Inside STAT: Their baby died during his nap. Then medical bureaucrats deepened the parents’ anguish

HOLLY AND ERIC HIGH MADE A BOOK FOR THEIR DAUGHTER, ELLIE, TO HELP EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED TO HER BROTHER JAMES (ALISSA AMBROSE/STAT)

The parents were allowed to hold their 4-month-old until the medical examiner’s van arrived. Then, Eric and Holly High would have to hand James’ body over. Those last moments with their son were just the beginning of a long state investigation. These protocols are triggered whenever an infant dies suddenly and unexpectedly. They’re designed to protect. But how officials carry them out can heighten parents’ self-blame, even when there’s no evidence of wrongdoing. Many Americans think such unexplained infant deaths have mostly disappeared. For parents like the Highs, such misconceptions only deepen their isolation as they wait months — or years — for an autopsy report, and are told that their babies are “not a priority.” STAT’s Eric Boodman has the story here.