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The Death of Innocents: A True Story of Murder, Medicine, and High-Stake Science
Unraveling a twenty-five-year tale of multiple murder and medical deception, The Death of Innocents is a work of first-rate journalism told with the compelling narrative drive of a mystery novel. More than just a true-crime story, it is the stunning expose of spurious science that sent medical researchers in the wrong direction--and nearly allowed a murderer to go unpunished.
On July 28, 1971, a two-and-a-half-month-old baby named Noah Hoyt died in his trailer home in a rural hamlet of upstate New York. He was the fifth child of Waneta and Tim Hoyt to die suddenly in the space of seven years. People certainly talked, but Waneta spoke vaguely of "crib death," and over time the talk faded.
Nearly two decades later a district attorney in Syracuse, New York, was alerted to a landmark paper in the literature on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome--SIDS--that had been published in a prestigious medical journal back in 1972. Written by a prominent researcher at a Syracuse medical center, the article described a family in which five children had died suddenly without explanation. The D.A. was convinced that something about this account was very wrong. An intensive quest by a team of investigators came to a climax in the spring of 1995, in a dramatic multiple-murder trial that made headlines nationwide.
But this book is not only a vivid account of infanticide revealed; it is also a riveting medical detective story. That journal article had legitimized the deaths of the last two babies by theorizing a cause for the mystery of SIDS, suggesting it could be predicted and prevented, and fostering the presumption that SIDS runs in families. More than two decades of multimillion-dollar studies have failed to confirm any of these widely accepted premises. How all this happened--could have happened--is a compelling story of high-stakes medical research in action. And the enigma of familial SIDS has given rise to a special and terrible irony. There is today a maxim in forensic pathology: One unexplained infant death in a family is SIDS. Two is very suspicious. Three is homicide.
On July 28, 1971, a two-and-a-half-month-old baby named Noah Hoyt died in his trailer home in a rural hamlet of upstate New York. He was the fifth child of Waneta and Tim Hoyt to die suddenly in the space of seven years. People certainly talked, but Waneta spoke vaguely of "crib death," and over time the talk faded.
Nearly two decades later a district attorney in Syracuse, New York, was alerted to a landmark paper in the literature on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome--SIDS--that had been published in a prestigious medical journal back in 1972. Written by a prominent researcher at a Syracuse medical center, the article described a family in which five children had died suddenly without explanation. The D.A. was convinced that something about this account was very wrong. An intensive quest by a team of investigators came to a climax in the spring of 1995, in a dramatic multiple-murder trial that made headlines nationwide.
But this book is not only a vivid account of infanticide revealed; it is also a riveting medical detective story. That journal article had legitimized the deaths of the last two babies by theorizing a cause for the mystery of SIDS, suggesting it could be predicted and prevented, and fostering the presumption that SIDS runs in families. More than two decades of multimillion-dollar studies have failed to confirm any of these widely accepted premises. How all this happened--could have happened--is a compelling story of high-stakes medical research in action. And the enigma of familial SIDS has given rise to a special and terrible irony. There is today a maxim in forensic pathology: One unexplained infant death in a family is SIDS. Two is very suspicious. Three is homicide.
640 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
January 30, 2019
"Years later, it seemed a perverse irony that the unearthing had begun with the conception of a baby"
Although Waneta Hoyt is the headlining murderer in The Death of Innocents this fantastic book isn’t just about her. Partly a study of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and partly an insight into a behavioural disorder called Munchausen by Proxy, this is one of the more hard hitting true crime books I’ve read.
In 1972 Dr Alfred Steinschneider published a paper that theorised a connection between sleep apnea and SIDS. He even designed a machine which supposedly alerted worried parents if their child was suffering a bout of sleep apnea thus preventing the cot or crib death. Before and even after the article was discredited Steinschneider accrued a great deal of fame and wealth. What wasn’t realised until many years later was that these ‘SIDS’ cases could actually have been murder.
This introduces the books other subject of Munchausen by Proxy (MSBP), which primarily is where the mother will fabricate or cause medical symptoms in their infant child in an attempt to seek sympathy. Simply put: hurting their child to seek attention. But as the authorities and indeed the nurses and doctors discover it’s difficult to prove.
The book was an astonishing lesson in subjects I wouldn’t have thought of reading into and just proves the world is a messed up and complex place. Mothers murdering their children isn’t anything unique in history but when you add a complicated mental disorder like MSBP not only is it horrifying but at the same time it’s pretty sad. I was left with a feeling of equal parts anger and melancholia.
For anyone who enjoys a long drawn out investigation with an infinite amount of scientific intrigue, involved detective work and emotional depth then I recommend this book.
Although Waneta Hoyt is the headlining murderer in The Death of Innocents this fantastic book isn’t just about her. Partly a study of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and partly an insight into a behavioural disorder called Munchausen by Proxy, this is one of the more hard hitting true crime books I’ve read.
