Location: USA – Page 2 – Disability Day of Mourning

Vivian Kefauver

No Photo Name: Vivian Norwood Kefauver.
Died: November 17, 2023.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Broken neck.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Vivian’s daughter is accused of strangling her with a gait belt (a mobility device used to help people stand or transfer from one place to another).

Case Status:
Suzette Annette Kefauver (Daughter), charged with murder.

Sources:
Woman charged with murder claims she was trying to lift 80-year-old mom from ground, records show
Woman charged with murder for allegedly using a gait belt to strangle her 80-year-old mother

Logan Halstead

Name: Logan Halstead.
Died: October 29, 2023.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Medical neglect.
Location: Headland, Alabama, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida.

Details:
When Logan’s parents moved out, the new tenants who moved in were horrified to discover Logan’s body hidden in an old freezer in the backyard. Over a week earlier, Logan’s father had called police, allegedly confessing to putting the young man’s body there. The police simply looked in the freezer and did not find the body, but did arrest Logan’s father because he hadn’t shown up to court for a domestic violence charge. Only when the new tenants started emptying the freezer was Logan found. Initially arrested just for corpse abuse, Logan’s parents were eventually charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors say they “recklessly and consciously disregarded the treatment of Logan which resulted in his death.”

Case Status:
Michael Halstead (Father), charged with reckless manslaughter and corpse abuse.
Karen Halstead (Mother), charged with reckless manslaughter and corpse abuse.

Sources:
Investigator believes couple concealed son’s death to continue receiving government benefits
New homeowners discover body of dead special needs teen in a freezer; parents now charged
Parents of disabled Alabama teen found in backyard freezer charged in his death
Couple charged after son’s decomposed body found in broken freezer

Ahmad and Ava Jackson

Name: Ahmad Jackson.
Name: Ava Jackson.

Died: October 20, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Sanford, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified special needs.

Details:
When Ahmad and Ava’s mother jumped off a bridge and died, authorities checked on Ahmad and Ava and found the twins dead in their beds; they had been smothered.

Their loved ones remember Ava as “the talkative one”, and Ahmad as the “quiet observer”. The two were kindergarten students at a local school.

Case Status:
Catorreia Hutto (Mother), deceased. Deaths ruled homicide-suicide.

Photo of a young boy with black hair and dark-brown skin, wearing a black polo shirt and a backpack. Some spots of vitiligo are visible on his face, lightening skin under his mouth and one eye. — Ahmad Jackson

Photo of a small girl with her hair in braids and a bow atop her head, smiling for the camera and holding up a "V" sign. She is wearing a purple tank top and a lime-green bracelet. — Ava Jackson

Sources:
Special-needs twins, 5, found dead after Florida mom jumps to her death
5-year-old twins found dead in Sanford home after mother jumps to her death, deputies say
Florida mother and 5-year-old twins dead in apparent double murder-suicide, officials say
Twins Found Dead After Mother Died By Suicide Remembered as ‘the Sweetest Kids’
Officials release details on 5-year-old twins found dead after Sanford mom jumped from bridge

Ethan Ruiz

No Photo Name: Ethan Ortiz Ruiz.
Died: October 14, 2023.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Sanford, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Ethan went missing and was found later that day drowned in a pond; he was rushed to the hospital, but could not be resuscitated. At first this was thought to be an unforeseeable accident, since young children, especially those who are autistic, often love water and do not understand the danger of drowning. However, when police investigated, they found that Ethan’s parents had known that he was completely capable of leaving the house unsupervised. He had been lost three times before he died, and no precautions had been taken to prevent it from happening again. His parents were under the influence of marijuana when Ethan left the house for the final time.

Case Status:
Barbara Ruiz (Mother), charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Lester Ortiz (Father), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Ethan Ruiz
Toddler wanders from apartment and drowns in pond, Florida cops say. Parents charged
Police: Parents facing charges after 3-year-old found in Sanford pond dies
Florida Parents Arrested After 3-Year-Old Toddler with Autism Drowns in Pond
Autistic toddler drowns while weed-smoking parents were inside apartment

Amanpreet Alsubaihi

Name: Amanpreet “Abraham” Alsubaihi.
Died: October 13, 2023.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Reno, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Police were called to a hotel room, where they found Abraham unresponsive. Despite lifesaving efforts, he could not be revived; police suspect that his mother had strangled him.

