Age: Baby – Page 6 – Disability Day of Mourning

Comfort Thompson-Pene

No Photo Name: Comfort Jay Thompson-Pene.
Died: July 24, 2018.
Age at death: 18 months.
Cause of death: Blunt head trauma.
Location: Tirau, North Island, New Zealand.
Disability: Birth defect.

Details:
Comfort died from head trauma after long-term child abuse and neglect.

She had spent her first few months of her life in the hospital.

Case Status:
Southern Thompson (Mother), convicted of murder, child abuse, injury with intent, and failing to seek medical care; sentenced to 17 years to life.

Sources:
Named: Woman who abused, neglected and bashed her child to death
Mum who abused, neglected then murdered her own daughter can now be named
Southern Thompson Name Suppression Lift A Reminder Of NZ’s Atrocious Child Abuse Statistics

9-month-old baby

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: May 18, 2018.
Age at death: 9 months.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Kalwa, Thane, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This 9-month-old baby’s mother allegedly murdered them and threw their body into the creek.

Case status:
Yashoda Cheddar (Mother), charged with murder.

Source:
Woman arrested for murder of disabled child

Nathan Quezada

Name: Nathaniel C. Quezada Fernandez.
Died: March 8, 2018.
Age at death: 21 months.
Cause of death: Broken spine.
Location: San Angelo, Texas, USA.
Disability: Ostopenia, developmental delay in motor and language skills.

Details:
Nathan died from a broken spine due to blunt trauma from an assault; his death was ruled a homicide. When he died, he was at home with his stepfather.

Case status:
Andrew Fernandez (Stepfather), charged with capital murder.
Lesley Renay Moreno Fernandez (Mother), charged with capital murder.

Source:
Several homicide investigations gripped San Angelo in 2018
Stepfather talks about San Angelo boy’s injuries after final autopsy released
Tragic Toddler Death Caused by Blunt Trauma
West Side Toddler Autopsy Confirms Homicide
View Nathaniel Fernandez’s Obituary on gosanangelo.com and share memories
Nathaniel C. Quezada Fernandez’s Memorial | San Angelo, Texas
Parents of San Angelo toddler who died of trauma arrested, charged with capital murder
San Angelo man accused of killing toddler will face death penalty

Zoe Whitford

Name: Zoe Whitford.
Died: February 10, 2018.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Dublin, Ireland.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Zoe attended a Montessori school, the principal noticed that her behavior was different and told her mother that she ought to have an assessment. At the assessment, she was given a diagnosis of borderline-to-mild autism, but her mother was convinced that she had severe autism with pathological demand avoidance. She thought Zoe would never get the right services and it would ruin her other child’s life.

Her mother suffocated her with a Minnie Mouse pillow; she died three days later in the hospital.

Case status:
Her mother, charged with murder, found not guilty by reason of insanity, committed to mental hospital.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Zoe Whitford
Irish mum charged with murder of her three-year-old daughter
Mother who smothered autistic daughter committed to Central Mental Hospital after bed made available
Woman who smothered her daughter was suffering from severe depression with psychotic features, court hears
Woman found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity
Mother smothered girl (3) after autism diagnosis, court told
Mother smothered toddler daughter with Minnie Mouse pillow as she called out for her father, court told
Mother accused of child’s murder was ‘overwhelmed’
Mother who admits suffocating her three-year-old daughter was ‘obsessed’ over autism, court hears
Mother not guilty of murder by reason of insanity
Mother who admits suffocating girl (3) ‘obsessed’ over autism, court told
Mother accused of child’s murder ‘obsessed’ over autism

Mariah Woods

Name: Mariah Kay Woods.
Died: December 2, 2017.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Chloroform poisoning.
Location: Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired; wore leg braces.

Details:
When Mariah disappeared from her bed, her community searched for her for six days before her body was found. Authorities suspect that she was kidnapped, probably sexually assaulted, and murdered by her mother’s boyfriend.

Case status:
Earl Kimrey (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.

Source:
Date set in 3-year-old Mariah Woods murder trial
Earl Kimrey arrested in case of missing 3-year-old Mariah Woods
Where is Mariah Woods? FBI joins hunt for missing 3-year-old North Carolina girl
Officials say body of 3-year-old Mariah Woods recovered in Pender County
Warrants explain charges against Kimrey in Mariah Woods case
Toddler Mariah Woods’ Body Found at the Bottom of a Creek!
Explosive documents detail 3-year-old Mariah Woods alleged sex abuse before tot found dead in creek, CLAIMS mommy knew
Child’s remains found in creek probably those of 3-year-old who vanished in the night, feds say

Mason Blum

No Photo Name: Mason Blum.
Died: November 1, 2017.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired, nonverbal.

Details:
Mason’s mother put him in the bathtub with the water running, and left him there while she got high. He drowned.

Case status:
Michelle Wallace (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 5-10 years.

Source:
Slate Belt mom admits she was on drugs, allowed 2-year-old special needs child to drown in tub.
Drugged mom pleads guilty in drowning death of disabled 2-year-old
Baby died of drowning and Slate Belt case labeled homicide
Toddler’s death in mother’s bath tub a homicide, coroner rules
Police charge Pen Argyl mom with manslaughter; toddler found in tub
Slate Belt woman charged in her disabled 2-year-old’s death in tub
Autopsy complete in death of 2-year-old Pen Argyl boy
Slate Belt mom admits she was on drugs, allowed 2-year-old special needs child to drown in tub.

Sherin Mathews

Name: Sherin Mathews.
Died: October 22, 2017 (Body found); died October 7, 2017.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Choked.
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, failure to thrive.

