Information for Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Investigators

Downloadable Form and User Guide

Download the Fillable SUIDI Reporting Form – (2025 update) Investigators can complete the form electronically or print the paper form to collect information during an investigation.

Need help using the form? How to Use the SUIDI Reporting Form (2020 update) This user guide provides additional information about completing the form and collecting information during a sudden unexpected infant death investigation.

How Investigators Can Use the SUIDIRF

The SUIDIRF provides a consistent way for investigators to collect information about the circumstances surrounding a sudden unexpected infant death.

Investigators can use the form to:

• Guide the steps of a sudden unexpected infant death investigation.
• Document investigative findings in a consistent format.
• Collect information about the infant, caregivers, sleep environment, and circumstances surrounding the death.
• Provide information about the death circumstances to the pathologist before the autopsy to support more accurate determination and classification of cause and manner of death.
• Improve consistency of information collected across investigations and jurisdictions.

Information collected through standardized investigations can also help public health professionals and researchers better understand sudden unexpected infant deaths and identify potential risk factors. Information from the SUIDIRF is an important data source for the child fatality review teams and the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and Sudden Death in the Young (SDY) Case Registry.

Information Investigators Collect on the SUIDIRF

The SUIDIRF includes sections to document information from several parts of an investigation, including:

Infant and family information

• Infant demographics
• Pregnancy history
• Infant medical and health history

Circumstances of the death

• Incident circumstances
• Location and environment where the infant was found
• Information gathered during the scene investigation and witness interviews

Investigation findings

• Investigation summary
• Investigation diagrams
• Information relevant to the medical examiner, coroner, or pathologist

Who Can Use the SUIDIRF

The SUIDIRF is designed for professionals involved in investigating sudden unexpected infant deaths.

Depending on the jurisdiction, SUIDIRF users may include:

• Law enforcement officers
• Medical examiner and coroner investigators
• Medicolegal death investigators
• Other professionals responsible for infant death scene investigations

States and jurisdictions may also incorporate the SUIDIRF into their own investigative procedures and requirements.

When to Use the SUIDIRF

The SUIDIRF is designed to be used:

• As a voluntary investigation tool and template for states and jurisdictions when investigating the sudden and unexpected death of an infant.
• In conjunction with established investigative policies, procedures, and legal requirements.
• Early to help investigators collect information that may be important to the pathologist before an autopsy is performed and as part of certifying the cause of death.

SUIDI Additional Investigative Forms

CDC also provides SUIDI Additional Investigative Forms to use when more information is needed about a death.

Download the SUIDI Additional Investigative Forms (2021 Update)

These voluntary supplemental forms can help collect additional investigative information and may be used with or without the SUIDIRF.

Updates to the SUIDIRF

CDC first released the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Investigation Reporting Form in 1996 to support more standardized infant death investigations.

The form has been updated over time with input from experts in death investigation. CDC released major revisions in 2006 and 2020 and provided an updated fillable reporting form in 2025.

Questions About the Form

For questions or comments about the SUIDIRF, contact CDC at drhinfo@cdc.gov.

Suggested citation: Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Investigation Reporting Form Working Group. Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Investigation Reporting Form. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2025. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/sudden-infant-death/php/suidrf/index.html.