Lessons in child abuse deaths: report A BABY won't stop crying despite repeated attempts to soothe him. His frustrated mother finally snaps and hits the infant on the head before shaking him violently. The child's brain is severely damaged and he dies several months later. This was one of 16 cases of fatal child abuse and neglect examined in a new Queensland report by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. The victims were Queensland children under five who died between 2004 and 2006. Another case involved a child, with a known medical condition, who was not taken to the doctor. The child became significantly malnourished and too weak to fight the illness and died. The aim of the report, released on Thursday, was to identify risk factors for fatal child abuse so more deaths can be prevented. It found a parent or step-parent was responsible in all but one of the deaths. Nine children were intentionally killed while four deaths resulted from physical abuse where the intention was to harm but not kill. Most of the deliberate killings were preceded by a breakdown in the parents' relationship, the report found. The families in all but one of the 16 deaths displayed at least one of the following: a history of domestic violence, parental drug use, criminal offending or a file with the child protection department. Acting Queensland Children's Commissioner Barry Salmon said support services for adults with drug or domestic problems should also start addressing the risk to their children. Another message to come from the report was that GPs can play a key role in identifying at-risk children.