Age: Child – Disability Day of Mourning

Eli Hart

Name: Eli Hart.
Died: May 20, 2022.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Mound, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Townes-Brock syndrome.

Details:
Eli was found dead in the trunk of his mother’s car, having been shot with a shotgun.

Eli liked to play with matchbox cars and wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. He had recently learned how to fish.

Case Status:
Julissa Thaler (Mother), charged with second-degree murder.

Sources:
Mental health records sought by lawyer representing woman accused of killing 6-year-old son
Woman charged with shooting 6-year-old son whose body was found in trunk during traffic stop
Father was trying to reclaim custody of boy found slain in trunk in Mound
Family of boy killed in Mound says state didn’t do enough to protect him ‘They ignored us’
Funeral and Headstone, organized by Nikita K
Family remember the boy found dead in Mound, ‘Eli was the sweetest kid’
2 Arrested After Boy’s Body Found In Trunk; Victim Identified As Eli Hart
Mother, 28, is arrested after son, 6, is found in car trunk

Photo of a small, chubby boy with short brown hair and fair skin; he is wearing a blue T-shirt and khakis. He has his hands out in front of him, waving them or perhaps dancing. Name: Jamie Garcia III.
Died: February 6, 2022.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Jamie was stabbed to death, and police arrested his mother on suspicion of having killed him.

Case Status:
Carina Romero (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Jamie Garcia III
Woman arrested after dead child found inside southeast OKC home by police
‘He was beautiful’: Oklahoma family remembers 7-year-old boy found brutally stabbed to death
Child found dead inside Oklahoma City home identified by police
“He was beautiful,” Family remembers 7-year-old boy found brutally stabbed to death in OKC

Ashton and Ethan Yap

Flowers left at a green railing in front of a shallow canal. There are three bouquets of yellow flowers and a line of white roses. Name: Ashton Yap Kai Shern.
Name: Ethan Yap E Chern.

Died: January 21, 2022.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Singapore.
Disability: ADHD, autism.

Details:
Ashton and Ethan were twin brothers whose bodies were found in a canal near a playground. Their father was arrested on suspicion of having killed them.

Case Status:
Xavier Yap Jung Houn (Father), charged with 1 count of murder, likely because being convicted of more than one murder would mandate the death penalty.

Sources:
More Details Have Emerged About the Murder of the 2 Greenridge Crescent Boys
Greenridge Crescent boys’ deaths: 48-year-old father faces second murder charge
Twins found dead: SG Enable urges stressed caregivers of children with special needs to seek help | The Straits Times
Bodies of 11-year-old twins found in canal near Upper Bukit Timah playground | The Straits Times
Caregivers of children with special needs ‘may face burnout or feel emotionally burdened’: SG Enable
Father arrested after twin boys found dead in Upper Bukit Timah canal, to be charged with murder | The Straits Times
Twin Boys With Special Needs Found Dead In Canal, Father Charged With Murder
9 New Facts About the Twin Boys Murder Found in Upper Bukit Timah Canal

Uday Sai

No Photo Name: Uday Sai.
Died: December 13, 2021.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Unspecified congenital condition.

Details:
Uday’s father pushed him into a water sump and closed the lid on him; then he hung himself. Uday’s mother, who had been asleep, woke up to find his body. She had recently quit her job to care for him.

Case Status:
Suresh (Father), deceased.

Sources:
Karnataka: Man kills son with special needs before ending his own life

Nicole Hall

Name: Nicole “Amari” Hall.
Died: November 23, 2021.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Gwinnett County, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Amari went missing from a hotel where her family had been staying. Several days later, she was found dead in the woods fifteen miles away, the victim of a homicide. Police who questioned her mother and her mother’s partner say their statements were inconsistent and untruthful; the two were arrested on suspicion of having caused Amari’s death.

Amari’s siblings, age 5 and 6, were removed from the home.

Case Status:
Brittnay Hall (Mother), charged with murder, child cruelty, concealing a death, and filing a false police report.
Celeste Owen (Mother’s partner), charged with murder and child cruelty.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Nicole Hall
Georgia Couple Charged In 8-Year-Old Autistic Black Girl’s Death
Mom Reported Autistic Daughter, 8, Missing After Beating Child To Death, Dumping Victim’s Remains In Trash Bag
Cops Say Autistic 8-Year-Old Was Beaten by Mom, Discarded in Trash Bag
Woman Who Claimed 8-Year-Old Autistic Daughter Was Missing Has Been Arrested. Her Partner Has Been Charged with Murder.
Autistic girl, 8, found dead as mom arrested & partner to be charged with murder
Missing 8-year-old Gwinnett County girl found dead, mother charged with murder, police say
Police find body of missing 8-year-old, mother’s partner to be charged with murder
‘Missing’ Autistic 8-Year-Old Was Actually Murdered, Police Say

Felicity and Barrett Kreb

Name: Felicity Kreb.
Age at death: 13.