In 1972 Dr Alfred Steinschneider published a paper that theorised a connection between sleep apnea and SIDS. He even designed a machine which supposedly alerted worried parents if their child was suffering a bout of sleep apnea thus preventing the cot or crib death. Before and even after the article was discredited Steinschneider accrued a great deal of fame and wealth. What wasn’t realised until many years later was that these ‘SIDS’ cases could actually have been murder.
This introduces the books other subject of Munchausen by Proxy (MSBP), which primarily is where the mother will fabricate or cause medical symptoms in their infant child in an attempt to seek sympathy. Simply put: hurting their child to seek attention. But as the authorities and indeed the nurses and doctors discover it’s difficult to prove.
The book was an astonishing lesson in subjects I wouldn’t have thought of reading into and just proves the world is a messed up and complex place. Mothers murdering their children isn’t anything unique in history but when you add a complicated mental disorder like MSBP not only is it horrifying but at the same time it’s pretty sad. I was left with a feeling of equal parts anger and melancholia.
For anyone who enjoys a long drawn out investigation with an infinite amount of scientific intrigue, involved detective work and emotional depth then I recommend this book.
September 20, 2017
This is a very well-written but l-o-o-o-o-n-g book that narrates a historical situation in which Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) intersects with a psychological disorder called Munchausen by proxy to illuminate a curious slice of cultural history in the United States.
I think I can write this without spoiling the denouement, since it IS historical fact and a reader might likely read about it from news sources besides this book. To me, the fascinating thing is that it relates the story of a psychology researcher about SIDS when he writes a study that shows that, according to his experiments and observations, SIDS can be predicted by sleep apnea episodes in infants. The study makes the scientist the leading figure in SIDS research in the U.S., and his ego seems to rise in proportion to his fame to the point that if he hasn't been involved in a SIDS study, it's likely inaccurate or inauthentic. The problem that he has is that he's such a great salesman for his own idea that he starts to neglect the statistical basis for his thesis, which is that SIDS occurs in families and one death by SIDS is a likely predictor of another death in that family.
The huge irony of this viewpoint is that the clinical study on which the researcher bases his entire argument is one of a family who suffers five consecutive crib deaths. His deductions on how this could happen or how it could have been prevented is rendered moot when the issue turns out to be not one of bad luck, but intentional infanticide. One mother has four infants and one toddler die on her when no one else is there to witness the death, and from this story an entire theory is based on how crib deaths happen. But as it turns out, the mother turns out to have smothered her children because she has Munchausen by proxy syndrome, in which she injures or kills her children to draw more attention to herself, since she is greatly dependent of the attention of others for her own self-esteem.
So there are two conflicting themes here: The first is one of the increasing hubris of the researcher who thinks he is ultimately the single national authority on SIDS, and the increasingly flimsy case that represents his thesis--flimsy because the children have been murdered by their mother and don't represent SIDS cases at all.
The book is a long, long read, but it's very insightful both for the revelations of human nature as scientists fight with one another to be right, lawyers do the same thing, and the truth turns out to be totally different from what either group is projecting. The truth, however, is not discovered until the entire SIDS phenomenon turns out to be much different than first thought.
I'm not making this sound very exciting, but the book is actually fascinating as investigators disclose that the emperor's new clothes turn out not to exist.
I think I can write this without spoiling the denouement, since it IS historical fact and a reader might likely read about it from news sources besides this book. To me, the fascinating thing is that it relates the story of a psychology researcher about SIDS when he writes a study that shows that, according to his experiments and observations, SIDS can be predicted by sleep apnea episodes in infants. The study makes the scientist the leading figure in SIDS research in the U.S., and his ego seems to rise in proportion to his fame to the point that if he hasn't been involved in a SIDS study, it's likely inaccurate or inauthentic. The problem that he has is that he's such a great salesman for his own idea that he starts to neglect the statistical basis for his thesis, which is that SIDS occurs in families and one death by SIDS is a likely predictor of another death in that family.
The huge irony of this viewpoint is that the clinical study on which the researcher bases his entire argument is one of a family who suffers five consecutive crib deaths. His deductions on how this could happen or how it could have been prevented is rendered moot when the issue turns out to be not one of bad luck, but intentional infanticide. One mother has four infants and one toddler die on her when no one else is there to witness the death, and from this story an entire theory is based on how crib deaths happen. But as it turns out, the mother turns out to have smothered her children because she has Munchausen by proxy syndrome, in which she injures or kills her children to draw more attention to herself, since she is greatly dependent of the attention of others for her own self-esteem.
So there are two conflicting themes here: The first is one of the increasing hubris of the researcher who thinks he is ultimately the single national authority on SIDS, and the increasingly flimsy case that represents his thesis--flimsy because the children have been murdered by their mother and don't represent SIDS cases at all.
The book is a long, long read, but it's very insightful both for the revelations of human nature as scientists fight with one another to be right, lawyers do the same thing, and the truth turns out to be totally different from what either group is projecting. The truth, however, is not discovered until the entire SIDS phenomenon turns out to be much different than first thought.
