An Appleton man is facing a first-degree reckless homicide charge in the 2010 death of his infant son—15 years after the original investigation. NBC 26 spoke with a local attorney to understand how the case was misplaced for over a decade.
- Original investigator left the department before case referral
- Outagamie County DA says a system change, in part, caused the case to be lost
- Legal expert says human error can occur during file transitions
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with A.I. assistance in formatting for the web)
We’re continuing to follow the case of a lost co-sleeping death investigation from 2010 that only recently resurfaced.
Attorney Chadwick J. Kaehne, who is not involved in the case, says this kind of lapse—though uncommon—is possible during large administrative transitions. Kaehne, who has more than two decades of legal experience, explained that there are many safeguards in place within the justice system, but they aren’t foolproof…