Name: Barrett Kreb.
Age at death: 9.

Died: October 30, 2021.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Gleneagle, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Dwarfism.

Details:
Felicity, Barrett, and their mother Yvette Siegert-Kreb, were killed by their father, who then killed himself.

Felicity and Barrett were both international adoptees, Felicity from China and Barrett from Albania. They were two of nine children. Their mother had specifically begun adopting children with dwarfism because her own son had dwarfism, and she wanted him to grow up with other little people around him. With their parents dead, Felicity and Barrett’s surviving siblings, the oldest of whom are adults, are now caring for one another.

Case Status:
Christof Kreb (Adoptive father), deceased.

Sources:
Father killed wife, two children in murder-suicide, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says
Grim New Details Emerge as Authorities Identify Victims and Suspect in Colorado Triple Murder-Suicide
Gun store owner ‘killed his wife and two children, 13 and 9, in apparent murder-suicide’

Kendrick Lee

Name: Kendrick Lee.
Died: October 4, 2021 (Body found; died November 20, 2020).
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Multiple blunt force injuries.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Kendrick lived in an apartment with his siblings, aged 7, 10, and 15, two of whom were also autistic. When his 15-year-old brother called emergency services, begging for help and saying that his brother was dead in the house with him, police arrived to find the children starving, the ten-year-old with broken bones, and Kendrick’s body, which had been there for nearly a year. Neighbors say they had been giving the 15-year-old food, but were not aware that he had apparently been living alone with his siblings. After Kendrick’s brothers told police that his stepfather had beaten Kendrick to death, Kendrick’s parents were arrested.

Case Status:
Brian W. Coulter (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with murder.
Gloria Y. Williams (Mother), charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Kendrick Lee
Houston mom and boyfriend indicted for murder of her 8-year-old son
As partner’s family speaks out, a shackled Brian Coulter is pictured in court after ‘beating autistic youngster to death in hell house.’ » Brinkwire
Gloria Williams silently watched Brian Coulter beat non-verbal, autistic son to death
PHOTOS: Adorable ‘Mostly Non-Verbal’ Boy Found Dead in Apartment with Siblings, Mom’s Boyfriend Charged with Murder
Mother of abandoned kids did not report death because she was afraid, court records say
Felony charges filed against a woman and her boyfriend in the death of the woman’s child
Mom Arrested, Boyfriend Charged With Murder for Abandoned Kids Living With Decomposing Body of 8-year-old Brother

James Lewis

Name: James Rashard Lewis.
Died: September 29, 2021.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Waco, Texas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
James was found dead at home, with his throat cut. His father, who police say was covered in blood and attempted to evade arrest, was charged with murder.

Neighbors often saw James running back and forth in the hallways and up and down the steps of their apartment complex.

Case Status:
Bronchae Defraunce Lewis (Father), charged with capital murder.

Sources:
Waco man indicted in September death of 10-year-old son
Waco 10-year-old slain Wednesday identified
Affidavit details how Waco man allegedly murdered 10-year-old son

Najir Diehl

Name: Najir William Diehl.
Died: September 5, 2021.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Methanol poisoning.
Location: East Fairfield Township, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired; unable to walk independently.

Details:
Najir’s mother is accused of killing him by feeding him a cup of windshield washer fluid. He was found dead at his home, and poison was detected in his blood.

In his obituary, Najir is remembered as someone who “…had a passion for life. His bus trips to school and his bus drivers made him very happy. He also loved to eat, go swimming, read books, and the dogs and cats at his home.”

Case Status:
Mary Eileen Diehl (Mother), charged with criminal homicide.

Sources:
Woman charged with killing disabled son had him drink washer fluid to “free him”: Police
Woman accused of fatally poisoning adopted son
State police charge Crawford County woman in poisoning death of 11-year-old adopted son
Najir William Diehl Obituary

Mason Weston

No Photo
Name: Mason Joe Weston.
Died: August 7, 2021.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Homicide; battered child.
Location: Fergus Falls, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Mason was taken to the hospital with severe injuries, his attacker initially said he had fallen, but eventually told police that he had slammed Mason’s head against the wall and kicked him. Mason died in the hospital. His killer admitted that he had become angry at the boy for not washing the dishes.

Case Status:
Reggie Bethel (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 8 years 4 months to 12 1/2 years.

Source:
Otter Tail County man sentenced for beating death of boy with autism
Mason Joe Weston
Fergus Falls man charged with murdering autistic boy by slamming head into wall numerous times