I'm not making this sound very exciting, but the book is actually fascinating as investigators disclose that the emperor's new clothes turn out not to exist.
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October 28, 2016Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up, truth is always stranger than fiction. There are two stories in The Death of Innocents:
The first is about Dr. Alfred Steinschneider who based his clinical research on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) on the actions of a serial murderer. In 1970 and 1971 Waneta Hoyt lost two children, Steinschneider used these deaths to base his SIDS Research on sleep apnea as a cause of those deaths, he also indicated that it could be inherited trait. In October of 1971 Steinschneider published a paper in the Pediatrics Journal.
For the next two decades, the scientific and medical industries built a multi-million business of diagnosing SIDS as sleep apnea. Clinics were established that received generous funding from both the government and private sources, private enterprise stepped up to manufacture the home infant monitors, everyone got rich and famous but the babies kept dying.
The second story is about a prosecutor that had dealt with another suspicious SIDS death that found and doggedly followed Waneta Hoyt until he was able to bring her to justice.
The husband and wife writing team, do an excellent job of weaving the two stories together. There is no judgment in their writing, it is presented in a factual but readable way. It is an outstanding piece of investigating journalism.
Additional Links:
Wikipedia
Murderpedia
The first is about Dr. Alfred Steinschneider who based his clinical research on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) on the actions of a serial murderer. In 1970 and 1971 Waneta Hoyt lost two children, Steinschneider used these deaths to base his SIDS Research on sleep apnea as a cause of those deaths, he also indicated that it could be inherited trait. In October of 1971 Steinschneider published a paper in the Pediatrics Journal.
For the next two decades, the scientific and medical industries built a multi-million business of diagnosing SIDS as sleep apnea. Clinics were established that received generous funding from both the government and private sources, private enterprise stepped up to manufacture the home infant monitors, everyone got rich and famous but the babies kept dying.
The second story is about a prosecutor that had dealt with another suspicious SIDS death that found and doggedly followed Waneta Hoyt until he was able to bring her to justice.
The husband and wife writing team, do an excellent job of weaving the two stories together. There is no judgment in their writing, it is presented in a factual but readable way. It is an outstanding piece of investigating journalism.
Additional Links:
Wikipedia
Murderpedia
June 16, 2012
You will not put this book down and you will never forget it. Guaranteed.
October 1, 2010
Astonishing and griping non-fiction. A Munchausen by proxy murderer of five of her own infants went undetected for two decades, in great part due to a single flawed medical journal article. The back-story of the relentlessly ambitious M.D. who turned a blind eye to the “unthinkable” notion that a mother could murder her babies, was as frightening as the infanticides themselves. Rather than investigate the obvious (and many were voicing their concerns) he chose to advance his own career by fostering the presumption that SIDS ran in families. Enter the money-hungry medical device industry, and soon anxious mothers were purchasing expensive apnea monitors in the hopes that they could rescue infants from near-miss events. The authors did a meticulous job of research for this book. The chance event that started the investigation, the politics of academia, the frustration of the many investigators and observers, and finally the trial itself are documented in great detail. Those who remember the media focus on SIDS in the 70s and 80s will find this a jaw-dropping account. Forensic pathologists now accept that one unexplained infant death in a family is SIDS, two is suspicious, and three is homicide.
December 31, 2010
At least once, I was reading on the subway and missed my stop because I was so sucked-in that I forgot to look up! I haven't been this fascinated by a book in I couldn't tell you how long. I was expecting it to be, you know, interesting enough and all, but not anywhere near this enthralling. Most long-ish true crime books, I find myself about 100 pages in thinking "Are you serious? They are going to drag this out for 200 more pages when everyone already knows exactly how it turns out?" but this, I just wanted it to last forever.
April 28, 2016
The topic itself is both fascinating & horrifying! And there is so much that we the public would never have known about the 'behind the scenes' reasons for the SIDS diagnosis. However, the bulk of the book drags with too much agonizing detail over the doctors' research & becomes mind-numbing in areas. A wonderful topic, an incredible portrayal of the parents committing infanticide, but a little less could have made this a better read.
January 25, 2016
A riveting, shocking, true story of how a woman murdered 5 of her children and how a doctor unwittingly helped covered up the crime by coming up with a fraudulent science that masked the real cause of the children's deaths. A real page-turner and it was all real.
May 3, 2018
the investigation into SIDS and some of the scams and money grabbing quacks. One step at a time over into medical fraud masking murder.
March 16, 2019
If there is one thing that is weird and scary and unheard of it for me it is mothers who kill. If they do it because of a disorder which is called Munchausen Syndrome by proxy(not an excuse!!) or of other reasons. I have always been interested in this and have read quite a lot of books about it.
That said I have read about 1/3rd of this book and is excellent written. The characters in the book come to life.
It can anger me so much that because of selfish interest or politics or money people people think it is okay to look away. They still try to bury cases like this where parents kill their children and doctors say it is SIDS.
