Josias Marquez

Photo of a small boy with tan skin and very short black hair, wearing a gray sweater and green pants a little too big for him. He is strapped into a blue plastic seat.Name: Josias Marquez.
Died: March 31, 2020 (Body found).
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Howard, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, blind, epilepsy.

Details:
Josias’s body was found in the trunk of his mother’s car after she was arrested for neglecting his siblings, ages 2 and 6. His exact cause of death is unknown, but it is probable that he died from either malnutrition or from a fatal seizure (his mother reportedly admitted to not giving him his seizure medication). His body showed signs of malnutrition.

Case status:
Sagal Hussein (Mother), pleaded no contest to child neglect resulting in death, hiding the corpse of a child, two misdemeanor counts of neglecting a child, and obstruction; sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 years probation.

Source:
Howard woman sentenced to 15 years prison for neglect death of son
Mother ’embarrassed’ by son’s disability pleads not guilty after cops find the 5-year-old’s mummified body car trunk
Plea deal possible for mother accused in son’s death
Howard woman pleads not guilty in son’s neglect death
Mom accused in child’s death objects to videoconference court hearing
Howard woman charged in death of son found in trunk of car
Green Bay-area woman charged with hiding 5-year-old son’s corpse, says she gave him CBD to treat seizures
Brown County woman charged in death of 5-year-old son
Woman charged after 5-year-old son’s body found in duffel bag
Wisconsin woman charged in death of son found in trunk of car
Wisconsin woman charged after son’s body found in her car
Wisconsin mom charged after 5-year-old son’s body found in duffel bag in trunk
Boy Found Dead In Trunk Of Woman’s Car Was Her Blind 5-Year-Old Son, Autopsy Confirms
Body of missing 5-year-old boy found in mother’s trunk after she told police he was with his father: Cops

Ma’Leyah Hardin

Photo of a small girl with brown skin and braided black hair, wearing a pink sweater and a tracheostomy.Name: Ma’Leyah Ayesha Hardin.
Died: February 10, 2020.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Marietta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; used breathing tube.

Details:
Ma’Leyah’s mother strangled her.

Case status:
Shekinah Akbar (Mother), pleaded guilty but mentally ill to felony murder and cruelty to children in first degree; sentenced to life.

Source:
Mother sentenced to life after killing daughter during exorcism attempt, prosecutors say
Mother charged with strangling disabled daughter, 5, to death
Ma’Leyah Ayesha Hardin
Churchgoing ‘pretty good’ mom accused of strangling 5-year-old daughter
Mother charged with strangling disabled daughter, 5, to death

Makeisha Maynard

Photo of a girl in a pink school uniform. She has brown skin, and her dark hair is done in small braids.Name: Makeisha Maynard.
Died: February 9, 2020.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Trauma.
Location: Caroni, Trinidad and Tobago.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Makeisha’s father beat her to death with a cutlass because she wet the bed. He hung himself the next day.

Makeisha knew her numbers, colors, and shapes, but had trouble writing.

Case status:
Michael Maynard (Father), deceased.

Source:
Girl, 8, beaten to death after wetting bed, father takes own life
Girl, 8, beaten to death with cutlass
Trinidad: Father beats 8yro daughter to death with cutlass
Autism Memorial: Makeisha Maynard

Jordynn Barrera

Small girl with Down syndrome in a car seat, grinning at the camera. She has fair skin and wispy strawberry blond hair; her shirt is pink.Name: Jordynn Barrera.
Died: January 31, 2020.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Bay City, Texas, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, cerebral palsy.

Details:
Jordynn was found dead in her bed when police were called for a welfare check to her mother’s house. Her mother had left her and her younger siblings, ages 5 and 3 months, alone to go to a bar, and Jordynn died from neglect. Her mother was arrested, and her two younger siblings were taken into foster care.

Case status:
Lauren Kay Dean (Mother), pleaded guilty to murder and child endangerment; sentenced to life and a concurrent 20 year term.

