Age: Child – Disability Day of Mourning

Cristian Padilla

No Photo Name: Cristian Rodriguez Padilla.
Died: April 19, 2025.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Complications of cerebral palsy.
Location: Metairie, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

Details:
Cristian, who needed 24-hour monitoring due to his medical problems, died alone at home, according to police. His parents returned to find him unresponsive, but allegedly delayed calling emergency services. When paramedics finally arrived, far too late, Cristian was declared dead from natural causes. Police who arrested his mother and her boyfriend, said they had left him alone for “at least three hours.”

Case Status:
Karla Padilla Pavon (Mother), charged with negligent homicide.
Hovet Vela Espinoza (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with negligent homicide.

Sources:
Metairie mom booked with negligent homicide in quadriplegic 7-year-old son’s death
Two arrested for negligent homicide after child found dead in Metairie home, JPSO says
Metairie mom booked with negligent homicide in quadriplegic 7-year-old son’s death

8-year-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: April 18, 2025 (Earliest news article).
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
This 8-year-old girl was strangled by her grandmother, who police say confessed to the crime, saying that she wished to spare the family the “burden” of caring for the young girl.

Case Status:
N. K. S. (Grandmother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: 8-year-old girl
Dubai: Grandmother held for strangling 8-year-old autistic girl, says she wanted to help her son, daughter-in-law
Dubai: Grandmother strangles 8-year-old autistic girl; confesses to crime
UAE: Grandmother allegedly kills eight-year-old autistic granddaughter in Dubai to alleviate burden of care
Family Tragedy: Dubai Grandmother to Face Trial for Killing 8-Year-Old Autistic Granddaughter

Arshish and Ashish Reddy

Name: Arshish Reddy.
Age at death: 11.

Name: Ashish Reddy.
Age at death: 9.

Died: April 17, 2025.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Gajulararam, Telangana, India.
Disability: Hereditary eye disorder.

Details:
Arshish and Ashish’s mother attacked them with a coconut-cutting knife, causing severe injuries. Arshish died on the scene, and Ashish died on the way to the hospital. Their mother jumped from the fifth floor of her apartment building to her death. The press reported that the boys’ mother was depressed because she and her sons shared an eye disorder that required them to use eye drops every four hours to avoid pain and vision loss.

Case Status:
Tejaswini (Mother), deceased.

Sources:
Genetic eye disorder passed to sons, Hyderabad mother kills them, jumps to death
Hyderabad horror: Mother kills sons over genetic eye disorder, then jumps to death
বংশগত চোখের রোগে আক্রান্ত দুই সন্তানকে খুন করে আত্মঘাতী মা
Hyderabad: Mentally Disturbed Woman Kills Two Sons; Then Dies By Suicide
Woman Ends Life After Killing Two Sons Amid Health Struggles and Family Strain

Anupriya Kumar

No Photo Name: Anupriya Kumar.
Died: January 6, 2025.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Poisoned.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Anupriya’s parents fatally poisoned her and her two-year-old brother, Priyansh; then they died by suicide. Authorities believe that the killings had to do with their father’s recent failed business venture and Anupriya’s autism.

Case Status:
Anup Kumar (Father) and Rakhi Kumar (Mother) are deceased.

Sources:
Family found dead in Bengaluru: police suspect land dispute and daughter’s disability as reasons
Techie, wife and minor children found dead at home in Bengaluru
Bengaluru Techie, Wife Kill Their Children, Then Die By Suicide
Did daughter’s health, non-starter venture in UP led Bengaluru couple to murder-suicide pact
Bengaluru techie and wife poison two kids before committing suicide

Jayden Dixon

No Photo Name: Jayden Dixon.
Died: January 5, 2025.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Meridian, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Jayden wasn’t seen outside for several days and his trailer was eerily quiet, his neighbors grew worried. One of them approached Jayden’s mother, who argued with the neighbor. The trailer park manager saw them and called the police because Jayden’s mother appeared intoxicated. Police responding to the disturbance found Jayden’s body in the trailer; he had been suffocated, and their three dogs were also dead.

Jayden was good friends with a neighbor’s child; both were autistic, so they understood each other very well. Jayden was known for giving hugs to his friends.

Case Status:
Meagan Dixon (Mother), charged with murder, child abuse resulting in great bodily injury, and three counts related to cruelty toward animals.