There are alot of cases where the doctors said it was sids but then they did find out the parents killed the child or children.
This does not mean every child dying of sids is being murdered but I do think doctors should keep an open mind and also listen to the nurses who see more than what they do.
Another book I forgot to update.
Highly recommend. Very well written. Great book. I had already read about this case but still enjoyed the read.
That said I have read about 1/3rd of this book and is excellent written. The characters in the book come to life.
It can anger me so much that because of selfish interest or politics or money people people think it is okay to look away. They still try to bury cases like this where parents kill their children and doctors say it is SIDS.
There are alot of cases where the doctors said it was sids but then they did find out the parents killed the child or children.
This does not mean every child dying of sids is being murdered but I do think doctors should keep an open mind and also listen to the nurses who see more than what they do.
Another book I forgot to update.
Highly recommend. Very well written. Great book. I had already read about this case but still enjoyed the read.
March 10, 2019
I don't know where to start.
Okay, this is an excellent book about a very complicated subject. Part of it is about Waneta Hoyt, a serial murderer whose targets were her own infants; part of it is about SIDS and apnea and the incredibly influential theory linking the two that was launched by a study including Hoyt's fourth and fifth babies--and the moral and ethical tangle caused by the fact that SIDS and infanticide (and/or Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy) look exactly the same. Firstman & Talan do an amazing job of laying all of this (including the evidence that discredits the apnea theory of SIDS) out clearly, in compelling language, and making it as easy to follow as is humanly possible.
It is a massive brick of a book (mine has gained character by being dropped in the bathtub), but I read it with absorbed attention from first to last.
The terrible thing is that Molly and Noah Hoyt could have been saved. The nurses at the medical center where they were being studied were convinced that their mother was causing their apneic spells, but the doctor in charge--the man with the theory--ignored them. Firstman & Talan find evidence of that happening in other hospitals, too: the person who could intervene to save a child's life is too blinded by their own theory to see the evidence in front of them. This is definitely a cautionary tale about the danger of having a theory (and, as Sherlock Holmes says, twisting the facts to suit it): people become so enamored of the theory, they stop actually analyzing the evidence, and they do massive harm to the babies they're supposed to be helping.
In comparison, Waneta Hoyt's evil is painfully straight-forward. She wanted her babies to stop crying, so they did.
Okay, this is an excellent book about a very complicated subject. Part of it is about Waneta Hoyt, a serial murderer whose targets were her own infants; part of it is about SIDS and apnea and the incredibly influential theory linking the two that was launched by a study including Hoyt's fourth and fifth babies--and the moral and ethical tangle caused by the fact that SIDS and infanticide (and/or Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy) look exactly the same. Firstman & Talan do an amazing job of laying all of this (including the evidence that discredits the apnea theory of SIDS) out clearly, in compelling language, and making it as easy to follow as is humanly possible.
It is a massive brick of a book (mine has gained character by being dropped in the bathtub), but I read it with absorbed attention from first to last.
The terrible thing is that Molly and Noah Hoyt could have been saved. The nurses at the medical center where they were being studied were convinced that their mother was causing their apneic spells, but the doctor in charge--the man with the theory--ignored them. Firstman & Talan find evidence of that happening in other hospitals, too: the person who could intervene to save a child's life is too blinded by their own theory to see the evidence in front of them. This is definitely a cautionary tale about the danger of having a theory (and, as Sherlock Holmes says, twisting the facts to suit it): people become so enamored of the theory, they stop actually analyzing the evidence, and they do massive harm to the babies they're supposed to be helping.
In comparison, Waneta Hoyt's evil is painfully straight-forward. She wanted her babies to stop crying, so they did.
October 30, 2017
I remember coming across excerpts from this book in Reader's Digest when I was about 8 or 9. (I was a weird kid.) The story of Waneta Hoyt, a New York housewife who smothered all of her children over a period of several years and in the process directed SIDS research into a dangerous tangent for several years when her explanations of the deaths were unquestioningly accepted as medical evidence, haunted me for years. Whenever a story about people killing their own children popped up, I'd immediately think of Hoyt.
But I never got around to reading the complete book on the story until this past week. It's fascinating but grim reading. The authors painstakingly researched the story and interviewed pretty much every person connected to the case. Hoyt is front and center, but she's really not the focus of the story. Instead, her story is grounded within the context of the SIDS research she affected.
I thought the researchers did a good job of balancing their discussion of SIDS with infanticide. They're sensitive to the concerns of parents whose children really did die of SIDS while also pointing out the horrifying number of cases that were overlooked. They also talk extensively about how a lot of the research that Hoyt sparked was not properly vetted. I appreciated that the authors were able to talk about complex scientific studies and concepts but still keep it understandable for laypeople like myself.
This is an interesting, compelling tale of both medicine and crime.
But I never got around to reading the complete book on the story until this past week. It's fascinating but grim reading. The authors painstakingly researched the story and interviewed pretty much every person connected to the case. Hoyt is front and center, but she's really not the focus of the story. Instead, her story is grounded within the context of the SIDS research she affected.
