Location: USA – Page 52 – Disability Day of Mourning

Gail Caulfield

No Photo Name: Gail Caulfield.
Died: May 10, 2017 (Body found).
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Deltona, Florida, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Gail was shot by her husband. He buried her body and claimed she had moved away. Some time later, he committed suicide himself just after telling police where her body was.

Case status:
Laurence Caulfield (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Deputies investigate possible murder-suicide of elderly Deltona couple
Detectives investigating possible murder-suicide in Deltona after man found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound
Body found in back yard of Deltona home where husband killed self, deputies say
Volusia deputies find body buried in yard after man leaves note about killing wife, kills self
Florida man shoots self and says wife is buried out back
Woman dies, man kills himself when confronted by Osceola County deputies
Sheriff: Human remains found in Deltona backyard where man took his own life, left note saying he killed wife
Man Kills Himself And Leaves Note Saying He Buried Wife In The Backyard
Fla. man kills self, claims in note he buried wife’s body in yard
Man killed wife who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, deputies say

Murray Upshaw

Name: Murray Upshaw.
Died: May 6, 2017.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Visually impaired.

Details:
Murray was shot to death by his son, along with Sharietta Jefferson, a 27-year-old acquaintance.

He had recently become a father.

Case status:
Dante Louis Coker aka Dante Binion (Son), pleaded no contest to murder, sentenced to 28 to 50 years.

Source:
Woman, blind man fatally shot on Detroit’s west side
Detroit Man Charged In Shooting Of Father
Murray Upshaw, age 39

Photo of Rollis Bowman, a balding older man with light skin and gray hair. Name: Rollis Nobel Bowman.
Died: May 4, 2017.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration.
Location: Newnan, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Rollis lived with a young couple who served as his caregivers. However, he did not get the assistance or medical care he needed. He died from a combination of starvation, dehydration, and pneumonia.

Rollis had a college degree in theology.

Case status:
Jonathan Lee Barber (Housemate, caregiver), charged with murder, elder neglect, and elder exploitation.
Tiffany Dawn Fountain (Housemate, caregiver), charged with murder, elder neglect, and elder exploitation.

Source:

‘Caretaker’ couple facing murder charges in death of elderly man
Rollis Nobel Bowman

Davarion Davis

Photo of Davarion Davis, a boy with brown skin and black hair in a buzz cut, photographed outdoors, smiling at the camera. He is wearing a pink sweatshirt with a logo printed on the front. Name: Davarion Davis.
Died: May 4, 2017.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Infection secondary to kidney disease.
Location: Gary, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Nephrotic syndrome.

Details:
Davarion’s nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disease, should have been easily treatable with medication; but his mother neglected his medical care, often forgetting to give him medication and eventually taking him off medication entirely. He died of an infection related to his untreated nephrotic syndrome.

Case status:
Teisha Ellis (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent causing bodily injury, sentenced to 3 years on work release.

Source:
Gary mother faces felony neglect charges after son’s death due to kidney disorder complications
Support Lil D Homegoing Service organized by Stompdown Laydii
Mother sentenced to 3 years in work release for child’s death from chronic medical condition

Kari Whitley

Sepia-tone photo of a young woman with short hair and big earrings. Name: Kari Marann Whitley.
Died: May 3, 2017.
Age at death: 43.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Gulfport, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Brain cancer survivor, wheelchair user.

Details:
Kari survived brain cancer at age 19 and went on to get a degree in journalism. She worked at the VA as a public relations specialist until she retired due to medical problems.

Kari’s husband, who had in the past assaulted her, took her back to his home from her assisted living facility so that he could get her disability check. A month later, she was dead. He had beaten her to death with a hammer.

Case status:
William Bryant (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to life in prison.

Source:
Man admits to removing wife from facility to get her disability check, then killing her with a hammer
Kari Whitley’s Obituary

Kentae Williams

Name: Kentae Williams.
Died: April 28, 2017.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Decatur, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Kentae’s mother gave him up for adoption because she was only fourteen when she gave birth. The boy stayed with his grandparents until he was taken by children’s services and eventually adopted.

Kentae’s adoptive father beat him with a belt, burned his feet with boiling water, and finally drowned him in the bathtub.

