heart of the cases that had one young woman spending eleven years of her life behind bars and losing the son she was pregnant with when imprisoned. Only one of the four women had the support of a father who against all odds was willing to prove her innocence, while the others living on welfare and in some cases with drug problems had to struggle to prove their blamelessness. Well-written and stirring it tugs at your heart-strings especially when a mother of a murdered child continues to fight against the violation of her rights after the killer is found and her innocence is acknowledged.

Set against a background of “thinking dirty” assuming all deaths are homicides when the police used the aggressive and accusatory Red Technique to gain a confession, complaints against the pathologist went unresolved, and the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) took decisive action before guilt was proven and the accused were pregnant, John Chipman provides a searing story of pain and suffering due to misguided justice.

Blending legal and medical terminology and evaluations the author builds an in-depth look at each of the victims (children and their parents), but especially those who faced incarceration and the ruination of their lives. Emotionally-charged and riveting I couldn’t put this book down until the end and I highly recommend it.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth look at several of the cases of alleged child abuse that occurred as a result of the incompetence of coroner Charles Smith. While the book is very thoroughly researched, it reads rather like a court document for much of the narrative and can be confusing at times. That being said, the author still manages to do a good job of making Smith's victims sympathetic and real.

Overall, an intense look at how the Ontario justice system completely failed a number of grieving parents which is informative but not terribly entertaining.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review.

[Niki Monague · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️

TW: child abuse, neglect, SIDS, death of children, wrongfully accused.

This was an on/off read for me and my second time reading this book. It is a collection of various true real life cases from Dr Charles Smith a Coroner in Ontario from the 90s who was involved in several autopsy’s of children who died unexpectedly, in many cases the family members were wrongfully accused.

For me this book hit close to home because of the location of many of these cases, not far off and many of these are places I’ve either visited or drove through.

Tags; Canadian true crime, thriller, death, Ontario

[Joann TRAVIS · Rating 5 out of 5]

there are 4 stories of a child that has died and dr.smith that performed the autopsy. each story is in Ontario Canada it tell the story of what they went through because of the doctors wrong findings.,this book is written with a lot of information..my grandmother read the book also and gives it 5 out of 5 a book that all people would enjoy.......no one can understand what these families went through as a result of dr.smiths findings....

[Huguette Larochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

i win this book. i enjoy the book about dr Smith. family where torn apart because of his mistakes .
this book is very interesting , the stories of 4 family destroy by him.
One of the baby stories happen in my town and rest in the cemetery near me so sad stories .

[Olga]

Riveting! How could someone supposedly in authority get away with all that? It boggles the mind. Even though i watched interviews on tv, i couldnt wait to finish this book and see the out comes.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad losses. Frustrating legal system. But hopeful outcomes. Highly recommend this book based on real tragedies which occurred right here in Ontario

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An in-depth researched book on the miscarriages of justice facilitated by Charles Smith. The book is very well written and almost reads as fiction. It is like a horrific car accident you cannot look away from.

[Dale Crangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book shocked at the injustices that were facilitated by Dr. Smith and his incompetence/lack of professionalism.

The book is not for the faint-of-heart, as it goes into somewhat graphic detail about the deaths of some of the children, but the book's subject was interesting to me and the author's style flowed well for the most part, making this an interesting read.

Some of the courtroom sections were a bit dry and slightly hard to follow, so I think it could have used a bit more editing to make these sections flow better. Direct quotes were used from the trials, which can be dry, often technical medical terms which made it occasionally hard to follow.

In the end, I'm glad I read this book and learned a lot about a piece of Canadian criminal justice history that everyone should learn from.