Category: Age: Adult

Age 30-59

Riba Dewilde

Photo of Riba DeWilde. She is a woman with brown hair, fair skin, and large glasses. She is wearing a large hiking backpack and smiling.Name: Riba Dewilde.
Died: November 26, 2016.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Tok, Alaska, USA.
Disability: Mental illness.

Details:
Photo of "Athabaskan Male Doll with Accessories", artwork by Riba Dewilde. The doll is made of wood, bark, fur, and antler. It is dressed in traditional clothing, sitting in a canoe and holding a fishing spear.

Riba was an artist who would go out hunting and trapping to gather materials for her art.

Riba’s son shot her with a hunting rifle.

 

Case status:
Eli Simpson (Son), charged with first- and second-degree murder. Convicted; sentence unknown. Currently incarcerated.

Source:
Prisoners charged in riot, occupation of Fairbanks Correctional Center
21-year-old Tok man faces murder charges in Alaska artist’s death
Alaska artist Riba DeWilde shot and killed in Tok; son in custody
Artist Riba DeWilde Murdered; Emergency Fundraiser Planned

Carol Simon and Brayden Otto

Picture of Carol Simon. She is a heavyset woman with brown curly hair and fair skin; she is wearing a pink fuzzy scarf. Brayden is a young boy with red hair and fair skin, wearing a collared orange shirt.Name: Carol Simon.
Age at death: 48.
Disability: Unspecified skin condition.

Name: Brayden Robert-Emil Otto.
Age at death: 7.
Disability: Unspecified disability.

Died: November 20, 2016.
Cause of death: Strangled, throat cut.
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA.

Details:
Carol and her grandson Brayden were killed by her son, who strangled them and then slit their throats to make sure they were dead. Later, the killer claimed that he had done it as a “mercy killing”, because Carol was ill and wasn’t getting better and because Brayden was disabled.

Carol was an outgoing nurse who liked learning. Brayden was an elementary school student remembered for his big smile.

Case status:
Heath Allen Otto (Carol’s son, Brayden’s uncle), charged with first-degree murder, found not guilty by reason of insanity; committed to a mental institution.

Source:
Man who killed mother, nephew in 2016 not guilty by reason of insanity
Man told police he wanted to put mother, nephew out of their misery
7-year-old homicide victim was South Dakota suspect’s nephew
Name released of 7-year-old killed in double homicide
Accused killer makes amazing claim
Child in double killing also related to suspect
Child’s name released in double homicide
Brayden Otto, 7
Guestbook for Brayden Robert-Emil Otto
Brayden Otto’s Obituary
Carol L. Simon, 48
Monsters Among Us: Heath Otto charged with killing his mother, Carol Simon and a his 7-year-old nephew, Brayden Robert-Emil Otto
Trial on pause to evaluate competency of man charged with murder of mother, nephew

Susann Sills

Photo of a woman with light skin and long brown hair, leaning her head on her hand; she is wearing a white sweatshirt and there is an engagement and wedding ring on her hand.Name: Susann Stephanie Arsuaga Sills.
Died: November 13, 2016.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: San Clemente, California, USA.
Disability: Migraines.

Details:
Susann’s husband beat her up, then strangled her to death. At trial, the defense claimed that she fell down the stairs because of her migraines.

Case Status:
Eric Scott Sills (Husband), convicted of second-degree murder.

Sources:
Fertility Doctor Convicted of Killing Wife in San Clemente
Jurors to Deliberate Fate of Doctor Accused of Killing Wife in San Clemente

Rebecka Pearce

Photo of a young blond woman, smiling for the camera. Her teeth are straight; her eyes lined with dark liner. She wears pearl earrings.Name: Rebecka Jeanann Pearce.
Died: November 11, 2016.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder, anxiety.

Details:
Rebecka and her husband were in the process of getting a divorce, and Rebecka was staying at her parents’ house. Her husband, a sheriff’s deputy, had filed a protective order against her, claiming that her bipolar disorder made her dangerous to her children.

Rebecka’s ex-husband broke into her parents’ home and shot her, then killed himself. Her two young daughters were in the house at the time; they are unhurt, and are now staying with family.

Rebecka was a hairstylist.

Case status:
Jeremy Pearce (Ex-husband), deceased.

Source:
Rebecka J. Pearce, age 30
Marital discord preceded apparent murder-suicide of Granville sheriff’s deputy and his wife
Sheriff’s deputy, wife shot dead at Fuquay-Varina home

Sharon Greenop

Photo of Sharon Greenop, a middle-aged woman with short brown hair, photographed outdoors. The camera seems to have caught her off guard, since she has her eyes closed mid-blink.Name: Sharon Greenop.
Died: Months before November 10, 2016.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland.
Disability: Prolapsed disc; mobility impaired.

Details:
Exactly how Sharon died was initially unknown because, when she died, her family left her body in her room for several months while they pretended on social media that she was still alive.

A year before Sharon died, they had fired her aide. Sharon became increasingly isolated and was mistreated and neglected by her family. They even threw away the table that she used to do jigsaw puzzles on.

Police labeled Sharon’s death “suspicious” and investigated for some weeks before eventually arresting her sister for beating Sharon, then refusing to get her treatment for the injuries that ultimately proved fatal.

