Age: Baby – Page 9 – Disability Day of Mourning

Ava Cole

No Photo Name: Ava Cole.
Died: May 14, 2016.
Age at death: 8 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, heart condition, chronic illness.

Details:
Ava was thrown violently onto a couch by her father. The impact caused a head injury which resulted in her death.

Case status:
Tatum Cole (Father), convicted of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse, sentenced to ten years in prison.

Source:
Lansing man convicted in death of 8-month-old daughter
Michigan man convicted in death of 8-month-old daughter
PEOPLE OF MI V TATUM MICHAEL COLE (Per Curiam Opinion)

Inaya Ahmed

Name: Inaya Ahmed.
Died: April 20, 2016.
Age at death: 14 months.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
Disability: Prematurity, feeding difficulties.

Details:
Inaya’s mother was accused of smothering her with a pillow.

Case status:
Sadia Ahmed (Mother), charged with murder; jury returned “not proven” verdict (insufficient evidence to convict; different from a “not guilty” verdict); acquitted.

Source:
Inaya Ahmed murder trial: Mother cleared of smothering toddler with pillow
Sadia Ahmed ‘murdered baby by placing a cushion over head’ | Daily Mail Online
Mother, 26, who suffered with post-natal depression ‘murdered toddler’
Toddler murder trial told of screams

Whitney Chilumpha

No Photo Name: Whitney Chilumpha.
Died: April 4, 2016; body found April 13, 2016.
Age at death: 23 months.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Chiziya village, Malawi.
Disability: Albinism.

Details:
Whitney was kidnapped from her bed; some days later, her body was found. She had been dismembered, her body parts sold for ritual magic.

Case status:
White Chilumpha (Father), convicted of murder, sentenced to death.
James Kanjira, convicted of murder, sentenced to death.
Laston Phiri, convicted of being an accomplice, sentenced to 10 years.

Source:
Two Malawians sentenced to death for abducting and killing baby with albinism
Prejudice against people with albinism in Malawi
Murder of baby with albinism highlights failure to protect vulnerable group
A thief broke into the house and went away with 11 month albino
Police launch campaign against Malawi ‘albino hunters’

Emily Perrin

Photo of Emily Perrin, a small blonde girl sitting on a bed. She is wearing a light blue dress and holding a doll wearing a matching blue dress. Name: Emily Rose Perrin.
Died: April 10, 2016.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Dupo, St. Louis, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Cystic fibrosis.

Details:
Emily was a pre-kindergarten student a day short of her fifth birthday when her mother smothered her.

She loved pretending to be a princess.

Case status:
Mary Lockett (Mother), charged with first degree murder, found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Source:
Mother charged with murdering her cystic fibrosis-suffering daughter, 4, a day before her birthday
Mother charged in Dupo child’s death
Dupo mom accused of killing 4-year-old daughter found not guilty by reason of insanity
Ten reports of abuse weren’t enough to save ‘Princess’ Emily

Bethannie Johnson

Photo of Bethannie Johnson, a toddler girl in a short black-and-white dress and pink sandals. She has fair skin and short, wispy brown hair; she is sitting sideways on a curved surface and looking at the camera. Name: Bethannie Raychelle Johnson.
Died: March 17, 2016.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Grand Junction, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Reactive attachment disorder.

Details:
Bethannie was living with her aunt and her aunt’s girlfriend.

For two weeks, Bethannie’s aunt had kept her strapped to a high chair in the closet, claiming that she had to do this to keep Bethannie from hurting herself.

Bethannie was found unresponsive and dying of a massive head injury; she had been beaten to death by her aunt’s girlfriend. Her body showed signs of chronic child abuse.

Case status:
Shanna Gossett (Aunt), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 48 years in prison and 5 years parole.
Rebekah Joy Wallin (Aunt’s girlfriend), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 48 years in prison and 5 years parole.

Source:
Mesa County women sentenced in beating death of 3-year-old girl
Rebekah Joy Wallin on Why She Admitted Role in Child’s Death: “Because I’m Guilty”
Cops: Suspect kept child in closet
Woman Kept Niece Strapped To A High Chair And Locked In A Closet For Weeks
Woman, 29, ‘kept her niece in closet for two weeks before killing her’
Shanna Gossett: Aunt Kills 3-Year-Old Niece After Pushing Girl’s Head Into A Wall

Kobe Shaw

Name: Kobe Conley Shaw.
Died: March 11, 2016.
Age at death: 9 months.
Cause of death: Methamphetamine poisoning.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Pontocerebellar hypoplasia.

