Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Name: Ekanthachari.
Died: February 1, 2021.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Assault.
Location: Shanivarsanthe, Karnataka, India.
Disability: A “behavioral disorder”.
Details:
Ekanthachari’s father reported his death as an accident, saying he had fallen from a tree. But a post-mortem examination found that he had died from assault.
Case Status:
Mahendra Kumar (Father), arrested for murder.
Name: Hezekiah Pettiford.
Died: January 28, 2021.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Autism, ADHD.
Details:
Hezekiah was found unresponsive at his home and was taken to the hospital, where he died two days later from a severe head injury. He weighed only 75 pounds, indicative of malnutrition, and his injuries were consistent with chronic child abuse.
Hezekiah loved math, had an extensive vocabulary and enjoyed watching game shows like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. His favorite movie was Home Alone and he loved eating macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets.
Case Status:
Stefanie Colon (Aunt), found guilty of first-degree child abuse resulting in severe physical injury and two counts of neglecting a minor; sentenced to 4 years.
Dion Ball Sr. (Uncle), convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse; sentenced to 25 years to life.
Sources:
Aunt, uncle charged with abuse, manslaughter in teen’s death
Hezekiah Pettiford – Baltimore, Maryland , Brooks Clinton Funeral Service, P.A. – Memories wall
Focus on preventing child abuse after family members charged in 15-year-old’s death
Name: Guadalupe “Lupita” Martinez.
Died: January 28, 2021.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Othello, Washington, USA.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability.
Details:
Guadalupe, called “Lupita” by her family, lived with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. Her mother’s boyfriend killed her mother after an argument; then, when Guadalupe walked in on the killing, he slammed her head against the cement and cut her throat.
Guadalupe loved nail polish, costume jewelry and music.
Case status:
Mauricio Nava-Garibay (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 43 years.
Source:
Man who killed, dismembered 2 Othello women gets 43 years in prison
Guadalupe Martinez Obituary
Autism Memorial: Guadalupe Martinez
‘We are all scared’: Neighbors speak after the murders of two women in Othello
Othello man admits to murdering two women: Court documents
Man Stabs and Chops Up Girlfriend And Her Daughter After Argument
Name: Manu Savaliya.
Died: January 27, 2021.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Mauled by a leopard.
Location: Amrutpur, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Blind, intellectual disability.
Details:
Manu’s family allegedly chained him to his bed because he had fallen into a well when unattended, because he had bitten people, and because he “bothered the neighbors”. One night, Manu’s family had gone to a wedding, and the one relative left behind went with their domestic helper to go water their fields in the early morning. Manu, a strong man even at the age of 75, was attacked and killed by a leopard, unable to escape or fight back because of the chain.
Case status:
Police are investigating a complaint of wrongful confinement against Manu’s family.
Source:
Gujarat: Chained at farm for attacking villagers, 75-year-old blind man killed, eaten by leopard
Blind man chained to bed killed by leopard in Gujarat (Caution: graphic image of body)
Leopard mauls to death 75-year-old chained by family in Gujarat’s Amreli
Name: “Sonam.”
Died: January 17, 2021.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Disability: Mentally disabled.
Details:
“Sonam” (not her real name), a 22-year-old young woman, was found dead in a field, and her family claimed she had been raped. However, a postmortem discovered that she had not been raped, and police began investigating the family. According to police, Sonam’s family admitted that they wanted to “get rid of her” because she was mentally disabled, and they had heard that the families of rape victims were receiving large sums in compensation. After they lured her out to a nearby field, police say, her mother held her, her brother strangled her, and her father served as lookout.
Case status:
Her mother, arrested, legal action initiated.
Her father, arrested, legal action initiated.
Her brother, arrested, legal action initiated.
Source:
Body of young woman found in mustard field, investigation underway
Barabanki: Family wanted to get rid of mentally disabled girl, so killed her and created the story of rape and murder
Name: Chadaporn Khamkeaw.
Died: January 16, 2021.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Disability: Physical disability (Wheelchair user), intellectual disability.
Details:
After their bodies were found, police concluded that Chadaporn’s mother had pushed Chadaporn’s wheelchair to a pond, pushed her daughter into the pond, and followed her, upon which both drowned.
Case status:
Thongbai Khamkeaw (Mother), committed suicide.
Source:
Elderly mother, disabled daughter drowned in Chiang Mai murder-suicide
Ill Chiang Mai Mother Drowns Mentally Disabled Daughter in Murder-Suicide
Name: Akram Choudhary.
Died: January 14, 2021.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Sangli, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Unspecified.
Details:
Akram’s mother-in-law allegedly asked her son and his friend to kill Akram because she was angry that her daughter had married a disabled man. Akram was stabbed to death.
Case Status:
Shabana Shaikh (Mother-in-law), arrested in connection with murder.
Aman Shaikh (Brother-in-law), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Ejaz Shaikh (Brother-in-law’s friend), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Source:
Mumbai: Woman arrested for provoking son to kill disabled son-in-law
Name: Michael Montgomery.
Died: January 13, 2021.
Age at death: 34.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Wichita, Kansas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.
Details:
Police found Michael’s cousin lying on the road in the middle of traffic; he confessed to them that he had killed his cousin. When they searched his house, they found Michael’s wrapped body in a crawl space. His cousin had stabbed him to death.
Michael’s caregiver says he was kind, caring, and often talked about how much he loved his family. “I know how he is, she says, “and how he would tell me, you gotta stay strong. Keep that smile on your face.”
Case status:
Jason Payne (Cousin), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 19.5 years in prison.
Source:
Kansas man sentenced for killing his disabled cousin
Wichita man admits murdering wheelchair-bound cousin found stuffed in crawl space
Affidvait: Man confesses to killing cousin, placing body in bag, inside crawlspace
Wichita cops found slain man’s body zipped in bag in basement crawl space: affidavit
Caretaker speaks out after former patient is murdered
Police identify man killed in disturbance at E. Wichita home
Wichita stabbing victim identified, cousin arrested
Name: Felicity-May Harvey.
Died: January 11, 2021.
Age at death: 20 days.
Cause of death: Shaken baby.
Location: Heywood, England, UK.
Disability: Cleft lip and palate.
Details:
Felicity-May died from being shaken hard. After her father was arrested on suspicion of murder, the prosecution said he had killed her; but the defense said her mother had done it, because she was growing frustrated with feeding Felicity.
Felicity was a content, alert baby who was known for taking in the world through her big blue eyes.
Case Status:
Darin Harvey (Father), charged with murder.
Sources:
Dad accused of murdering baby daughter denies lying to police
Dad left disabled baby daughter ‘like a rag doll’ after shaking her to death
Defence claim ‘mum killed baby daughter’ after issues with feeding her
Tragic details surrounding death of ‘beautiful’ baby girl emerge at inquest
The family of a two-week-old baby girl who died in Heywood has paid tribute to her
Felicity-May Harvey: Family pay tribute to baby girl after murder arrest
Name: Joanne Marcella Wheeler.
Died: January 11, 2021.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Medford, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Unspecified chronic illness; frail elder.
Details:
Joanne was shot to death.
Police say her husband told them that he had shot her because he believed that due to her health problems, she would be “better off dead than alive”.
Joanne enjoyed acrylic, oil, and watercolor painting. Her granchildren called her “Booma”.
Case status:
James Edward Wheeler (Husband), charged with second-degree murder; died before trial.
Source:
Obituary for Joanne M. Wheeler
Elderly Medford man accused of killing his wife dies before trial
88-year-old Southern Oregon man accused of killing wife
88-year-old Medford man arraigned on murder charge