Age: Baby – Disability Day of Mourning

Ethan Ruiz

No Photo Name: Ethan Ortiz Ruiz.
Died: October 14, 2023.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Sanford, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Ethan went missing and was found later that day drowned in a pond; he was rushed to the hospital, but could not be resuscitated. At first this was thought to be an unforeseeable accident, since young children, especially those who are autistic, often love water and do not understand the danger of drowning. However, when police investigated, they found that Ethan’s parents had known that he was completely capable of leaving the house unsupervised. He had been lost three times before he died, and no precautions had been taken to prevent it from happening again. His parents were under the influence of marijuana when Ethan left the house for the final time.

Case Status:
Barbara Ruiz (Mother), charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Lester Ortiz (Father), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Ethan Ruiz
Toddler wanders from apartment and drowns in pond, Florida cops say. Parents charged
Police: Parents facing charges after 3-year-old found in Sanford pond dies
Florida Parents Arrested After 3-Year-Old Toddler with Autism Drowns in Pond
Autistic toddler drowns while weed-smoking parents were inside apartment

Baba Junior

Name: Baba Junior.
Died: September 5, 2023.
Age at death: 4 months.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Berekum, Bono, Ghana.
Disability: Suspected autism.

Details:
Suspecting that the little boy had autism, Baba’s father allegedly hired a fetish priest to suffocate the child. Baba’s parents went to the cemetery at night to bury the body. Neighbors who heard about the incident reported it to the police, who are now investigating.

Case Status:
Dj Poli (Father), wanted and at large.
Madam Paulina (Mother), arrested but later released.
Nana (Hired killer), status unspecified.

Sources:
Man allegedly pays fetish priest GHS800 to kill 4-month-old autistic son, buries him secretly
Man Allegedly Kills His 4-Month-Old Autistic Son
Man allegedly kills and secretly buries his 4-month-old son — Kasapa102.5FM
B/R: Level 200 Legon student allegedly kills four-month-old son for being autistic baby
Autism Memorial: Baba Junior

10-month-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: August 21, 2023.
Age at death: 10 months.
Cause of death: Unspecified; homicide.
Location: Giyani, Limpopo, South Africa.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This baby’s mother claimed that she had died of natural causes; but neighbors became suspicious, the child’s body was found buried in a shallow grave, and her mother was arrested for murder.

Case Status:
Her mother, charged with murder and obstruction of justice.

Sources:
Mother arrested after death of disabled baby
Heartless mother in the dock for murder of 10-month-old baby
Limpopo woman arrested for allegedly murdering her disabled daughter

3-year-old boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: May 12, 2023.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Bedsores; sepsis.
Location: Bartow, Florida, USA.
Disability: Hypoxic brain injury, ventilator-dependent.

Details:
Although this three-year-old’s parents had nursing assistance and a caregiver allowance to assist them in caring for him, they dismissed the nurses. Some months later, paramedics were called to the house to find the toddler dying from sepsis caused by extreme, untreated pressure sores. He was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved, and his parents were arrested.

Case Status:
Takesha Williams (Mother), charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Efrem Allen (Father), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Bartow Parents Left Disabled 3-Year-Old Child To Rot To Death: Sheriff
Emergency Doctors Say 3-Year-Old Bartow Boy Hadn’t Been Cared For In Months Before He Died
Florida Couple Charged With Manslaughter in Special Needs Child’s Death

Jermiyah Puskac

Photo of a boy with pale skin and short-cropped brown hair, wearing a bulky black jacket and holding up his hand to the camera. Name: Jermiyah Puskac.
Died: April 29, 2023.
Age at death: 17 months.
Cause of death: Head and neck trauma.
Location: Ocala, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Jermiyah’s mother allegedly caused a skull fracture and neck injury, and then did not call an ambulance until a day after the injury happened. Jermiyah spent two days in the hospital before he died. He had bruises and other injuries consistent with child abuse.

Case Status:
Puskac Summerfield (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Marion County mother charged with murder in death of her 17-month-old son
Central Florida mother charged in infant’s death
Central Florida woman accused of killing her 17-month-old son, deputies say
‘I’ll just have another one’: Mother who gave shifting stories about toddler son’s death now facing murder charges
Autism Memorial: Jermiyah Puskac

Athena Brownfield

Name: Athena Brownfield.
Died: January 17, 2023 (Body found; died December 25, 2022).
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Cyril, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Athena and her five-year-old sister lived with a couple who served as their caregivers. On a cold January day, Athena’s sister was found wandering her neighborhood by the mail carrier, but Athena herself was nowhere to be found. Police questioned their caregivers and, after reportedly finding evidence on one of the caregivers’ cell phones, arrested their caregivers. Police believe they have found Athena’s body, but it has not yet been positively identified.