Details:
Sherin’s adoptive father claimed she had been adopted from India with developmental delays, malnutrition, and an “eating disorder”. When he brought her to the hospital with broken bones, he claimed that she had brittle bones from being malnourished at the orphanage.

Her adoptive father was trying to force her to drink milk at 3 a.m., and choked her to death doing it. He then dumped her body and pretended she had gone missing, before eventually confessing to the killing. The autopsy confirmed that Sherin’s cause of death was “homicidal violence”.

Later, the orphanage came forward and reported that Sherin had not had trouble eating. Her “eating disorder” may have been a fabrication to cover up her murder. She was merely small for her age, a condition called “failure to thrive” which is common in children with difficult backgrounds. The broken bones she had suffered months before her death had nothing to do with malnutrition and everything to do with child abuse.

Case status:
Wesley Mathews (Adoptive father), pleaded guilty to injury to a child by omission, sentenced to 30 years to life.

Source:
Wesley Mathews, Accused of Killing Girl, 3, Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge
Sherin Mathews death: Foster dad pleads guilty to lesser charge
Man gets life sentence in 3-year-old daughter’s death
Capital murder trial set to begin for ‘dad’ who claimed he locked slain tot outside at 3 a.m. for not drinking her milk
Sherin Mathews abandoned in India before alley abandonment that may have led to death
A father reported his 3-year-old missing. Then he told police he’d watched her die.
Texas dad admits disposing of child’s body, affidavit says
Father of Sherin Mathews says he watched as his 3 year old child choked on milk and died
‘Sherin Mathews didn’t have developmental disability’; foster father on suicide watch in jail
Mother Of Girl Who Allegedly Died Drinking Milk Arrested For Leaving Her Alone And Going Out To Dinner
Sherin Mathews Was Being Abused Months Before Her Death, Pediatrician Told Child Protective Services
Autopsy Reveals 3-Year-Old Sherin Mathews Died from ‘Homicidal Violence’
Sherin Mathews Update: Slain AMBER Alert toddler died from ‘homicidal violence’
Sherin Mathews died from ‘homicidal violence,’ autopsy finds
U.S. Adoption Agency Banned from India Following Death of Toddler Sherin
Father charged with murder in death of 3-year-old Indian girl
Texas father charged with murder in death of Indian orphan
Father Charged in Murder of 3-Year-Old Adopted Orphan Sherin Mathews
TX dad charged with capital murder in death of 3-year-old
Who Is Wesley Mathews? Sherin Mathews’ Father Charged With Missing Texas Toddler’s Murder
BREAKING: Death Penalty for Sherin Mathews’ Father? Wesley Mathews Indicted on Capital Murder Charge
Wesley Mathews charged with CAPITAL MURDER in death of adopted toddler, Sherin Mathews
Texas father charged with murder in death of Indian orphan
Sherin Mathews case: Father who claimed girl choked on milk charged with murder
Texas father charged with murder in death of daughter adopted from Indian orphanage
Wesley Mathews Allegedly Used ‘Deadly Weapon’ to Kill Daughter Sherin Mathews
New Texas Law Inspired by Three-year-old Toddler Sherin Mathews’ Death
Bond reduced for Richardson man accused in death of his adopted daughter
In Sherin Mathews’ Death Case, Foster Parents To Be Tried Separately

Kayden McGuinness

Name: Kayden McGuinness.
Died: September 17, 2017.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK.
Disability: Autism (Suspected).

Details:
Kayden’s mother had left Kayden in the care of her partner while she went to visit her friends. The man abused Kayden, hitting him in the head repeatedly; Kayden died of a massive head injury.

Kayden’s mother remembers him as “just a wee boy who loved playing and loved life.” He was being evaluated for autism when he died.

Case status:
Liam Whoriskey (Mother’s fiance), convicted of manslaughter and cruelty to a child, sentenced to 15 years, half in prison and half in the community.

Source:
NI Court of Appeal: Applicant’s domestic violence convictions relevant to the death of three-year-old boy
Autism Memorial: Kayden McGuinness
The tragic death of toddler Kayden McGuinness
Liam Whoriskey jailed for killing toddler
Liam Whoriskey jailed over death of little Kayden McGuinness (3) in Derry flat
Man jailed over death of three-year-old in his care
Man jailed for 15 years after three-year-old boy died following severe ‘battering’

Summer Peace

Name: Summer Peace.
Died: September 9, 2017.
Age at death: 5 months.
Cause of death: Abusive head trauma.
Location: Dudley, England, UK.
Disability: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Details:
Summer died because she was shaken by her father, something that she was especially vulnerable to because of her hypermobility. At the time she died, she was also suffering from untreated pneumonia.

Case status:
Philip Peace (Father), convicted of murder, sentence to life with a minimum of 14 years.

Source:
Dudley father who shook baby daughter to death jailed for life for her murder
Life sentence for Dudley man who murdered baby daughter
Dad Philip Peace is accused of shaking baby daughter to death
Dudley baby death trial told of girl’s ‘traumatic injury’
Father could have caused brain injuries to girl in panic after she collapsed, trial told
Man on trial over baby daughter’s death

Rookiya

No Photo Name: Rookiya.
Died: August 25, 2017.
Age at death: 5 months.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Amruthanagar, Andhra, India.
Disability: Hydrocephalus.

Details:
Rookiya’s mother had no money for big-city medical treatment, and Rookiya’s neighbors had started referring to her as a “demon child” because of her large head. When her father came home to find Rookiya drowned in the washtub, police arrested and questioned her mother, who, they say, confessed to killing her daughter.

Authorities noted that the area has a district hospital and four children’s homes that are meant to help children like Rookiya.

Case status:
Shaik Fatima (Mother), charged with murder.

Source:
Too poor to afford her medical care, Andhra mother kills her own baby girl