D’Amber Myles

No PhotoName: D’Amber Myles.
Died: June 30, 2009.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Cerebral Palsy.

Details:
D’Amber’s mother allegedly put her in the bathtub and turned the water on, then closed the door and left her there with the water running as the bathtub filled. Because she could not hold her head out of the water, D’Amber drowned.

Case status:
Raven Gibbons (Mother), charged with second-degree murder.

Source:
Woman arrested, charged in drowning of daughter
Mother charged in drowning of 5-year-old daughter – Las Vegas Sun Newspaper
Mother charged with murder

Peter Mugo

No PhotoName: Peter Mugo.
Died: June 25, 2009.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Limuru, Kiambu County, Kenya.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
Peter’s mother killed him and threw his body into a latrine. She had been hiding his existence from her current husband, and killed him to try to save her marriage.

Case status:
Alice Njoki (Mother), sentenced to 6 years.

Source:
Alice Njoki

Sherre Neal-Lypps

No PhotoName: Sherre Neal-Lypps.
Died: June 23, 2009.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Morro Bay, California, USA.
Disability: Chronic pain, depression, sciatica.

Details:
Sherre was strangled and drowned in her bathtub. Her death was disguised as a suicide, complete with forged suicide notes that claimed she was tired of being in pain. Five years after Sherre died, her husband was arrested because samples taken from her fingernails contained his DNA.

Case status:
James Victor Lypps (Husband), charged with first-degree murder, acquitted.

Source:
Nipomo man arrested 5 years after wife found dead in Morro Bay
‘No way’ death of James Lypps’ wife was a suicide, coroner says
Pathologist testifies Sherre Neal-Lypps’ death was a homicide
Nipomo man killed wife for her Social Security checks, prosecution suggests
Judge to consider removing DA’s Office from Morro Bay murder case
Judge orders Morro Bay murder suspect released
Former Morro Bay man not guilty of murder in death of his wife, jury finds

Lloyd Yarbrough

Photo of Lloyd Yarbrough, a middle-aged man in shirt and jeans. His hair is graying and he wears a mustache.Name: Lloyd Yarbrough.
Died: May 27, 2009.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Prescription drug overdose.
Location: Austin, Texas, USA.
Disability: Brain injury from encephalitis.

Details:
Lloyd’s wife poisoned him with a prescription drug overdose.

Case status:
Kim Yarbrough (Wife); pled guilty to injury to a disabled person; sentenced to 10 years probation and 400 hours of community service.

Source:
After ending husband’s life, woman tries to go on with hers

Cynthia Burns

No PhotoName: Cynthia Burns.
Died: April 27, 2009.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Wylie, Texas, USA.
Disability: Paralysis due to stroke.

Details:
Cynthia’s daughter and son-in-law denied her food and medical care. She died of pneumonia, her body too weak from neglect to survive the illness.

Case status:
Christina Gaines (Daughter), knowingly causing serious bodily injury to a disabled person, 12 years.
Gary Gaines, recklessly causing serious bodily injury to a disabled person, 6 months in jail and community service.

Source:
Wylie woman gets 12 years for mother’s death in ‘extraordinarily terrible’ neglect case
Woman abused disabled mother to the point she ‘resembled a Holocaust victim’ and died

Faheem Farook

No PhotoName: Faheem Mohamed Farook.
Died: April 24, 2009.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Fall.
Location: Singapore.
Disability: Asperger syndrome.

Details:
Faheem and his parents moved to Singapore from India when he was just a year old; at five, Faheem was diagnosed with autism, and his parents were “troubled by his condition”.

When he was seven, his father pushed him out a high-rise window and jumped out after him.

Case status:
Mohamed Farook (Father), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Faheem Farook
Husband leaped to death with son: She taps into grief to help others heal
Book of stories about conquering mental illness launched at charity’s 5th anniversary dinner

Shylae Thomas

Photo of Shylae Thomas, a girl with her hair in braids and barrettes, propped up against a cushion. She has light-brown skin and dark-brown hair, and her shirt is a red and white striped tank top.Name: Shylae Myza Thomas; sometimes spelled “Shylea”.
Died: April 22, 2009.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Flint, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegia.

Details:
Shylae was starved to death by her aunt.

Case status:
Lorrie Thomas (Aunt, adoptive mother), convicted of involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 10-15 years.

Source:
Lorrie Thomas Gets 10 Years for Starving Quadriplegic Daughter Shylae Thomas to Death
A Memorial Page for Shylae Myza Thomas | Facebook
Shylae Thomas: Starved to Death

Caden Rivera

Vignette photo of Caden Rivera, a toddler boy with wavy brown hair and olive-toned skin.Name: Caden Rivera.
Died: April 22, 2009.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Blunt force abdominal trauma.
Location: Cape May County, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Caden’s mother’s boyfriend beat him to death.

Case status:
Damian Rodriguez (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, sentenced to 11-13 years.

Source:
Cape May disabled toddler dies while under DYFS supervision
Wildwood man sentenced to 13 years in Woodbine toddler’s death

Pamela Hall

Photo of Pamela Hall, a middle-aged woman with fair skin and curly black hair, wearing a blue shirt.Name: Pamela Camille Hall.
Died: April 11, 2009.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Figsboro, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Spinal cord injury.

Details:
Pamela was stabbed to death by her son-in-law.

Case status:
James Cleveland Miller (Son-in-law) pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life.

Source:
Miller pleads guilty to murder in death of his mother-in-law

Christian Chaote

Photo of Christian Choate, a boy with tousled blond hair.Name: Christian Milton Chaote.
Died: April 5, 2009.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma; internal bleeding, skull fracture.
Location: Gary, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Depression, anxiety, ADHD.

Details:
Christian’s parents abused him, eventually beating him to death.

Case status:
Riley Choate (Father), sentenced to 80 years.
Kimberly Kubina (Stepmother), sentenced to 25-35 years.

Source:
Angelizd’s Place: Christian Milton Chaote
Chilling letters of Christian Coate, boy kept in dog cage by his parents