I thought the researchers did a good job of balancing their discussion of SIDS with infanticide. They're sensitive to the concerns of parents whose children really did die of SIDS while also pointing out the horrifying number of cases that were overlooked. They also talk extensively about how a lot of the research that Hoyt sparked was not properly vetted. I appreciated that the authors were able to talk about complex scientific studies and concepts but still keep it understandable for laypeople like myself.
This is an interesting, compelling tale of both medicine and crime.
February 28, 2011
A fascinating, distressing, draining, frustrating, triumphant beast of a book. Sarah was warned that it got a little dense regarding the SIDS information (that she took that to be a good sign that i would enjoy it speaks to her deep understanding of me), and it does, but it is also a true crime story as well as a courtroom drama with one of the most intriguing (not to say deeply disturbing) antagonists i've encountered in quite a while. I got this book for xmas and i just finished it yesterday, so know that it's a slog, but one that rewards the mud.
March 11, 2017
I would almost class this as a textbook - too long, convoluted & not an enjoyable read.
Certainly pin points the 'God ' syndrome that medical people can practice.
How many babies have we allowed to be misdiagnosed because doctors were 'god' personified?
Certainly pin points the 'God ' syndrome that medical people can practice.
How many babies have we allowed to be misdiagnosed because doctors were 'god' personified?
October 26, 2017
A lot of medical info
A little too much medical info for the average person. More about the families would have been better. Interesting but I am a nurse.
A little too much medical info for the average person. More about the families would have been better. Interesting but I am a nurse.
January 12, 2018
This was an amazing, stranger than fiction, well-documented investigation into the intertwining stories of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and infanticide. The authors take us through a lengthy, complex, but very readable accountoof how one scientist mistakenly led medical and legal experts to believe in the theory that SIDS could be prevented by monitoring infants thought to be at risk. This unproved theory also led him. to the mistaken belief that SIDS ran in families. He and the considerable part of the scientific community who "bought" his unproven theories led to child murder (of as many as five or more children in a family) to go undetected and unprosecuted.
The story begins with a father who was killing his children for insurance money under the disguise of SIDS deaths. This case brought the "seminal" paper connecting SIDS with apnea to the attention of a Syracuse attorney who began a search for the names of the family with 5 SIDS deaths who were what the apnea theory of SIDS was based on. The lawyer's suspicion was deepened when he discovered one of the children was over 2 years, old, far beyond the age where SIDS would be a factor. Thus began the case of the more than 20 year old murders that finally led to....well, the result is not really the story but t rather all the legal and medical maneuvering and research that ended in a blow by (interesting) blow account of the resultant trial.
The book is clearly the result of lengthy research and the intense literary effort required to weave the many strands into a cogent compelling story for which the authors won an Edgar award. The saga reveals much about the elusive causes of SIDS, how one scientist's ego propelled a false theory into "gospel truth, and spawned the profitable industry of baby monitors marketed to anxious, well meaning parents. The background of the family with five dead children is explored in depth as are the stories of many drawn into the legal and medical aspects of the case.
The book was published in 1997 so there has been much progress in differentiating SIDS deaths from homicide but the authors shine a light on the tightrope that must be walked in determining the cause of infant deaths. To their credit, the authors acknowledge the devastation caused by a SIDS death in the family while leaving some important insights into how sympathy and professional blindness cannot be allowed to leave some childrens deaths unchallenged and the perpetrators brought to justice thus saving the lives of subsequent endangered babies.
The story begins with a father who was killing his children for insurance money under the disguise of SIDS deaths. This case brought the "seminal" paper connecting SIDS with apnea to the attention of a Syracuse attorney who began a search for the names of the family with 5 SIDS deaths who were what the apnea theory of SIDS was based on. The lawyer's suspicion was deepened when he discovered one of the children was over 2 years, old, far beyond the age where SIDS would be a factor. Thus began the case of the more than 20 year old murders that finally led to....well, the result is not really the story but t rather all the legal and medical maneuvering and research that ended in a blow by (interesting) blow account of the resultant trial.
The book is clearly the result of lengthy research and the intense literary effort required to weave the many strands into a cogent compelling story for which the authors won an Edgar award. The saga reveals much about the elusive causes of SIDS, how one scientist's ego propelled a false theory into "gospel truth, and spawned the profitable industry of baby monitors marketed to anxious, well meaning parents. The background of the family with five dead children is explored in depth as are the stories of many drawn into the legal and medical aspects of the case.
The book was published in 1997 so there has been much progress in differentiating SIDS deaths from homicide but the authors shine a light on the tightrope that must be walked in determining the cause of infant deaths. To their credit, the authors acknowledge the devastation caused by a SIDS death in the family while leaving some important insights into how sympathy and professional blindness cannot be allowed to leave some childrens deaths unchallenged and the perpetrators brought to justice thus saving the lives of subsequent endangered babies.
