Age: Adult – Page 12 – Disability Day of Mourning

Nicola Stevenson

Name: Nicola Stevenson.
Died: November 13, 2019 (Body found, died approx. 2 weeks previously).
Age at death: 39.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Lewes, East Sussex, England, UK.
Disability: Russell-Silver syndrome, cancer survivor, mobility impaired.

Details:
Nicola’s partner, who was habitually abusive, hit her in the head with a hammer until she died of massive head injuries; then he stuffed her body into a trash bin, where it was found by a dog.

Nicola was recovering from cancer and had needed to re-learn walking; at the time of her death, she could walk short distances but still used a mobility scooter.

Case status:
Richard Canlin (Partner), convicted of murder, sentenced to 22 years to life.

Source:
Lewes landlady murder: Lodger Richard Canlin jailed
Man guilty of murdering Scots mum with hammer & dumping her body in wheelie bin
Arrests after body of Edinburgh woman found in wheelie bin in Sussex
Mum found dead in wheelie bin suffered horrific past abuse at the hands of ex
This is the wheelie bin a dog walker opened to find A WOMAN’S BODY stuffed inside

Terri-Lynn Thompson

Name: Terri-Lynn Thompson.
Died: October 14, 2019.
Age at death: 54.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Belleville, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Unspecified disability; unable to work.

Details:
Terri-Lynn, whose family remembers her as a “loving grandmother” who “was amazing to everyone around her,” was allegedly murdered by her husband.

Case status:
Dewayne Jerome Vacciana (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 12 1/2 years.

Source:
Man sentenced for killing his wife in Belleville, Ont. over work visa
Belleville man, 38, charged in death of ‘loving grandmother’
INQUINTE.CA | Pre-trial date set for man accused of murder

Jaime Feden

Name: Jaime Rae Feden.
Died: October 5, 2019 (Body found, last seen September 15, 2019).
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Vater syndrome.

Details:
Jamie’s ex-boyfriend, with whom she still spent time, took her to Las Vegas on vacation with the promise he would find a home for them. Then he drove her out into the desert, saying they were going to do a photoshoot. There, he suffocated her by wrapping her nose and mouth in duct tape and tried to cover up her death by pretending to be her on Facebook. When her body was found dumped in the desert, he was arrested, and it came out he was already married to someone else.

Jamie was sweet-natured, strong-willed and independent. She wanted to go to college and become a medical assistant, and had recently held a job at a care home. She had a four-leaf clover tattoo in honor of her uncle, brother, and mother, who died when she was a child.

Case status:
John Matthew Chapman (Boyfriend), charged with kidnapping, obstructing administration of law, and criminal use of a communication facility.

Source:
Man Living ‘Double Life’ Allegedly Drove Special Needs Girlfriend To Vegas Desert, Suffocated Her
A Married Man Leading A “Double Life” Allegedly Killed His Girlfriend And Pretended To Be Her On Facebook
Man believed to have killed disabled girlfriend after luring her to Nevada desert with promise of BDSM photoshoot
Man ‘lured disabled ex to the desert, suffocated her then dumped her body’

John Robinson

Name: John Paul Robinson.
Died: September 25, 2019.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
John’s girlfriend beat him to death with a baseball bat.

Case status:
Tabatha Renee Triplett (Girlfriend), charged with murder; pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter; sentenced to 6 1/2 to 9 years.

Source:
Woman is sentenced to 6 1/2 to 9 years in prison in death case
Sheriff: North Carolina woman called 911 on herself, admitted to killing
Girlfriend charged with murder

Joel Parks

Photo of Joel Parks, a young man with short dark hair and pale skin, smiling for the camera, wearing a navy blue jacket. Name: Joel “Bubby” Parks.
Died: September 22, 2019.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Medication overdose.
Location: Bradenton, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism, developmental delay from injury as an infant.

Details:
Joel took part in an Easter Seals day program. He played baseball on the Miracle League and was called “Home Run Joel” for his love of the sport.

Joel lived in a group home most of the week, but visited his grandmother on the weekends. His family called him “Bubby”. Although his grandmother told police she thought no one would care for him after she died, Joel’s mother and sister both say they were perfectly willing to step in; in fact, his sister was visiting when he died. Had that failed, Joel had state funding set aside to ensure his care continued if his grandmother died.

Joel’s grandmother allegedly killed him with an overdose of medication.