Case status:
Leon Williams Sr. (Adoptive father), convicted of murder, sentenced to life plus 65 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Kentae Williams
Police: Man drowns autistic son in bathtub just months after he adopted him
Man Allegedly Drowned His Autistic Adopted Son In Bathtub
DFCS sued over homicide drowning of autistic boy, 10, in DeKalb
‘You’re going to die tonight’: He held autistic son under tub water to punish him, prosecutors say
DeKalb dad claims autistic son, 10, killed himself — then admits lie
‘Dad’ who drowned autistic son in bathtub had adopted the little boy just months before, to ‘fill a void’
Man gets life plus 65 years for killing adopted autistic son

Walter Brown Jr.

Name: Walter L. Brown Jr.
Died: April 12, 2017.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Sepsis, pneumonia.
Location: Bridgeton, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, epilepsy.

Details:
Walter died from a combination of malnutrition, pneumonia, and sepsis from pressure sores. He weighed 73 pounds when he died.

Case status:
Cinnamon A. Corley (Mother), convicted of reckless manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Source:
Plea deal in disabled man’s murder not likely, defense says
Millville mother charged with murder in disabled son’s death
Disabled man died emaciated and covered in bed sores. Now his mother is charged with murder
Woman charged in death of disabled, adult son gets closer to trial
Offender Details

Estelle Swanson

Name: Estelle “Essie” Millifera Swanson.
Died: April 9, 2017.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Knife wound.
Location: Kirkland, Washington, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness or mental illness.

Details:
Essie was stabbed to death by her husband in a murder-suicide.

She was a retired physical therapist and the mother to one daughter. She enjoyed woodworking, hiking, and badminton. She volunteered for a cat rescue, fostering kittens who needed a temporary home to grow big enough to be adopted. When she was murdered, she had just bought tickets and was looking forward to traveling the world, a life-long dream.

Case status:
David Swanson (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Police: Kirkland couple dead in murder-suicide were confronting ‘health issues’
Essie Swanson Obituary – Kirkland, Washington

Charles Singer

Name: Charles William “Butch” Singer.
Died: April 7, 2017 (Body found); missing since February 8, 2017.
Age at death: 48.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Bunnell, Florida, USA.
Disability: Legally blind.

Details:
When Charles’s sister began receiving text messages from him that included misspelled words, she became suspicious: Charles, who was blind, normally used speech-recognition to send text messages.

When his body was found, it became clear that Charles had been shot to death by his wife. She had sent the text messages to make it seem like he was still alive.

Case status:
Dorothy Singer (Wife), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole; new trial ordered on appeal; pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 to 32.5 years in prison.

Source:
Eligible for Re-Trial, Dorothy Singer Pleads in 2017 Murder of Her Husband and Is Sentenced to 32 Years
Retrial date set for Bunnell woman accused of murdering husband
New trial ordered for Flagler woman convicted of killing husband, hiding body
Missing Bunnell man found shot to death
Charles Singer, previously reported missing, was shot to death
Wife arrested in death of disabled, blind Flagler County man, deputies say
Florida woman accused of murdering husband in ‘Dateline’-type case
JUST IN: Florida woman arrested in death of blind husband
Wife arrested in death of blind Flagler County man, deputies say
Wife arrested in murder of Charles William Singer
Bunnell woman charged with husband’s death months after his disappearance
Wife Arrested on 1st Degree Murder Charge In West-Flagler Killing of Charles Singer
Woman, 52, ‘killed her blind husband’ and planned to fake own death
Woman Killed Husband, Used Moth Balls to Mask Odor: Police
Sheriff: Wife killed man, covered up death
Bunnell woman found guilty of murdering husband
Dorothy Singer convicted of first-degree murder in February 2017 killing of her husband, Charles Singer

Samantha Link

Name: Samantha J. Link.
Died: March 31, 2017.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Peosta, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression.

Details:
Samantha was stabbed to death, and her boyfriend was charged with murder. Convicted at his first trial, he was granted a new trial because he had not been allowed to produce evidence of Samantha’s mental illness as a way to argue that she had stabbed herself. “Everything points to him as a murderer, not a suicide,” her father says, “so they’re just dragging my daughter’s name through the mud.”

Samantha owned dogs named Winnie, Bear, Stewie and Duke.

Case Status:
Fontae C. Buelow (Boyfriend), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 34-50 years; new trial granted, convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 34-50 years.

Source:
Man sentenced for second time in death of girlfriend in Iowa
Dubuque County woman’s mental health in spotlight during man’s murder trial
Samantha Link murder: Iowa Supreme Court orders new trial in 2017 case
Iowa Supreme Court orders new trial for Dubuque man convicted of killing his girlfriend