3-month-old Regina baby died from 'blunt force trauma' to head, autopsy report says
A forensic pathologist offered her expert opinion on how Catlin Goodwill’s three-month-old son died suddenly in October 2017, during testimony on the second day of trial.
Dr. Andreea Nistor, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy, concluded that the infant died of blunt force trauma to the head. However, she could not determine if it was accidental or not.
Goodwill is charged with manslaughter in the death of his infant son, who unexpectedly stopped breathing at the family home in Regina on Oct. 14, 2017.
EMS responded to the scene. Paramedics performed life-saving measures, but the baby boy was pronounced dead at hospital.
During Nistor's external examination on the body, she found bruising on the boy’s scalp and groin, but there were no other signs of injuries, Nistor testified.
CT results showed “significant” brain bleeds inside the baby’s head, however the skull was not fractured. She did not find any other abnormalities in the infant’s organs.
“He was a well nourished baby of good size,” she said. “There’s no evidence of disease that may have caused death”
Nistor said the bruising on the brain would have happened recently and prior to the baby’s death.
Dr. Nistor sent the brain among other tissues to Dr. David Ramsey, a neuropathologist in Ontario, who performed more tests and examinations.
Ramsey concluded that the boy died from cardio respiratory arrest.
While testifying in court on Tuesday, Ramsey said the cardio respiratory arrest could have be a result of two different scenarios: a head and brain injury that took place a few hours before the infant’s death or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
“It is very hard to believe that this was a natural event that just happened to appear just after the child was put to bed,” Ramsey said, adding it is difficult to understand how the bruising and brain bleeds appeared with no explanation from the boy’s parents.
“It’s hard to say what force of impact causes what sort of events in the head.”
The neuropathologist told court that the baby’s injuries are similar to those that occur in Shaken Baby Syndrome. However, that cannot be confirmed.
During cross-examination, Nistor told court “it is possible, but not probable” that the bruising on the scalp and bleeding in the brain were a result of paramedics performing CPR and chest compressions.
“We can’t exclude it,” she said.
Defence lawyer Bruce Campbell confronted Nistor with two other reports that came to different conclusions regarding the cause of death.
A neuropathologist based out of Saskatoon concluded that the baby died from cardio pulmonary arrest as a result of serious respiratory viruses.
Nistor told court that the Saskatoon neuropathologist was commenting on something out of his area of expertise. She said he is not trained in anatomical or general pathology, only neuropathology.
“I am standing behind my opinion that the lungs did not have disease that caused death,” she said.
Another doctor who specializes in pediatrics at the Regina General Hospital could not determine the cause of death based on the findings.
Nistor ruled out Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which she described as an umbrella term for when pathologists cannot determine how a child under one year old died unexpectedly.
She sees more than five SIDS patients each year. She said the brain bleed rules out the possibility of SIDS.
The baby’s mother, Jodeci Spencer, previously testified to leaving her son home alone with Goodwill both the day before and day of his death.
She said when she returned home, the baby was napping and things seemed “ordinary.”
Spencer told court she heard him cry a couple of times throughout the evening before Goodwill eventually found the baby unresponsive and the couple called 911.
Goodwill was arrested and charged with manslaughter nearly two years after his son’s death.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.