Loose ID bracelets likely at fault in baby switch
The two newborns who were switched in a hospital nursery three years ago were simply misidentified when their identification bracelets became loose and fell off, a four-month police investigation has concluded. (See Hospital Peer Review, October 1998, pp. 181-182.)
"The precise events which occurred are unknown at this time and may never be known," said a state police investigative report released last month. "However, there is currently no evidence from which to conclude that the switch of these children was an intentional act." A family videotape and photographs as well as weight and feeding records showed that there were problems with the ID bands of the switched babies before they were discharged, according to the report. One band was missing, and another was noticeably loose. The hospital recently changed from identification bracelets to identification tags clamped on the newborns’ umbilical cords.
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