When an infant or child dies unexpectedly, finding answers takes skill and deep empathy. To help standardize these sensitive investigations across Wisconsin, Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin (the Alliance) partnered again with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Walworth and Sheboygan County medical examiner’s offices. Together, they hosted three Death Scene Investigation (DSI) trainings.

A statewide turnout
Held in Appleton, Barron and Janesville, the sessions drew 201 professionals from 104 agencies across 44 counties. The group included medical examiners, law enforcement, child protective services and Emergency Medical Services workers from both rural and urban areas.

Inside the training
DOJ Special Agent Ken Folkers led the sessions with medical examiners Gina Carver and Desarae Rohde. The training covered the careful steps of a thorough investigation. Attendees practiced doll reenactment, a key technique used to recreate exactly how an infant was placed and found at a scene.

Presenters stressed that careful evidence collection does more than close a case. It also supports local Child Death Review teams. This helps communities spot safety trends and build real-world prevention strategies to save lives.

Equipping agencies for the field
Every agency received a specialized kit to bring these lessons to the field. Each kit included:

  • Investigation doll for accurate scene recreation
  • Photography card to document exact positions
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sudden Unexpected Infant Death reporting forms
  • Star Legacy bereavement resources

A post-training survey found the sessions hit the mark.

Nearly all attendees, 99%, said they’d recommend the training to a colleague. About 89% said the material was clear, relevant and well presented by knowledgeable instructors.

Attendees also scored higher on every topic tested after the training, showing the sessions boosted real knowledge.

Looking ahead
The strong turnout shows how much this training is needed. The Alliance hopes to host more DSI sessions soon to keep Wisconsin’s frontline responders ready.

Want the full picture? Download the 2026 DSI Training Recap for a visual breakdown of attendance, kits distributed and survey results.

Written by:
Joanna O’Donnell, GC-C
Program Manager