Case Status:
Ivon Adams (Caretaker), charged with first-degree murder and child neglect.
Alysia Adams (Caretaker), charged with first-degree murder and child neglect.

Sources:

Caregiver ‘beat’ 4-year-old Oklahoma girl to death on Christmas, court documents say
Athena Brownfield: Remains found in Oklahoma identified as missing 4-year-old
Body found in search for missing four-year-old Athena Brownfield after caregiver charged with murder
Man Faces Murder Charge In Case Of Missing 4-Year-Old Girl
OSBI, OHP and others searching for missing little girl
Athena Brownfield update: Male caregiver faces murder charge in missing 4-year-old girl, police say
A married couple taking care of a 4-year-old girl is under arrest and face charges in her disappearance, Oklahoma officials say
Second caregiver faces murder charge after disappearance of 4-year-old Oklahoma girl
AZ court docs: Second caregiver of missing Oklahoma child arrested on murder, neglect complaints
Autism Memorial: Athena Brownfield

Arya Smith

Name: Arya Smith.
Died: December 27, 2022.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Miami Beach, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Arya’s mother called 911 and reportedly confessed to killing Arya; when she couldn’t strangle the girl, she stabbed her to death instead. Family said she was “stressed” due to Arya’s possible autism and a recent eviction notice.

Case Status:
Jellisa Baxter (Mother), charged with aggravated child abuse and first-degree murder.

Sources:
‘She loved her baby,’ says dad of J’can held for killing 3-y-o in US | Loop Cayman Islands
Mother charged in stabbing death of daughter, 3, in North Miami Beach apartment
Stepfather of mother who stabbed, killed daughter says woman was ‘stressed’
Autism Memorial: Arya Smith

Hunter Drew

Name: Hunter Drew.
Died: October 20, 2022.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Mount Auburn, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Developmental delay, chronic illness.

Details:
Hunter had gotten into a scuffle with a sibling when his father’s girlfriend allegedly grabbed him, threw him so that his head hit a hard object, and then drove him around in her car for three hours while he died of a head injury.

Hunter loved motorcycles, trains, race cars, and big loud trucks.

Case Status:
Ashley N. Bottoms (Father’s girlfriend), charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment causing death.

Sources:
Did custody change cause Hunter’s death?
Charges filed in death of 3-year-old
Family and friends gather for Hunter Drew’s visitation
The short life of a 3-year-old boy taken too soon
DCFS facilitates 3-year-old downstate boy’s move in with his father, and now the boy is dead

Unnamed Baby Girl

No Photo Unnamed Baby Girl.
Died: September 6, 2022.
Age at death: 1 day.
Cause of death: Abandonment.
Location: Mandya, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Unspecified congenital disability.

Details:
This baby girl, never named, was abandoned by her parents. A pack of wild dogs found her and dragged her onto the grounds of a hospital, where staff rescued her; but she died of her injuries not long after. It is believed that she was abandoned because of her visible disability, because she was born a girl, or both.

Case Status:
Unsolved. Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage and searching for her parents.

Sources:
Karnataka: Abandoned newborn girl dies after being partially eaten by stray dogs in hospital premises; probe on

Amora Milbourne

Name: Amora Lou Milbourne.
Died: August 27, 2022.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Heat stroke.
Location: Cary, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Chromosome deletion; prematurity, developmental delay, congenital heart disease, feeding difficulty, stroke.

Details:
Amora’s mother allegedly left her and her little sister Trinity in her car parked outside a gambling establishment, while she spent six hours gaming inside. The sisters died from hyperthermia; when their mother returned to find them unresponsive, she reportedly took 30-45 minutes to get them to the hospital, where they were declared dead. Their mother had been previously investigated by child protective services, who sent social workers to make sure that Amora and Trinity were being taken to medical appointments and properly supervised. The family was getting 40 hours of home health services per week for Amora.

Case Status:
Launice Shanique Battle (Mother), charged with two counts of murder.

Sources:
Cary mom admitted to leaving girls in hot car while gambling; autopsy reveals death by hyperthermia with decaying present
Cary mother charged with murdering 2 children had multiple previous reports of neglect
NC mother charged with murder after children die in hot car, police say
North Carolina mom admitted to leaving girls in hot car at play; Autopsy shows death from hyperthermia with decomposing gift – North Carolina News
Autopsies released on two Cary toddlers found in hot car. Mother charged with murder.
‘Something ain’t right’: Family of mother accused of killing daughters hadn’t heard from her in weeks