Before her disability, Sharon had worked at a bakery.

Case status:
Lynnette Greenop (sister), convicted of murder, sentenced to 23 years.
Shayla Greenop (Daughter), charged with murder, acquitted.

Source:
Social workers could have prevented abuse of Troon murder victim Sharon Greenop
Disabled Ayrshire mum ‘murdered by sister after social workers abandoned her’
House of horrors: Disabled mum may have been dead in bedroom for months
Mum laid dead in bedroom for months in house full of tarantulas, rats, a blind cat and three-legged sheep dog
Woman may have lain dead in Troon home for months
Body of mum was found when neighbours noticed smell and fly infestation
Body of Ayrshire mum may have lain dead in her bedroom for months while family continued living there
Sharon Greenop ‘lay dead in house full of flies for FIVE MONTHS’
Woman ‘lay dead for WEEKS’ as daughter and sister carried on as normal
Police confirm death of Troon mum found in bedroom treated as ‘suspicious’
Funeral to be held for disabled mum who was found decomposing in Troon
Sister of Sharon Greenop whose body was discovered in her Troon house appears in court charged with murder
Murder trial: ‘Family used candles to hide body smell’
Sister and daughter of disabled Troon mum Sharon Greenop on trial for murder
‘Murder victim’ spotted with black eye
‘Fear factor’ when sister moved in
Disabled woman’s sister guilty of murder as daughter is cleared
Jailed: Callous killer who left sister to die in agony

Janice and Robyn Frescura

Photo of Janice and Robyn Frescura. Janice is an older woman with fair skin and gray hair; Robyn is a middle-aged woman with brown hair and fair skin. Both women are wearing glasses, shirts and jackets.Name: Janice Frescura.
Age at death: 68.
Disability: Lung cancer.

Name: Robyn Frescura.
Age at death: 50.
Disability: Unspecified.

Died: November 3, 2016.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Booral, Queensland, Australia.

Details:
Janice and her daughter Robyn were shot to death in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
John Frescura (Husband/father), deceased.

Source:
Three dead in apparent murder-suicide
Father calls police during murder-suicide
Three dead in suspected murder-suicide on Queensland’s Fraser Coast

Mark Mellor

Photo of Mark Mellor, a young man wearing a gray suit and tie. He has fair skin with ruddy cheeks and short brown hair; he is smiling at the camera.Name: Mark Mellor.
Died: October 16, 2016.
Age at death: 31.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Carlock, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
Mark was stabbed to death by his wife because he threw a drink at the wall of the cabin while they were camping. She blamed his depression for their “stressful marriage”.

Mark was a nature lover who enjoyed hunting, fishing, and camping; he was at home surviving in the wilderness. He worked for the county animal control department.

Case status:
Sarah Mellor (Wife), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 8 years.

Source:
Bloomington woman gets 8 years in stabbing death of husband
Judge: ‘Sorry will not bring him back’
Mark Mellor

Sirajubai

No PhotoName: Sirajubai “Vaijanti”.
Died: October 8, 2016.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Burned.
Location: Wadgaon-Gujar, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Chronic illness.

Details:
Sirajubai’s body was found in a well; she had been burned to death. Police arrested her boyfriend, who had reportedly “become tired of her chronic illness”.

She was the mother of three daughters and a son, and stepmother to two sons and a daughter.

Case status:
Hariprasad Yadav (Boyfriend), arrested.

Source:
Irked by her chronic illness, man kills paramour

Shobhana Kunnath

Photo of Shobhana, an Indian woman with her dark brown hair pulled back. She has light-brown skin and a bindi on her forehead, and is wearing a flower-print sari over a dark shirt.Name: Shobhana Kunnath.
Died: September 26, 2016.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Edappal, Malappuram, Kerala, India.
Disability: Mentally disabled.

Details:
Shobhana and her daughter Shruthi, who both had a mental disorder, were living in a house by themselves. Their family lived nearby and were wealthy but apparently made no effort to ensure their welfare. Unable to care for themselves, Shobhana and Shruthi went hungry. After a week of starvation, Shobhana died and Shruthi was found weak from hunger.

Case status:
Her family is under investigation.
The Human Rights Commission has registered a case.

Source:
Mentally challenged woman starves to death
Woman found starved to death at Edappal
Mentally disabled woman starves to death in Edappal
Mentally unstable woman found dead
Did mental illness and social neglect cause these two Kerala families to starve?

Stephanie McGeough

Photo of a smiling woman with brown curly hair and light skin.Name: Stephanie McGeough.
Died: September 21, 2016 (Body found).
Age at death: 54.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: San Andreas, California, USA.
Disability: Depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, arthritis.

Details:
Only days after Stephanie’s brother moved in with her, he strangled her. Her body was found at her house a few weeks later, and her brother arrested after he went on the run.

Stephanie kept a very tidy house. She liked traveling and children and had one nephew. As a young woman, she played soccer in her school’s recreational league. She was a history buff and a fan of Queen Elizabeth I, and a music lover who liked rock-and-roll and the bands Rush and the Allman Brothers. She worked for Sprint.

Case status:
Sean McGeough (Brother), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
McGeough gets life in prison for murder of sister
McGeough trial draws to a close; question of murder or suicide put before jury
Stephanie McGeough’s Obituary