The homicide detective had no training in child abuse. Pictures of the dead baby were seen by many in the police department including clerical staff. One officer went home during the day to check on his new infant son. A high level of energy on the day of the arrest was followed by a strange quiet the next morning.
The medical examiner told a colleague "an autopsy is an autopsy". He found himself sleeping poorly that night and had trouble finalizing his report. Preparation of the boy at the funeral home had been problematic. It was hard to cover all of the bruises and the technician found herself crying. The minister had finished the services but forgot several bible passages.
The District Attorney had refused the case since law enforcement was unable to tie the death to the boyfriend. At home the prosecutor talked about the pictures and her anger with her work until her husband and children physically avoided her.
A reporter who covered the death quietly cursed her profession. Her editor put the story in a single paragraph. The paper had just covered a notorious child death in another state and didn't want too many stories on the same topic.
A mental health worker had two short interviews with Jennifer as part of the six months of court ordered family intervention. The counselor missed a comment Jennifer made about "the worms come eat you". The mother finished most of the parenting classes. The session o babies had made her sad. She hoped that no one had noticed her tears or the fact that she was pregnant again.
The child protective services supervisor reassured the worker that she was right to keep Jennifer away from the funeral although she was not sure if that was true. There was no protocol in the agency on how to manage deaths.
Jennifer was not referred to by name and became "the girl" with murdered baby brother". Case records were closed. The major follow-up was an investigation of another worker who had seen the mother and Jennifer at a women's shelter before Mikey was born. Questions about that contact were generally handled by senior staff and an attorney to make sure that there was no liability.
An elderly woman noticed the small headstone on a wedge of grass next to her deceased husband's grave. She kept the stone clean for a while and even brought flowers. No one visited the grave until Jennifer, aged 27, found the grave and cried with little control for several days.
Most survivors of fatal child abuse/neglect receive little intervention following such a death. Some sibling survivors may receive counseling for behavior problems. Few are allowed to express their understanding of death. Very few are followed for the first critical year. Many are ignored, even undetected.