diff --git a/doc/api/child_process.md b/doc/api/child_process.md
index 04f8fa8a3d9bb6..0681b6bc47c2f3 100644
--- a/doc/api/child_process.md
+++ b/doc/api/child_process.md
@@ -325,6 +325,9 @@ changes:
 * `args` {string[]} List of string arguments.
 * `options` {Object}
   * `cwd` {string} Current working directory of the child process.
+  * `detached` {boolean} Prepare child to run independently of its parent
+    process. Specific behavior depends on the platform, see
+    [`options.detached`][]).
   * `env` {Object} Environment key-value pairs.
   * `execPath` {string} Executable used to create the child process.
   * `execArgv` {string[]} List of string arguments passed to the executable.
diff --git a/test/fixtures/parent-process-nonpersistent-fork.js b/test/fixtures/parent-process-nonpersistent-fork.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..49c0a1d1838135
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/parent-process-nonpersistent-fork.js
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+const fork = require('child_process').fork;
+const path = require('path');
+
+const child = fork(
+	path.join(__dirname, 'child-process-persistent.js'),
+	[],
+	{ detached: true, stdio: 'ignore' }
+);
+
+console.log(child.pid);
+
+child.unref();
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-fork-detached.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-fork-detached.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..87c15173284dbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-fork-detached.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+'use strict';
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+const fork = require('child_process').fork;
+const fixtures = require('../common/fixtures');
+
+const nonPersistentNode = fork(
+  fixtures.path('parent-process-nonpersistent-fork.js'),
+  [],
+  { silent: true });
+
+let childId = -1;
+
+nonPersistentNode.stdout.on('data', (data) => {
+  childId = parseInt(data, 10);
+  nonPersistentNode.kill();
+});
+
+process.on('exit', () => {
+  assert.notStrictEqual(childId, -1);
+  // Killing the child process should not throw an error
+  process.kill(childId);
+});