Abraham liked visiting the park, where he could run around or play on the swings.

Case Status:
Ansonia Laws (Mother), charged with open murder.

Sources:
Mother in custody for allegedly killing her son, father gives his reaction
Juvenile dies of injuries at Reno motel; mother arrested
Child allegedly killed by mother in Reno was from Modesto area
Mother arrested after child found dead at Reno motel
Modesto father speaks after 9-year-old son dies in Reno hotel under mother’s care

Dana Morris

Name: Dana Morris.
Died: September 30, 2023.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Stabbed with screwdriver.
Location: Modesto, California, USA.
Disability: Double leg amputee.

Details:
Dana was stabbed to death with a screwdriver. Police detained her son, who was charged with the murder.

Dana was an artistic woman who created jewelry and beadwork. A creative and resourceful individual, she could often find ways to help others even when it seemed she didn’t have the means to do so.

Case Status:
Zachary Ray Morris (Son), charged with murder and abuse of a dependent adult.

Sources:
Dana Morris-Mears Obituary (1968 – 2023)
Man charged with stabbing his double-leg amputee mother to death with a screwdriver
Modesto man charged with inflicting torture while fatally stabbing his mother
Hearing for California man accused of killing mother delayed over competency questions

Florence Brown

Name: Florence Brown.
Died: September 12, 2023.
Age at death: 94.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Florence’s husband called police to tell them he had just shot his wife. Police arrived to find Florence and her husband with gunshot wounds; Florence, who had been shot multiple times, was dead on arrival at the hospital, and her husband died later that night.

Case Status:
Stanley Brown (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Lansdale husband, 93, killed wife, 94, in murder-suicide, Montgomery County DA says
93-year-old man kills his wife, then himself in Montgomery County murder-suicide: Police
Stanley Florence Brown Obituary – Huff & Lakjer Funeral Home, Inc. – Lansdale – 2023
Shooter and Victim Identified in Tuesday’s Murder-Suicide in Lansdale
MURDER-SUICIDE: Husband Kills 94-Year-Old Wife Then Himself In Lansdale, DA Says

Philista St. John

Name: Philista Mae St. John.
Died: September 7, 2023.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Polson, Montana, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
When police were called to do a welfare check on Philista, they found that she had been stabbed to death and her body hidden. They arrested her son, since he had an outstanding warrant, and later charged him with the stabbing that had caused Philista’s death when they found a note which they believe was written by Philista’s son, in which he stated that he “couldn’t do it anymore” and admitted that he had killed her.

Case Status:
Garrett Edward Vaska (Son), charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence.

Sources:
Polson man charged with stabbing his mother with dementia to death
Polson man charged with killing mother who had dementia
Man accused of killing mother in Polson pleads not guilty
Philista Mae St. John Obituary 2023

Martha Rutledge

No Photo Name: Martha Rutledge.
Died: August 14, 2023.
Age at death: 99.
Cause of death: Starvation, untended bedsores.
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Martha was found dead at home. Her body was very thin, and she was covered in multiple severe bedsores. Her daughters, with whom she lived, are accused of not providing any medical care to their mother. Martha also had a lot of alcohol and THC in her system when she died; unable to move from her bed, she would not have been able to ingest these on her own. She had not seen a doctor in ten years.

Case Status:
Martha Carroll Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.
and Nancy Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.

Sources:
Rock Hill sisters granted bond for mother’s death whose body has ‘chronic open wound’
Police: Rock Hill woman died from lack of medical care, 2 daughters charged
Martha Rutledge Obituary (2023) – Rock Hill, SC – The Herald

Connie Smith

No Photo Name: Connie Smith.
Died: August 13, 2023.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Connie was fatally shot in her own home. Police say her son, who lived with her, confessed to killing her.

Case Status:
Shane Smith (Son), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Update: Oklahoma City man charged with first-degree murder in mother’s shooting death
Man arrested after shooting, killing elderly mother in NW OKC, police say
OKC man booked for murder of elder mother
Man Arrested, Accused Of Shooting Mother To Death In NW Oklahoma City