FLORENCE COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Florence County Coroner Keith Von Lutcken is putting together a child fatality review team to take a closer look at child deaths in Florence County.
The team will include law enforcement, first responders, local hospitals, social workers and witnesses.
“I feel like we are the last voice for that child. We speak for that child and we are able to help the family have some closure. We’re able to give closure and peace for that child too,” mentioned Von Lutcken.
Coroner Von Lutcken has worked with the Florence County Sheriff’s Department for more than 27 years. He says in the past five years he’s seen drastically more child deaths in Florence County than ever.
Von Lutcken says creating this time was his passion after investigating child death cases since he took office more than four years ago.
“What it does is that it actually builds a communication base so everybody knows what everybody is doing, everybody’s working together for one goal and that is to make sure that the case is investigated to its fully extent,” said Von Lutcken.
He says some of the cases were homicides while many were natural or even accidental deaths.
But he says what concerned him the most is the constant increase of those that are unexpected or unexplained.
According to the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee more than 6,000 kids under the age of 18 died in South Carolina from 2006 to 2014.
Von Lutcken says majority of child deaths could have been preventable, so that’s why he created the Florence County Child Fatility Review Team. He says the purpose of this team is for agencies from across the county to team up for one goal and that is to make sure every case is fully investigated.
He says better education for new mothers will also help keep these numbers down.
Coroner Von Lutcken says there may be opportunities for the public to get involved in the future.
