Age: Adult – Page 6 – Disability Day of Mourning

Hena

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 Photo Name 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 Photo Name: 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 Photo Name: 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

Sara Latimer

Name: Sara Latimer.
Died: May 10, 2022.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Blunt head trauma.
Location: Sparta, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Sara was beaten to death, and her boyfriend, who had previously been convicted of charges related to domestic abuse against Sara, was charged with her murder.

Case Status:
Shawn Hock (Boyfriend); charged with first-degree intentional homicide, aggravated battery, disorderly conduct, and drug charges.

Sources:
Mother of Monroe County homicide victim accuses authorities of not protecting her daughter
Man charged with killing 32-year-old Sparta woman
Autopsy: Sparta waitress beaten to death
32-year-old Sparta man in court Monday on homicide charges

Steven Earle

No Photo Name: Steven Earle.
Died: April 27, 2022.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: South Bend Township, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Unspecified disability.

Details:
Steven called police, asking for help because his son had a knife and was becoming violent. When police arrived, they found that he had been stabbed multiple times, but was still conscious and able to tell them that his son had stabbed him. He was rushed to the hospital, but died during surgery. The morning before the attack, he had texted a friend, saying that his son was becoming more controlling and was taking his phones away.

Case Status:
Travis R. Earle (Son), charged with second-degree murder; declared incompetent to stand trial, hospitalized (civil commitment). Can be tried if competency is restored.

Sources:
Man charged with murder after fatally stabbing father making 911 call
Mankato Stabbing Victim Died During Surgery in Rochester
UPDATE: Civil commitment ordered for son accused of murdering father

Megumi Yamada

No Photo Name: Megumi Yamada.
Died: April 13, 2022.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Megumi’s mother turned up at the police station and allegedly confessed to killing her, saying that she was “tired of taking care of” Megumi. Police investigated and found Megumi dead in her home; she had been strangled and smothered with plastic wrap.

Case Status:
Fumiko Yamada (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Japan woman arrested for allegedly attempting to kill ‘bedridden’ daughter who later died
‘I’m tired of taking care of her’: Japanese woman, 68, surrenders after suffocating bedridden daughter

Jasbir and Kamaljit Kaur

No Photo Name: Jasbir Kaur.
Age at death: 81.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Name: Kamaljit Kaur.
Age at death: 55.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Died: February 7, 2022.
Cause of death: Laceration/Blood loss.
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Details:
Jasbir and Kamaljit were found dead at their home after their Jasbir’s husband, Kamaljit’s father, reportedly called a family member and told her that he had killed them, that he did not want to “see their pain”. The family member called police, who made the arrest.

Case Status:
Purushottam Singh Gandhok (Husband), arrested and charged with murder.

Sources:
A 90-year-old Purshottam Singh Gandhok justifies the killing of his wife and daughter
A 90-year-old murderer getting better in Arthur Road jail
Ex-Army Man Slits Throats Of Bedridden Wife, Daughter In Mumbai
Wanted To End My Life: Senior Who Killed Wife And Daughter | Mumbai News – Times of India
Mumbai: 89-year-old ex-Army man slits throats of ailing wife, daughter
Mumbai: Fed up of their health issues, 89-year-old man kills wife, mentally unwell daughter
‘I killed them both, was not able to do all the household chores’

Jason Wilke

No Photo Name: Jason Wilke.
Died: February 1, 2022.
Age at death: 34.
Cause of death: Sepsis; bedsores.
Location: Michigan City, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Mental disability; mobility impaired.

Details:
Jason was brought to the hospital in terrible condition, with multiple untreated and badly contaminated pressure sores. He died several days later in the hospital from sepsis; his mother was arrested.

Case Status:
Mary Lee Wilke (Mother), charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

Sources:
Elderly woman charged with neglect in death of disabled son
Jason M. Wilke Obituary
Mom Charged in Death of Bedridden Son
Elderly woman faces neglect charge after disabled son dies