September 10, 2017
This is an incredible story of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and the medical research that went into the classification of SIDS indelibly intertwined with the alleged murder of five young children, the oldest of which was two years and four months old. The two stories are interwoven with such skill that it is hard to determine where one leaves off and the other begins.
The New York Times writes, The Death of Innocents “…seamlessly weaves the tales of the earlier and later murder cases, separated by two decades, with the complicated scientific and social issues, the many disparate personalities, documents, interviews and dramatic moments. The book is paced like a thriller, and it will be read like one.” And it does. Mostly.
The middle third of the book does get bogged down in the exquisite detail that the authors give about the research portion of the story. There is a lot of infighting in the medical community and there is a bunch of back and forth. There is a ton of interesting information if you can get through it all. This section frequently feels like a textbook, and I caught myself wondering if I would be tested on the information at one point. It reads like a required reading for a class. But it isn’t for very long and isn’t the majority of the book.
The opening third and the closing third of the book are written with suspense and a general feel of whodunit. The characters are well portrayed and evocative. Each one pulls feelings from the reader that she may not want to give out. Sometimes it’s anger. Sometimes it’s pride. Sometimes it’s despair. Sometimes it’s elation. The emotions run deep in this story.
I enjoyed this book tremendously and I was hooked from the beginning. If medical mysteries and true crime are genres you enjoy, please pick up a copy of this book ASAP. You won’t be sorry.
The New York Times writes, The Death of Innocents “…seamlessly weaves the tales of the earlier and later murder cases, separated by two decades, with the complicated scientific and social issues, the many disparate personalities, documents, interviews and dramatic moments. The book is paced like a thriller, and it will be read like one.” And it does. Mostly.
The middle third of the book does get bogged down in the exquisite detail that the authors give about the research portion of the story. There is a lot of infighting in the medical community and there is a bunch of back and forth. There is a ton of interesting information if you can get through it all. This section frequently feels like a textbook, and I caught myself wondering if I would be tested on the information at one point. It reads like a required reading for a class. But it isn’t for very long and isn’t the majority of the book.
The opening third and the closing third of the book are written with suspense and a general feel of whodunit. The characters are well portrayed and evocative. Each one pulls feelings from the reader that she may not want to give out. Sometimes it’s anger. Sometimes it’s pride. Sometimes it’s despair. Sometimes it’s elation. The emotions run deep in this story.
I enjoyed this book tremendously and I was hooked from the beginning. If medical mysteries and true crime are genres you enjoy, please pick up a copy of this book ASAP. You won’t be sorry.
February 4, 2024
What a well researched book! In some places too well researched. This is more than just a true crime book. This is about the faulty (and I believe in this case deceptive) practices of medical research and how those practices can mislead not only medical practitioners, but other professionals and pave the way for criminal minded and mentally ill people to commit murder. I grew to strongly dislike Dr. Steinschneider. He really reminded me of the manipulative and deceitful Elizabeth Holmes (if you don’t know who she is read Bad Blood). As far as I’m concerned, the deaths of Molly and Noah Hoyt are also on Steinschneider’s hands. He was chasing fame and money without any regard for the safety of his helpless infant patients and returned them to the hands of a serial killer despite all the concerns expressed to him by the nursing staff and the signs anyone calling themselves a doctor should have seen. Put him behind bars with Elizabeth Holmes. Although important to the book, I found the section from page 287 to 425 called the Theory to be too long. Of course I loved the trial strategies and the cross examination of the experts was very educational to me. This book is worth the read. Once I hit page 425 I just couldn’t put it down. Medical research is not all what it’s cracked up to be. Common sense continues to be an important factor in life.
July 17, 2020
One of the books I've read twice. I read it when it was first published, and I read it again later after seeing an article reporting that the American Academy of Pediatrics was recommending that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) cases be reviewed by a child abuse expert.
This book caught my interest on several fronts: The crime described occurred in upstate New York south of where I grew up. My father lived in Syracuse from the mid-70s to the mid-90s and I was familiar with the names of the local politicians, the DA, etc. I did my graduate studies in Developmental Psychology and had a fellowship in clinical infant studies based in Washington, DC. Others in the same fellowship program came from Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, where Dr. Alfred Steinschneider worked in the early 70s doing work on sleep apnea in infants and its possible connection to SIDS.
Although the Hoyt case was initially taken to be evidence of a familial link for SIDS, further research failed to confirm any such link. (The incidence of SIDS worldwide dropped by 30% in the mid-90s, after pediatricians began instructing parents to put babies down to sleep on their backs or sides, rather than on their fronts.) The case described here and other similar cases, where multiple deaths in the same family were attributed to SIDS, instead led child abuse experts to conclude that it might be Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, where a caregiver fakes illnesses in a child to gain attention from medical practitioners.
This book is a highly readable and engaging medical detective story.