Source:
Texas mother pleads guilty to the murder and abandonment of disabled, bedridden daughter
Mom Who Left Bedridden Daughter Alone Gets Life Sentence for Murder
Texas mother gets life after bedridden seven-year-old daughter died home alone while she went out to bar
Bedridden girl, 7, found dead after her mom left the house to go partying
What did Lauren Kay Dean do? Texas mom pleads guilty to murder of bedridden daughter
Mother arrested after bedridden daughter, 7, found dead in home
Mother arrested after 7-year-old daughter found dead inside home. She joked about poisoning someone hours earlier: Police
Lauren Kay Dean: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
How you can help grieving family of 7-year-old found dead

Thomas Valva

Photo of a small boy in a red-checked collared shirt. He has straight brown hair and light skin.Name: Thomas Valva.
Died: January 17, 2020.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Long Island, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Thomas lived with his father and his father’s fiancee. He and his brother were starved and made to sleep in the unheated garage. One freezing night, Thomas died, and medical examiners determined he had died from hypothermia.

Thomas was a friendly, well-liked second-grader who enjoyed playing outside. When he was two, he spoke his first words–“Ball” and “go”–while playing with a therapist, rolling a ball back and forth. He also liked puzzles.

Case status:
Michael Valva (Father), convicted of second-degree murder and child endangerment, sentenced to 25 years to life.
Angelina Pollana (Father’s girlfriend), convicted of second-degree murder and child endangerment, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
‘Pure Evil’: Angela Pollina Found Guilty In Death Of Thomas Valva, 8
Stepmom Guilty of Murder in 8-Year-Old Long Island Boy’s Freezing Death
Thomas Valva: Ex-Cop’s Former Fiancée GUILTY in Death of His 8-Year-Old Son
Angela Pollina gets 25 years for murder in hypothermia death of 8-year-old autistic boy Thomas Valva
Thomas Valva Froze In Icy Garage ‘For The Sin Of Being Autistic’: ADA
Murder trial of woman accused in 8-year-old Thomas Valva’s hypothermia death begins
Ex-cop Michael Valva, found guilty of killing son with autism, sentenced
‘Truly sorry’: ex-NYPD cop Michael Valva WEEPS after 25-year sentence for killing autistic son Thomas Valva
Ex-cop Michael Valva gets maximum sentence for murder of son, 8, in freezing LI garage
Former New York Police Officer Convicted in Freezing Death of Son
Educators Testify In Trial Of Ex-NYPD Cop Accused Of Son’s Freezing Death: ‘He Told Me His Heart Was Pounding’
Thomas Valva: Detective Says Autopsy Results Changed Case from Non-criminal to Murder for Cop Dad Accused of Killing Autistic Son
Court Denies Immunity To Child Protection Workers Who Allowed An NYPD Officer To Abuse His Son To Death
Judge rules parts of $200M Thomas Valva death lawsuit can go forward
Thomas Valva’s Mother Can Press $200M Wrongful Death Suit
Autism Memorial: Thomas Valva
NYPD Officer Michael Valva, charged with murder after his autistic son froze to death in garage, quits police force
Thomas Valva’s brother details brutal life with NYPD cop dad accused of murder
A Dozen Calls to Child Abuse Hotline Did Not Save 8-Year-Old Boy
House of Horrors Boy ‘Made the Ultimate Sacrifice’
NYPD officer and fiancée charged with murder of cop’s 8-year-old autistic son who froze to death in garage
NYPD Dad Charged In Frigid-Garage Death Of Boy, 8: Cops
NYPD cop Michael Valva abused son Thomas Valva for years before his death, mom claims
‘I’m Not Surprised,’ Nanny Says Of 8-Year-Old’s Horrific Death
Child services ignored complaints about cop before his son died
NYPD officer Michael Valva, fiancée charged with murder in death of cop’s 8-year-old son
Father, His Fiancée Face Murder Charges In Death Of 8-Year-Old Long Island Boy
NYPD Cop & Fiancee Accused of Killing 8-Year-Old Boy

Mohd Amjad

No Photo
Name: Mohd Amjad.
Died: December 22, 2019.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Disability: Physical disability.

Details:
Mohd was brought to the hospital and declared dead on arrival. His injuries prompted the police to arrest his mother and her partner, who allegedly beat him to death for “bothering” them.

Case status:
Sultana Begum (Mother), charged with murder.
Ismail (Mother’s partner), charged with murder.

Source:
Woman, partner beat handicapped child to death in Cyberabad

Sotaro Ogata

No PhotoName: Sotaro Ogata.
Died: November 14, 2019.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Bukit Timah, Singapore.
Disability: Autism, ADHD.

Details:
Sotaro was strangled by his mother, who then killed herself.

His family had moved to Singapore from Japan. His father, a businessman, had been away on a business trip when Sotaro was murdered. Sotaro’s brother, Haruto, survived unharmed.

