Age: Baby – Page 10 – Disability Day of Mourning

Baby Boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: Undated; article published January 6, 2016.
Age at death: Newborn, less than 6 days old.
Cause of death: Burned alive, following Yanomami tradition.
Location: Caracaraí, Brazil.
Disability: “a malformation in his leg”.

Details:
Quote: When a 21-year-old indigenous woman gave birth to her fourth son in this small settlement in northern Brazil, she noticed that the newborn was suffering from a malformation in his leg. She knew what that meant, but still consulted with the leaders of her Yanomami tribe in a desperate hope for an exception.

It was not to be: the baby was burned alive as part of a ritual, and the ashes were used to prepare a sort of gruel that was offered to all members of the tribe. Though the mother shared her grief with her immediate family, she said she understood that this was the tradition.

Case status:
His mother and tribe were not prosecuted.

Source:
In Brazil, Activists Defend Infanticide Among Indigenous Tribes

Sophia Mahaffey

Photo of Sophia Mahaffey, a baby girl wearing a pink and gray checked dress and floppy pink hat. She is holding the hat on her head with one hand. Her wispy dark brown hair is short. She has fair skin. Name: Sophia Rose Mahaffey.
Died: January 5, 2016.
Age at death: 19 months.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Cottonwood Heights, Utah, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy due to prematurity.

Details:
Sophia was allegedly beaten to death by her mother’s boyfriend.

Case status:
Jake Don Jensen (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with child abuse and child abuse homicide.

Source:
Cottonwood Heights man accused of abusing, killing wife’s infant daughter
Man charged in 2016 death of disabled 19-month-old girl – Story
Cottonwood Heights man charged with abusing and killing girlfriend’s daughter
Man Charged With Killing Disabled Toddler Before Marrying Her Mother
Utah man accused of abuse in 19-month-old girl’s death appears in court
Utah man, 29, is charged with killing girlfriend’s disabled daughter

Jermain Ngawhau

Name: Jermain Mason Ngawhau.
Died: December 18, 2015.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Clendon Park, Auckland, New Zealand.
Disability: Developmental delay.

Details:
Jermain’s grandmother was angry that he was having trouble walking; so she threw him down the hallway, causing a head injury that killed him. She then tried to blame his death on his four-year-old sister.

Case status:
Kathleen Elizabeth Cooper (Grandmother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 14-and-a-half years to life.

Source:
Grandma Accused Of Killing Grandson, Blaming It On His 4-Year-Old Sister
‘A very bleak picture’: High Court told of meth use in Auckland grandmother’s murder trial
Grandmother admits killing grandson but denies murder
Jermain Mason (Tiger) NGAWHAU’s Obituary
Murder-accused grandmother ‘never aggressive’, says dead boy’s mother
Grandma accused of murder was loved by grandson – mother
Cooper trial: Mother of dead toddler takes the stand
Jury begins deliberations in case of grandmother accused of murdering grandson
Grandma guilty of grandson’s murder
Grandmother Kathleen Cooper found guilty of murdering grandson
Kathleen Cooper murder case raises questions around whanau first principle
Life imprisonment for woman who killed grandson

Tyler Bryan

Name: Tyler W. Bryan.
Died: December 11, 2015.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Rolesville, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Either Tyler or his twin brother had “special needs”.

Details:
Tyler’s mother strangled him before setting her bedroom on fire and killing herself. Tyler’s twin brother, left alive in another room, survived the fire.

Case status:
Kristy Bryan (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Rolesville police: Fire was murder-suicide
Tyler William “TyBry” Bryan

Malik Drummond

Photo: Toddler boy with light-brown skin, wearing a T-shirt printed with a dancing skeleton; his hair is dark-brown and curly. He is smiling. He is sitting on a brown dog. Name: Malik Drummond.
Died: Reported missing November 23, 2014; body found December 2, 2015.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Searcy, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Family claimed he was autistic.

Details:
Two-year-old Malik’s family claimed that he was autistic and had wandered away from their home, leaving behind his twin sister. Searches were conducted to no avail; five days after he went missing, police became suspicious when it was revealed that Malik had never actually been tested for autism.

Over a year later, Malik’s father turned himself in, and Malik’s remains were discovered in a field near the house.