This book caught my interest on several fronts: The crime described occurred in upstate New York south of where I grew up. My father lived in Syracuse from the mid-70s to the mid-90s and I was familiar with the names of the local politicians, the DA, etc. I did my graduate studies in Developmental Psychology and had a fellowship in clinical infant studies based in Washington, DC. Others in the same fellowship program came from Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, where Dr. Alfred Steinschneider worked in the early 70s doing work on sleep apnea in infants and its possible connection to SIDS.
Although the Hoyt case was initially taken to be evidence of a familial link for SIDS, further research failed to confirm any such link. (The incidence of SIDS worldwide dropped by 30% in the mid-90s, after pediatricians began instructing parents to put babies down to sleep on their backs or sides, rather than on their fronts.) The case described here and other similar cases, where multiple deaths in the same family were attributed to SIDS, instead led child abuse experts to conclude that it might be Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, where a caregiver fakes illnesses in a child to gain attention from medical practitioners.
This book is a highly readable and engaging medical detective story.
May 27, 2021
The Death of Innocents by Richard Firstman and Jamie Talan can be hard to read in places. It's not the writing. It is clear and concise; meticulously researched, and the authors take great pains to explain technical medical and legal terms so the layperson can understand. The problem is that this book is about SIDS--Sudden Infant Death Syndrome--the history of the causes and possible prevention. But it is also about the small percentage of SIDS deaths that are actually infanticide.
It is heard enough reading about babies that have died, but reading about babies who died at the hands of their own parents is unsettling. But they tell the stories well, with just the right amount of distance.
One would not suspect that the story of a group of doctors and scientists trying to grapple with an unknown disease would be so full of twists and turns.
It is heard enough reading about babies that have died, but reading about babies who died at the hands of their own parents is unsettling. But they tell the stories well, with just the right amount of distance.
One would not suspect that the story of a group of doctors and scientists trying to grapple with an unknown disease would be so full of twists and turns.
December 7, 2022
Well, this was an interesting read! One of those books you come across by accident, and go "oh what the heck I'll check it out." And it paid off!
While I wouldn't necessarily describe it as a "thriller", it is intensely interesting, which is impressive given the amount of medical stuff slung around in this book. Ordinarily, a debate about sleep apnea would give me about as much cause for interest as a wall of beige paint drying. However, the authors did an excellent job covering the scientific and personal stakes involved.
It starts with a father being arrested for the murder of several of his own children. That reminds someone of a scientific paper they read in which several other young siblings died, about 20 years before. And THAT led us down the road of legal investigation, scientific study, and how a man built an empire of a medical movement devoid of any empirical evidence.
This book was written--when, in the late 90s? Yet its observations reminded me strongly of current events. Movements for or against medical practices keep appearing, that are based so strongly in emotion they are nearly impossible to assail. Emotion or hubris-based assertions, backed by no solid data, can appear in the medical world, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. "Trust the science" when the science is worth trusting, not just because its commonly accepted and it's bad manners or "insulting" to question it.
While I wouldn't necessarily describe it as a "thriller", it is intensely interesting, which is impressive given the amount of medical stuff slung around in this book. Ordinarily, a debate about sleep apnea would give me about as much cause for interest as a wall of beige paint drying. However, the authors did an excellent job covering the scientific and personal stakes involved.
It starts with a father being arrested for the murder of several of his own children. That reminds someone of a scientific paper they read in which several other young siblings died, about 20 years before. And THAT led us down the road of legal investigation, scientific study, and how a man built an empire of a medical movement devoid of any empirical evidence.
This book was written--when, in the late 90s? Yet its observations reminded me strongly of current events. Movements for or against medical practices keep appearing, that are based so strongly in emotion they are nearly impossible to assail. Emotion or hubris-based assertions, backed by no solid data, can appear in the medical world, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. "Trust the science" when the science is worth trusting, not just because its commonly accepted and it's bad manners or "insulting" to question it.
May 27, 2018
Really excellent read about SIDS versus homicide, less depressing than it sounds, also from my perspective, really interesting to see the female doctors who started investigating infanticide, and also the sometimes goofiness of medical theories, and how doctors deceive themselves - the whole apnea theory was based on 5 cases, 3 of which happened during wakefulness and wouldn't even meet the criteria for SIDS. And yet, by force of Hah-vard University, everyone went along. One star off because it certainly could have been shorter and some of the scientist political sections went on way too long, we didn't really need every episode of who snubbed whom at each scientific convention - or, if they wanted to be really thorough, at least put some of that in the footnotes or endnotes instead.
January 21, 2019
Horrific story which covers infanticide, SIDS, research; focusing mostly on the deaths of five children in one family, and the researcher's theories of the cause of SIDS over a couple of decades. For ME, being a true-crime fan, the book contained too much detail on the researchers and their theories. Unfortunately all of this research detail made the book ridiculously long (and HEAVY). Since I read almost solely in bed at night, I ended up actually tearing small sections out of the book so that my tendinitis didn't flare up from holding the heavy thing up for an hour or so before falling asleep.
