Age: Teen – Page 10 – Disability Day of Mourning

Patrick

No Photo Name: “Patrick” (Family name unknown).
Died: November 2014.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Multiple organ failure.
Location: Bedford, England, UK.
Disability: Coffin-Lowry syndrome.

Details:
Patrick’s care was neglected by his grandmother. He was kept in a filthy room without a working light. By the time he was hospitalized, he weighed only 95 pounds, had bruises all over his body, and was in multiple organ failure. He died age 17.

Patrick was good at swimming and had just learned cycling. Despite his limited ability to speak, he had memorized all of his classmates’ names.

Case status:
His grandmother was interviewed for case review. Belford Borough Safeguarding Children Board concluded that the agency did not adequately support Patrick’s needs or ensure that his grandmother cared for him adequately.

Source:
Disabled teenager who died weighing just 6 stone was ‘invisible’ to social services
‘Neglected’ disabled Bedford teen ‘unsupported’ by social services before ‘shocking’ death
Tragic death of ‘invisible’ Bedford teen failed by system
Patrick Final Report for PUBLICATION 23.5.16

Isaac Robitille

Photo of Isaac Robitille, a young boy with fair skin and shaggy brown hair. His facial features are atypical, with a small, flat nose. He is sitting tilted back in a power chair outdoors, eyes closed, with the sun on his face. Name: Isaac Robitille.
Died: August 22, 2014.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Alcohol poisoning.
Location: Hardwick, Vermont, USA.
Disability: Holoprosencephaly.

Details:
Isaac was killed by his mother and her boyfriend; they put so much alcohol into his feeding tube (some news stories say it was an IV) that he died of alcohol poisoning.

Case status:
Melissa Robitille (Mother), charged with second-degree murder, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years, sentence reduced to 3 1/2 years.
Walter Richter III (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years in prison with credit for 1 1/2 years time served.

Source:
Hardwick mom convicted in disabled son’s death gets reduced sentence
Woman convicted in disabled child’s death appeals again
Vt. woman convicted in disabled son’s death appeals again
Vermont mom, boyfriend kill disabled 13-year-old by putting alcohol in IV: cops
Man Sentenced After Killing Boy With Vodka
Vermont Woman Found Guilty of Manslaughter for Pouring Vodka in Disabled Child’s Feeding Tube
Mother who put vodka in disabled son’s feeding tube leading to his death gets appeal rejected in court

Nancy Fitzmaurice

Photo of a young girl with fair skin and auburn hair, wearing a pink shirt and smiling; she is leaning against a white silk pillow. Name: Nancy Fitzmaurice .
Died: August 21, 2014.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Dehydration.
Location: London, UK.
Disability: Hydrocephalus, epilepsy, neurological disorders.

Details:
Nancy’s mother fought for a court order to have fluids withdrawn from her disabled daughter; Nancy died of dehydration.

Case status:
Charlotte Fitzmaurice (Mother); no charges.

Source:
‘My daughter is no longer my daughter… the light from her eyes is now gone’: Mother tells of heartbreak behind the hardest decision any parent could make – to let her disabled child die

Linda Kelley

Name: Linda Kelley.
Died: August 4, 2014.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Acute and chronic bedsores.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida.

Details:
Linda died after she was left without care on her kitchen floor for long periods of time. She developed bedsores which worsened and eventually killed her.

Case status:
John Kelley (Father), charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury.
Lavonne Kelley (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, sentenced to 1 year in prison and 5 years in community corrections.

Source:
Mother sentenced in death of her paralyzed daughter
Indianapolis couple charged with neglect in death of paralyzed daughter

On-Yu Choy

No Photo Name: On-Yu Choy.
Died: June 25, 2014.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Hong Kong, China.
Disability: Autism, ADHD.

Details:
On-yu’s father killed him by stabbing him more than 100 times with a pair of kitchen knives, reasoning that “if he is gone, the whole family will have peace”.