Case status:
Jeffery Leroy Clifton (Father), pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, sentenced to 40 years, with parole eligibility in 10 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Malik Drummond
Father gets 40 years after pleading no contest in death of toddler Malik Drummond
Father arrested for murder of missing Searcy toddler

Ezekial Castro

Name: Ezekial Castro.
Died: October 23, 2015.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Hypernatremia (salt overdose).
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Tetralogy of Fallot (congenital heart defect).

Details:
Ezekial’s mother poisoned him with salt, making him so sick he needed to be hospitalized. Then while he was in the hospital for that, she fed him more salt, and Ezekial died.

Case status:
Ashley Castro (mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Source:
Tucson woman sentenced for poisoning her child
Court documents reveal details in 4-year-old boy’s death

Gurneer Chaddha

No Photo
Name: Gurneer Chaddha, also spelled “Gunoor” or “Gurneet”.
Died: September 14, 2015.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Rajouri Garden, West Delhi, India.
Disability: Liver disease, asthma, intellectual disability, from aspiration of amniotic fluid during birth.

Details:
Gurneer’s mother spent a lot of money at private hospitals to try to cure her daughter. She strangled Gurneer before killing herself; in her suicide note, she said that she had killed her daughter because Gurneer’s illness could not be cured.

Case status:
Vidhi Chaddha (Mother), deceased.

Source:
‘Please cremate me along with my daughter’: Heartbroken mother kills her two-year-old girl and herself over child’s serious illness | Daily Mail Online
New Delhi: Woman kills daughter, commits suicide over disease
Delhi woman kills child, self over deadly disease

Baby Boy

No Photo Name: Never named.
Died: July 15, 2015.
Age at death: 3 days.
Cause of death: Potassium chloride poisoning.
Location: Chongming, Shanghai, China.
Disability: Cleft lip.

Details:
This newborn boy, who may not have been given a name, was killed by his grandfather because he had a cleft lip. His grandfather went to a doctor to get potassium chloride and instructions on how to use it, and then injected the substance into the newborn boy’s head, killing him.

Case status:
The baby’s grandfather, surnamed Peng, sentenced to seven years.
A doctor surnamed Zhu, who supplied the potassium chloride, sentenced to five years.

Source:
Chinese man kills grandson for being born with a cleft lip
Cleft Lip Stigma Cost Infant His Life

Quincey Pollard

Name: William “Quincey” Pollard.
Died: July 11, 2015.
Age at death: 17 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Lakewood Ranch, Florida, USA.
Disability: Developmental delay, leukemia (Claimed).

Details:
After Quincey died from blunt-force head trauma, his father, accused of murder, explained the bruises on his body by claiming that Quincey was clumsy and developmentally delayed and had leukemia.

Case status:
Richard Williams (Father), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to life.

Source:
Man faces up to life in prison for murder in toddler’s death
Inmate Population Information Detail
Jury hears toddler’s mother describe the last morning before his death
Was Quincey Pollard killed? Or was he just clumsy?

L’Naya White

Name: L’Naya White.
Died: June 26, 2015.
Age at death: 6 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
L’Naya was raped and beaten by her mother’s boyfriend and died of a head injury caused by shaken baby syndrome. However, during trial her killer argued that he had merely left her on the couch, which was dangerous because of her frailty due to her “serious disability”, and she had fallen off and hit her head on the floor. Eventually he was allowed to admit to being negligent, plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter, and receive a sentence of only 4 years in prison.

Case status:
Kristopher Houchin (Mother’s boyfriend), initially charged with rape, child abuse, and murder. Pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter; sentenced to 10 years consisting of 4 years in prison and a 6-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Rapid City man sentenced after admitting he’s responsible for the death of a six month old girl
Candlelight Vigil For L’Naya Love Police Discover Shocking Reason Behind 6-Month-Old Baby’s Death Baby’s Violent Death Hits Deep In Rapid City Community Rapid City Man Sentenced In Death Of 6-Month-Old Girl Monsters Among Us: Kristopher Houchin charged with the rape and murder of 6-month-old L’Naya Love White Rapid City man charged with murder of 6-month-old girl Obituary for L’Naya Love White – Rapid City, SD
Kristopher Houchin Charged With The Rape And Murder Of 6-month-old Girl
Rapid City man sentenced to prison for baby’s death
Baby’s Violent Death Hits Deep In Rapid City Community