The core story of the Waneta Hoyt was riveting. I would have given it five stars if it hadn't had way too much detail on other related stuff.
The core story of the Waneta Hoyt was riveting. I would have given it five stars if it hadn't had way too much detail on other related stuff.
September 13, 2020
This book was recommended to me be a fellow pediatrician friend many years ago. Likewise, I have recommended it to several more of the same. It has a special resonance for those of us who have faced parents asking for home apnea monitors and the events that lead to the question.
Explores what used to be called “crib death”, “near-miss SIDS”, “ALTE” (Apparent Life Threatening Event), and more recently “BRUE” (Brief Resolved Unexplained Event). Also the consideration of Munchausen-by-proxy.
Although pediatricians will find this particularly interesting, I think non-medical readers will find it just as interesting. Well written as more of a crime/drama/intrigue with an element of corporate greed and the ethics of studies sponsored by them.
Explores what used to be called “crib death”, “near-miss SIDS”, “ALTE” (Apparent Life Threatening Event), and more recently “BRUE” (Brief Resolved Unexplained Event). Also the consideration of Munchausen-by-proxy.
Although pediatricians will find this particularly interesting, I think non-medical readers will find it just as interesting. Well written as more of a crime/drama/intrigue with an element of corporate greed and the ethics of studies sponsored by them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2021
Fascinating and in-depth
4+ stars. This is a very thorough look at infanticide, emotional health, and how one very specific theory on SIDS may have created the perfect cover for mothers who kill their children. This is pretty lengthy, however I can see how whittling things down might have compromised the full history. One point I found especially interesting -- the number of people whose instincts told them that something was very wrong, but didn't go beyond the doctors, researchers or other authority figures who dismissed their concerns. The sad truth is that whether it is a matter of Munchausen by proxy or not, parents are capable of fatal child abuse.
4+ stars. This is a very thorough look at infanticide, emotional health, and how one very specific theory on SIDS may have created the perfect cover for mothers who kill their children. This is pretty lengthy, however I can see how whittling things down might have compromised the full history. One point I found especially interesting -- the number of people whose instincts told them that something was very wrong, but didn't go beyond the doctors, researchers or other authority figures who dismissed their concerns. The sad truth is that whether it is a matter of Munchausen by proxy or not, parents are capable of fatal child abuse.
January 21, 2022
Hard to read but excellent.
The amount of research and documentation that went into this book was phenomenal. It's difficult to imagine doctors who didn't come to the same conclusion that is obvious to the average person with common sense - these babies were killed by a parent. Even though the book is long, I read it in record time. Be prepared to feel anger and frustration - and to shed tears along with hardened public servants who were unable to prevent these often serial infanticides. I wish there had been an update on SIDS and infanticide at the end because the book was written 25 years ago.
The amount of research and documentation that went into this book was phenomenal. It's difficult to imagine doctors who didn't come to the same conclusion that is obvious to the average person with common sense - these babies were killed by a parent. Even though the book is long, I read it in record time. Be prepared to feel anger and frustration - and to shed tears along with hardened public servants who were unable to prevent these often serial infanticides. I wish there had been an update on SIDS and infanticide at the end because the book was written 25 years ago.
December 29, 2023
I loved the beginning and the end. The middle section was very long, and even tho it was so well researched, it got a bit tedious. That said, it was fascinating to read how well meaning Drs. have covered up babies being murdered because they just cannot accept a woman would ever kill her own child. Thanks to the bravery of a few good men…including some more modern thinking physicians, we do know that not all SIDS deaths are what they seem. This is a very very touchy subject, still, in the medical world, but thru the author’s extensive research on the Hoyt family, we find it is very plausible a mother can kill over and over. It’s a good read, but a long one.
February 20, 2024
Very well researched, well written book. Interestingly told story from the standpoint of both law and medicine. I found myself vascillating back and forth between wondering whether Hoyt was wrongly accused and wondering how this case of serial killings could have gone undetected. However, reading about how driven researchers are to prove their theories in order to secure prominent positions and continued funding, made it clear why researchers would be remiss to suggest anything that might disprove their hypotheses. The authors also describe very well the delicate subject matter of SIDS deaths.
December 22, 2017
Meticulously researched documentary history detailing the intersection of SIDS research, infanticide, medical politics, social pressure, and medical marketing, set against a couple of highly publicized multiple murders. The authors explore warring interests: doctors protecting lifetime commitments to a particular theory, inventors protecting medical devices, murderers protecting the secrets of their crimes, support groups protecting otherwise innocent parents who've lost children, schools protecting research grants. A lengthy, but very engrossing read.
April 6, 2021
The topic itself is both fascinating & horrifying! And there is so much that we the public would never have known about the 'behind the scenes' reasons for the SIDS diagnosis. However, the bulk of the book has way to much detail regarding the doctors' research & becomes mind-numbing. A wonderful topic, an incredible portrayal of the parents committing infanticide, but a little less could have made this a better read. Note: Copy & pasted a comment matching my views. I couldn't have said it better.
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