Details:
When Kobe’s parents found him dead in his crib, they thought he had died because of his disability, which doctors had told them would limit his lifespan to about five years. But when toxicology testing was done, Kobe was found to have been poisoned with methamphetamine. His grandmother, who had been babysitting him that day, initially went on the run, but was eventually arrested and convicted of fatally poisoning Kobe with methamphetamine.

Case status:
Tonya Monroe (Grandmother), convicted of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, cruelty to children and distribution of methamphetamine, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Fulton grandmother who ‘poisoned’ toddler with meth sentenced to life in prison
Georgia grandmother ‘murders her nine-month-old grandson with a meth overdose’
In Memory of Kobe Conley Shaw
Police searching for woman accused of murdering infant grandson
Tonya Monroe, 45, of Sandy Springs, accused of killing nine-month-old grandson with Methamphetamine, finally arrested
Woman arrested in her nine-month-old grandson’s overdose death

Maddox Lawrence

Name: Maddox Lawrence.
Died: Three days before February 23, 2016 (Body found).
Age at death: 22 months.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Syracuse, New York, USA.
Disability: Cancer survivor.

Details:
Maddox’s father kidnapped her, beat her to death with a baseball bat, and burned her body. Apparently, he was jealous of all the attention Maddox received while she was being treated for eye cancer.

Case status:
Ryan Lawrence (Father), pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
‘They were two kids struggling’: Maddox’s parents were stressed about money, child’s health
A toddler survived cancer. Then her father beat her to death, burned her and tossed her in a creek.
Father killed his 21-month-old who survived cancer ‘because he was jealous of the attention she got’
Jealous dad murdered cancer survivor daughter with baseball bat and burned body after she was showered with attention
Maddox Lawrence murder: Dad battered toddler to death with a baseball bat
NY dad, jealous of the attention his cancer-survivor daughter received, pleads guilty to killing her
>Toddler Survives Cancer, Father Kills Her for Receiving Too Much Attention
Exclusive: In prison, Baby Maddox’s dad and killer faces ultimate question: Why? (video)

Deborah Harris

No Photo Name: Deborah Harris.
Died: February 18, 2016.
Age at death: 22 months.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: San Jacinto, California, USA.
Disability: Developmental delay.

Details:
Deborah was beaten to death; her body showed signs of abuse and starvation. She was the youngest of three girls; her older sisters survived.

Case status:
Tamara Barker (Mother), charged with child cruelty resulting in death, sentenced to 10 years 8 months.
Malick Harris (Father), charged with child cruelty resulting in death, sentenced to 10 years 8 months.

Source:
Parents of San Jacinto toddler charged in her death a year later
Parents charged in daughter’s death in San Jacinto are arrested in Wyoming
Inmate Locator

Demond Hudson Jr.

Name: Demond Hudson Jr.
Died: February 16, 2016.
Age at death: 6 months.
Cause of death: Head injury, trauma, pneumonia.
Location: Des Moines, Washington, USA.
Disability: Hydrocephalus.

Details:
Desmond’s hydrocephalus went untreated even though his head was obviously bigger than it should have been. When he died, he had broken bones and head injuries and was malnourished.

Case status:
Demond Hudson (Father), charged with second-degree murder; incarcerated as of 2/17/2023.
BJ Silipa (Mother), charged with second-degree murder.

Source:
Charge: Couple neglected baby to death, then blamed lack of insurance
Police: Dad blamed ‘ego,’ lack of insurance for baby’s death
Parents of Des Moines baby who suffered devastating injuries charged with murder

Harmony Carsey

Name: Harmony Carsey.
Died: January 8, 2016.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Brain hemorrhage.
Location: New Straitsville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Undiagnosed mental illness or developmental disability (Head-banging; atypical behavior).

Details:
Crystal’s autopsy report stated that she died of a brain hemorrhage, and that she was underweight and dehydrated. Her mother denied abusing her, and said instead that Harmony had “mental health problems” and hurt herself by banging her head.

Case status:
Crystal Reed (mother), pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 9 years.

Source:
Ohio Toddler’s Tragic Death Need Not Be in Vain if Ohio Courts Seize the Opportunity to Hold Reckless Child Protection Agency Accountable for its Role in the Child’s Abuse and Murder
Mom gets nine-year sentence for daughter’s death
Family seeks answers in 2-year-old’s death