Medicolegal evaluation of a maternal filicide attempt: a case report

Özet

Filicide mainly refers to the murder of a child by his/her parents. Even thoughfilicide is a rare event, outcome of filicide is more severe compared to othertypes of murders. In this report, we aim to discuss the factors in which thecase of a woman who attempted to kill her 2.5-year-old daughter along withthe demographical characteristics. Twenty-nine-year-old mother attempted tokill her daughter by hanging. Even though the victim did not die as the mother,regretted her action the triggers and the plot of the case discussed within thefilicide framework. Therefore, the presented case report would contribute tothe understanding of the nature of the filicide, and it might bring a differentperspective, because of the different development process of filicide, sharingthe disorder and interwoven motivations between the child and mother. Inthis respect, we aim to draw attention of pediatricians, child psychiatrists andforensic pathologists about the importance of filicide.