Sources:
Homicide investigation at Lovey’s Landing in Sutter County: New details emerge
Meridian mother accused of killing 11-year-old son
Police Say Calif. Mom Was Causing Disturbance. Then They Found Boy, 11, and 3 Dogs Dead
No plea is entered in death of child, 11

Addison Carr

Name: Addison Rebecca Carr.
Died: December 26, 2024.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Greenville, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Perinatal hypoxia; feeding tube, limited mobility.

Details:
Addison’s mother’s boyfriend was babysitting when she suffered what an arrest warrant called “non-accidental trauma.” Addison was taken to the hospital, where she died four days later from her injuries.

Addison’s mother mourns the loss of her smile, remembering that “she was just a sweetheart and a joy to be around.”

Case Status:
Tyler David Ternberg (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with homicide by child abuse.

Sources:
Accused child killer granted bond and released
Mother’s boyfriend accused of killing 4-year-old with special needs: ‘She was my entire world’
Simpsonville man in custody, accused of causing death of four-year-old with special needs
SC man charged in death of 4-year-old with special needs, deputies say
Sobbing mom confronts boyfriend ‘for murdering her disabled daughter’
Mom rages at boyfriend accused of shaking and beating disabled daughter to death

Princeton Jones

Name: Princeton Nicholas Jones.
Died: November 30, 2024.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Compton, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Princeton was staying with his grandfather when his father allegedly fatally shot him.

A bright, funny boy, Princeton was very close to his mother.

Case Status:
Nicholas Jones (Father), charged with murder and child abuse resulting in death.

Sources:
West Rancho Dominguez father pleads not guilty in son’s shooting death
Father arrested after his 9-year-old son shot and killed in Compton
Father Arrested In Shooting Death Of Autistic Boy, 9
Father Arrested in Fatal Shooting of 9-Year-Old Autistic Son in Compton

12-year-old boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: November 27, 2024.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Bugang-myeon, Sejong City, South Korea.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
This 12-year-old boy’s mother took her son out of school, drove to an isolated rural road, and allegedly strangled him. Two hours later, she called the police, explaining that she had killed someone, and was arrested. Police say she told them she decided to kill him because “life was too hard.”

Case Status:
His mother is on trial for murder. The prosecution is seeking an 8-year sentence.

Sources:
disabled-children-in-south-korea-face-higher-risk-of-homicide-data – The Korea Times
A woman in her 40s who killed her son due to hardships was arrested by police.
Prosecutors have asked for eight years in prison for a biological mother in her 40s who was in court.. – MK
‘생활고’로 초등학생 아들 숨지게 한 40대 엄마
김제서 아들 살해한 40대 여성 체포

Gael

No Photo Name: Gael (Surname unknown).
Died: November 17, 2024.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Unspecified abuse and neglect.
Location: Sete Lagoas, Brazil.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Gael died, his mother called a funeral director to remove the body; but when the funeral home sent an employee, they saw the condition of Gael’s body and called police. He was lying in a damp room, on a dirty mattress; he had injuries on his body, was very malnourished and dirty, and had rotten teeth.

Case Status:
Gael’s mother and stepfather were arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Tragic Death of Child with Cerebral Palsy Reveals Shocking Signs of Violence
Criança com paralisia cerebral é encontrada morta e mãe e padrasto são presos em Sete Lagoas
Criança com paralisia cerebral é morta em MG; casal é preso por suspeita de maus-tratos
Casal é preso após criança com paralisia cerebral morrer com sinais de maus-tratos e desnutrição
Criança com paralisia morta em casa vivia em situação ‘lamentável’, diz tia

Eleni Edwards

Name: Eleni “Laney” Edwards.
Died: September 23, 2024.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Salford, England, UK.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Laney’s mother killed her, then herself.

Neighbors remember seeing her walk down the street, supported by a walking frame. A bus picked her up each day to attend a special school.

Case Status:
Martina Karos (Mother), deceased.

Sources:
Mother and eight year-old girl found dead in suspected murder-suicide pictured
Police name mother and daughter found dead in house in Salford
Woman found dead with disabled daughter, 8, in ‘murder-suicide’
Deaths of mother and disabled eight year-old daughter treated as murder-suicide
‘Devoted’ mum and disabled daughter at centre of ‘murder-suicide’ probe named
Tributes paid to mother and disabled daughter at centre of ‘murder-suicide’
Woman believed to have killed herself and her child ‘not a monster’, says friend