Case status:
Nami Ogata (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Sotaro Ogata
Depressed mum sought help before killing autistic son and herself
Bukit Timah double deaths: Japanese woman with depression strangled son, 5, & stabbed herself to death
Woman found dead near Bukit Batok Nature Park suffered from major depressive disorder before killing young son: Coroner

Harmony Montgomery

Photo of a young girl, fair-skinned and blond, her hair in a ponytail, wearing glasses and a white T-shirt printed with a colorful alphabet.Name: Harmony Montgomery.
Died: October 1, 2019 (Missing).
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Manchester, New Hampshire, USA.
Disability: Blind in one eye.

Details:
Harmony went missing in late 2019, though her disappearance wasn’t reported until 2021. After an investigation lasting another year, police arrested her father, who is accused of hitting Harmony repeatedly in the head and killing her.

Case Status:
Adam Montgomery (Father), charged with murder, falsifying evidence, witness tampering, and abuse of a corpse; currently in prison for 15-30 years on gun charges.
Kayla Montgomery (Stepmother), pleaded guilty to two felony counts of perjury, sentenced to 3.5 to 7 years.

Sources:
What to know about the Harmony Montgomery murder case in New Hampshire
Harmony Montgomery murder case: What to know on the eve of trial
Harmony Montgomery’s father stands trial for five-year-old’s murder
Mass. considers ‘Harmony Commission’ to examine custody process
Harmony Montgomery case: Cops probe new location for possible clues after father Adam charged with murder
New Report Focuses on Concerns for Child Safety
Missing New Hampshire girl Harmony Montgomery was murdered: state AG
Missing Harmony Montgomery: Dad accused of giving partially blind daughter black eye in 2019, other abuse
Father of Harmony Montgomery, girl who disappeared in 2019, is charged with murder in her death
Missing NH girl’s father arrested on murder charge
Harmony Montgomery’s father is charged with murder

Gael Baumea

Photo: Young boy with fuzzy black hair and light-brown skin, grinning, revealing baby teeth.Name: Gael Francisco Baumea.
Died: September 26, 2019.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: Pascua Yaqui, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Unspecified special needs.

Details:
Gael and his mother were members of the Yaqui tribe, though his father was not.

His father, attempting to “perform an exorcism”, allegedly killed the boy by forcing his head under hot water, burning or drowning him. Police say he told them he “saw something evil” inside the boy.

Case status:
Pablo Martinez (Father), charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
Gael Baumea Obituary – Tucson, AZ
Arizona man killed a 6-year-old boy trying to ‘cast the demon out,’ police say
Arizona man charged after 6-year-old son dies during attempted exorcism
Authorities: Tucson man killed son while trying to exorcise demon
Man kills son to ‘cast out demon’
Dad from hell killed six-year-old son by pouring hot water down throat to ‘exorcise demons’

Conner Snyder

Photo of Conner and Brinley Snyder. He is a heavyset boy wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and backpack; she is a girl wearing a frilly pink skirt and holding a white teddy bear.Name: Conner Seth Snyder.
Died: September 26, 2019.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Hanging.
Location: Albany, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Speech delay, learning disabilities, poor dexterity.

Other Victim: Brinley Louise Snyder, age 4, Conner’s sister (non-disabled).

Child's watercolor painting of brightly colored flowers in a blue vase.
Artwork by Conner Snyder.

Details:
Conner liked video games and building forts.

Conner’s mother hanged him and his sister Brinley from a dog lead in their basement. She told police it was a suicide, claiming that Conner had been bullied at school because of his disability, and had killed himself and his little sister; but police established that Conner didn’t have the dexterity necessary to use the dog lead to hang himself, and his mother had been researching hanging online.

Case status:
Lisa Rachelle Snyder (Mother), found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child and evidence tampering; sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
How to (Not) Get Away with Murder
Defense paints Lisa Snyder as former victim of abuse, mental illness, as murder trial gets underway
Judge rejects plea for Pennsylvania woman charged with killing 2 children found hanging in basement
Lisa Snyder, accused of hanging her 2 children in Berks County, may have a plea deal
Judge signals he won’t allow dog sex charges in trial of Berks mom Lisa Snyder, accused of hanging her children
Pennsylvania mom murdered children found hanging, authorities say
Mom charged with murder in hanging deaths of 2 children in Berks County
Mother charged in ‘horrific’ deaths of children found hanging from dog lead in Pennsylvania basement
Pennsylvania mom Lisa Rachelle Snyder charged with murdering her children Conner and Brinley