Case status:
Sin-hung Choy (Father), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to four years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: On-Yu Choy
Man, 61, kills autistic teenage son because he felt burden was ‘tough for the whole family’
A martyr for his family? Hong Kong court jails father four years for killing autistic son

Samantha Marcus

Black and white school photo of Samantha Marcus, a girl with light skin and long, dark hair, smiling for the camera. Name: Samantha Marcus.
Died: June 8, 2014.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Waukegan, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Muscular dystrophy.

Details:
Samantha and her mother, Sun Marcus, were both strangled to death by her father.

Samantha’s favorite subject in school was graphic arts. She played video games in her free time, and had two dogs named Snickers and Penny.

Case status:
Anthony Marcus (Father), pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, sentenced to 45 years.

Source:
Waukegan Man Charged With Killing Wife, Disabled Daughter
SAMANTHA MARCUS Obituary (1997 – 2014)

Kalib Smart

No Photo Name: Kalib Smart.
Died: April 28, 2014.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, bedsores, infection.
Location: Alva, Woods County, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Shaken baby syndrome.

Details:
Kalib’s parents neglected him; he died of pneumonia, untreated bedsores, and infection.

Case status:
Twana Smart (Adoptive mother), convicted of child neglect, sentenced to 15 years, with all but 7 years suspended.
Timothy Smart (Adoptive father), convicted of permitting child neglect, given a 10 year deferred sentence.

Source:
Alva couple sentenced in child neglect cases
Review of the Death Kalib Smart
Report released detailing cause of death, injuries to Kalib Smart
Reports on death of handicapped boy, 17, prompts investigation into parents

Caitlin Wentzel

Photo of a young girl sitting in a wheelchair; she has curly blond hair, fair skin, and glasses, and she is wearing a brown T-shirt. Name: Caitlin Wentzel.
Died: April 21, 2014.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Mesa, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Osteogenesis imperfecta.

Details:
Caitlin’s mother poisoned her, then smothered her to death, before killing herself.

Caitlin enjoyed learning about cultures, reading, art and swimming. She was a proficient reader who read above her grade level.

Case status:
Marcia Wentzel (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Mother ‘overdosed and smothered’ her wheelchair-bound daughter, 12, who was suffering from a rare genetic disorder before ending her own life in murder-suicide
Marcia & Caitlin Wentzel Obituary – Mesa, AZ

Robert Robinson

Photo of a young man with light skin and curly brown hair, a thin beard and mustache, and brown eyes. He is wearing a black jacket over a white T-shirt. Trees can be seen in the background. Name: Robert Robinson.
Died: April 3, 2014.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Tranquilizer poisoning.
Location: Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Robert was poisoned by his mother, who also took her own life.

Robbie and his mother liked to hike a trail by the ocean.

Case status:
Angie Robinson (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Robert Robinson
Prince Rupert RCMP confirm murder-suicide in Ebert Street deaths
Social services for families with autistic children called into question following murder-suicide involving mother and son
Murder-suicide of B.C. autistic teen by his mother reignites debate over caregiver support
Prince Rupert mom left murder-suicide note saying she could no longer care for severely autistic son

Jonathan Samuel

No Photo Name: Jonathan Samuel.
Died: March 24, 2014.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, autism.

Details:
Jonathan’s brother shot him with a shotgun, then killed him with a knife and a machete. He also killed Jonathan’s father, Eldon Samuel Jr.

Jonathan’s brother claimed that it was Jonathan’s autism that caused their father to become addicted to painkillers and hit him, and that that was why he killed his father and brother.

Case status:
Eldon Gale Samuel III (Brother); convicted of first-degree murder and second-degree murder, sentenced to 20 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Jonathan Samuel
Teen confesses to killing family using a machete, guns and knife
Judge in family deaths case says suspect, 14, cited brother’s autism
Coeur D’alene Double Killing Leaves Family Grieving
Jury hears more about brother who was killed
Idaho teen sentenced 20 years in deaths of father, brother