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DEHYDRATION CONTRIBUTED TO CHILD'S DEATH

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Miami Herald, The (FL)

Author: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dateline: ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

A 4-month-old baby died in a Treasure Island foster home partly because of dehydration and too much salt in his bloodstream, an autopsy report said.

The autopsy released Friday said Corey Greer did not die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or crib death, as medical examiners first thought.

Pinellas-Pasco medical examiner's office performed the autopsy.

The infant died July 21 in a foster home licensed by the state. Officials from the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services said 12 foster children were placed in the home, which was licensed for four. The child's death has sparked a flurry of reports and reforms in the foster-care system.

"I'll tell this to God and to the whole world," said Judith Lundy, who was Corey's foster mother. "If I thought that baby was sick, I would have had him in the hospital."

Treasure Island Police Chief Clifford Frye said the autopsy revealed no evidence of disease or injury to the child that could have contributed to his death.

Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney James Russell is conducting a criminal investigation into the infant's death.

HRS Secretary David Pingree said Friday he hadn't seen the autopsy report and wanted more details before drawing any conclusions.

Corey was placed in the foster home after police found him and his sister left alone in a St. Petersburg apartment. The 1- year-old girl was returned to her mother's custody on Friday.

Dr. John Feegel, who worked as medical examiner in Hillsborough and Atlanta and is now a Tampa lawyer, said infants can become dangerously dehydrated in a short period of time, especially when they have had diarrhea, vomiting or heavy sweating.

He said a dehydrated child becomes lethargic and develops wrinkled and baggy skin. Feegel said a rise in salt concentration accompanies dehydration. A high salt concentration can cause the heart to stop beating.

1985 Sep 23