Case status:
Lillian Parks (Grandmother), charged with second-degree murder.

Source:
Florida Woman Charged With Killing Disabled Grandson By Drug Overdose
Autism Memorial: Joel Parks
Bradenton woman wanted disabled grandson with her in heaven. She ‘put him to sleep,’ cops say
Police: Bradenton woman purposely gave grandson drugs to overdose, charged with second-degree murder
Family speaks out after police say Bradenton man with disabilities was murdered by grandmother
Family speaks out after 87-year-old grandma is accused of killing autistic grandson
87-Year-Old Killed Her Disabled Grandson With Overdose, Police Say – The New York Times
Not A Unique Case: 87-Year-Old Murdered Disabled Grandson With Overdose
Miracle League baseball community mourns one of its own
Warrant charges woman with killing disabled grandson. There is a lot police don’t know
Grandmother admits to killing disabled grandson with drug overdose: cops
Florida woman says she killed disabled grandson by overdose, fearing no one would care for him after she died
87-year-old Florida grandma overdoses disabled grandson fearing no one would care for him after she dies
Bradenton grandmother accused of killing disabled grandson, fearing no one would care for him after she died
Family questions grandmother’s supposed motive for overdosing grandson

Vanessa Mayfield

Selfie of a young woman with dark skin and very curly short black hair, big hoop earrings, and a T-shirt that looks like a sports jersey and spells out "SEXY". Name: Vanessa Faye Mayfield.
Died: August 17, 2019.
Age at death: 31.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified, likely developmental disability or mental illness.

Details:
Vanessa was experiencing homelessness and was known among the homeless community in Fort Worth for her honesty, stubbornness, wild hair, and hearty laugh. She was the mother of a new baby.

Her fiance had a job at a restaurant and she hoped he’d be able to provide for her. Instead, he allegedly assaulted and killed her.

Case status:
Jared Seavey (Fiance), convicted of murder, sentenced to 30-99 years.

Source:
Man who murdered fiancee outside Fort Worth church sentenced to 99 years
Suspect in homeless woman’s murder was fiance who claimed to be ‘out of town,’ friend says
Woman found dead on stairwell outside a Fort Worth church; 21-year-old man arrested

Adam Schneider

No Photo Name: Adam Schneider.
Died: August 15, 2019.
Age at death: 39.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Richmond, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
After his mother died, Adam moved in with his brother. He was neglected until finally he was brought to the hospital with severe bedsores and malnutrition, and died from the effects of starvation two days later.

Case status:
Henry Lee Andrus III (Brother), charged with neglect of a dependent leading to death and neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury.

Source:
Brother charged with neglect in death of 39-year-old man with cerebral palsy

Sbusiso Mhlanga

No Photo Name: Sbusiso Quin Mhlanga.
Died: July 28, 2019 (Body found); missing November 20, 2014.
Age at death: Adult.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Disability: Unspecified, wheelchair user.

Details:
Sbusiso lived with his younger brother, who allegedly murdered him for “not using the correct dish to relieve himself”. Police say he buried his brother’s body, dumped his wheelchair in the river, and collected his brother’s disability pension for the next few years.

Case status:
His brother, charged with murder, theft, and obstruction of justice.

Source:
Brother arrested for killing his sibling

Brenda Venables

Old-fashioned photo of a woman with brown curly hair and fair skin, wearing a blue jacket, smiling for the camera. There are pink flowers in the foreground. Name: Brenda Venables.
Died: July 12, 2019 (Body found; died May 3 or 4, 1982).
Age at death: 48.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Kempsey, England, UK.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
Brenda’s body was found hidden in a septic tank, where her husband had hidden it decades earlier. Her husband was convicted of her murder.

Relatives remember her as kind, hospitable, and friendly.

Case Status:
David Venables (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years.

Sources:
Farmer convicted of wife’s murder 40 years after hiding her body in septic tank
Retired pig farmer David Venables jailed for murdering his wife in 1982 and hiding body in septic tank

Syamala

No Photo Name: Syamala.
Died: July 7, 2019.
Age at death: Adult.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Pedha Kothapalli, Nagarkurnool, India.
Disability: Mental illness.

Details:
Syamala was a married woman, but when she became mentally ill, her husband left her and she had to move back in with her parents. One night, her father allegedly killed her with a sickle.

Case status:
Eranna (Father), arrested.

Source:
Man hacks disabled daughter to death at Nagarkurnool