Category: Age: Adult

Age 30-59

Patricia Martinez

No PhotoName: Patricia Martinez.
Died: August 20, 2022.
Age at death: 57.
Cause of death: Kidney failure.
Location: Bexar County, Texas, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness, diabetes.

Details:
Patricia was found in critical condition after allegedly being neglected by her children. She died a few days later in the hospital.

Case Status:
Oscar Dominguez (Son), Roxanna Carrero (Daughter), and Pedro Luis Carrero (Son).

Sources:
3 Adult Children Neglected Bedridden Mother So Severely She Had Mold Growing on Her Body: Sheriff
BCSO: Woman severely neglected by her 3 adult children dies in hospital
Mother dies after being found in ‘deplorable’ conditions; 3 arrested

Steven Schaper

Photo of a man with light skin and brown hair, frowning. He has a mustache and shoulder-length hair with a receding hairline; he is wearing a black and orange shirt.Name: Steven Schaper.
Died: August 10, 2022.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Sepsis, bedsores, multiple infections.
Location: Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Diabetes, chronic illness.

Details:
Steven died from neglect after being kept in poor conditions and denied medical care.

Case Status:
Jacob Schaper (Son), charged with second-degree murder.
Jocelyn Grisham (Son’s fiance), charged with second-degree murder.

Sources:
Iowa man died in ‘deplorable conditions’ after son, girlfriend denied him care: police
Iowa man and his fiancée arrested for father’s neglect death
West Des Moines Police Department News Release

John Hoover

No PhotoName: John V. Hoover.
Died: June 29, 2022.
Age at death: 44.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Hixson, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
John was taken to the hospital, severely malnourished and with pressure sores on his body. A week later, he died. Neighbors said John had been rummaging in the trash and asking for food; allegedly, his parents withheld food to force him to take showers, and tied him to the bed at night to keep him from taking food.

Case Status:
John Hoover (Father), charged with felony murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Jacqueline Hoover (Mother), charged with felony murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult.

Sources:
Hixson Couple Facing First-Degree Murder Charges In Starving Death Of Their Adult Son
‘Severe malnutrition:’ Tennessee parents charged with starving adult son to death
A Hixson couple is facing first-degree murder and neglect charges.
Tennessee Couple Accused Of Starving Developmentally Disabled Adult Son To Death
‘Tied Him To A Bed At Night’: Tennessee Parents Face First-Degree Murder Charges For Starving Disabled Son To Death
‘That’s disgraceful:’ Neighbor says Hixson man who died of starvation rummaged for food

Luis Benítez

No PhotoName: Luis Benítez.
Died: June 12, 2022.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Posadas, Misiones, Argentina.
Disability: Schizophrenia, anemia, breathing problems.

Details:
Luis lived with his sister and her husband, who did not want him to leave the house. One night, when he tried to do so, his brother-in-law allegedly slammed his head against the doorway. Luis was found dead in his home the next day.

Case Status:
Pedro Walter E. (Brother-in-law), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
From natural death to homicide after autopsy
De muerte natural a homicidio luego de la autopsia

Hena

Photo of an Indian woman in wedding attire, with a golden headdress and earrings, multiple golden beaded necklaces, a red flowered sash, and a purple sari. She has tan skin and black hair.Name: Hena.
Died: May 26, 2022.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Strangulation, head injury.
Location: Alappuzha, Kerala, India.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Hena had recently married, and her husband, a traditional healer, was angry that her family was not providing him more dowry payments. During an argument, he became violent and choked her, slamming her head against a wall and killing her. Investigators discovered that her husband had been harassing her family for money because she had been mentally ill from childhood and he believed he deserved a higher dowry.

Demanding dowries for marriage is illegal in India, and doing so is often associated with domestic abuse, suicide, and sometimes, as in this case, murder.

Case Status:
Appukuttan (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder.

Sources:
Man arrested in suspected dowry killing in Kerala
Kollam woman’s death a case of murder, husband nabbed
Death of newly-wed in Cherthala; police says its murder, dowry abuse, husband arrested
Hena was not released, and neighbors only learned of the death shortly after the funeral

Unknown Woman

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: May 23, 2022.
Age at death: 30s.
Cause of death: Sleeping pill overdose.
Location: Incheon, South Korea.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
This woman’s mother allegedly poisoned her with sleeping pills.

Case Status:
Her mother, charged with murder.

Sources:
Mother arrested on charge of killing disabled daughter
Mother charged with killing disabled daughter

Jack Ross

Photo of a young African-American manlying propped up in bed, smiling. He has a hospital call button lying across his chest. He is wearing a teal shirt.Name: Jack McKenzie Ross.
Died: May 18, 2022.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Arson fire.
Location: Tyler, Texas, USA.
Disability: Mental and physical disability.

Details:
When Jack’s home caught on fire, he was trapped inside and died. Fire investigators believe Jack’s brother deliberately set the fire, knowing that Jack’s physical and mental disabilities might keep him from escaping.

Jack loved to cook, clean, and help others, and did his share of the chores at home. Jack was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, watched wrestling every Friday, and is remembered for his loving personality.

In his obituary, Jack’s family says:
The news media referred to him a ‘man with special needs’. His ‘special needs’ were to always seek out those who needed a helping hand. They did not know our Jack. He never had a need, special or otherwise. His desire was to help others. He was an “extraordinarily special person”, but not for the reasons they gave.

Case Status:
Robert Harrison Johnson IV (Half-brother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Tyler man accused of causing house fire that killed half-brother with special needs indicted on arson
Man charged with starting Smith County house fire that killed his half-brother
Man arrested for murder after allegedly starting fatal fire that killed half-brother
OFFICIALS: East Texas man arrested for murder after setting house fire that killed half-brother with special needs
Smith County man accused of starting fire which killed disabled half-brother
Police: East Texas man blames ‘spirits’ for causing fire that killed his half-brother with special needs

Jamie Ward

No PhotoName: Jamie Ward.
Died: May 18, 2022.
Age at death: 50.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Greenfield, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Chronic pain; degenerative disk disease.

Details:
Jamie’s body was found in her home, with her husband. He reportedly told police that he had killed Jamie because she asked him to kill her; but news articles make no mention of a suicide note or any indication that she had wanted to die. Police describe the incident as a “domestic violence homicide”.

Case Status:
Braeden Ward (Husband), pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide, sentenced to 12 years in prison and eight years on extended supervision.

Sources:
The medical examiner said Jamie Ward was dead for two weeks before her decomposing body was found.
A Greenfield man pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in the stabbing death of his wife
Greenfield Man Pleads Guilty To New Charge After Wife’s Stabbing Death
Husband says he killed wife to end suffering, drained blood from body
Milwaukee Co. man stabbed wife to death because she wanted to die, complaint states
A Greenfield man has been charged in the stabbing death of his wife. He says she lived with chronic pain and asked him to help her die.
Greenfield Man Charged With Homicide After Wife Found Stabbed To Death
Greenfield homicide: Braeden Ward accused of fatally stabbing wife
Husband ‘stabbed wife & left body to rot – but WASHED corpse to hide smell’
Woman dead 2 weeks found in home, husband to face homicide charge
Police ID woman killed in Greenfield homicide

Kalayikkal Ranjini

No PhotoName: Kalayikkal Ranjini.
Died: May 12, 2022.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Paralysis.

Details:
When Ranjini’s husband told police that she had died, her neighbors urged police to investigate. When they found marks on her neck, they questioned her husband; police say he confessed to strangling her because he “could not bear her suffering”.

Case Status:
Muniswami (Husband), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Idukki: Bedridden woman killed by husband
Man held for strangling bedridden wife in Idukki