Age: Child – Page 11 – Disability Day of Mourning

Jakie Toole

Photo of Jakie Toole, a smiling child in a white tank top. He has short dark brown hair and brown skin. A filter has been applied that adds yellow butterflies around his head. Name: Jakie Toole.
Died: September 11, 2019 (Body found), last seen April 2019.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Meridian, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Unspecified special needs; mobility and communication impairment.

Details:
Jakie’s mother left him with a family friend to serve as a caregiver. His body was found in a garbage bag in her basement, and an autopsy showed he had died of trauma from a beating. The caregiver had led police to the body and told them she had burned him in a bathtub and beaten him for crying.

Case status:
Celeste Louise Smith (Caregiver), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.

Source:
Missing child’s caretaker charged with capital murder after body found in basement of Meridian home
Capital murder charge filed in Meridian basement body discovery case
Meridian woman charged with capital murder following discovery of a child’s remains
Body of special needs child found in garbage bag was beaten and burned, autopsy confirms
Autopsy: Body of special needs child found in garbage bag was beaten and burned
Body of child found in basement: Autopsy shows beating; chief says he was also burned
Mother of special needs child who was killed, found in bag, faces neglect charges
Mother charged with child neglect in case of missing special needs child

Skylea Carmack

Photo of a girl with light, freckled skin, brown hair pulled back, smiling for the camera. Name: Skylea Carmack.
Died: September 4, 2019.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Gas City, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, possibly autism.

Details:
Skylea’s stepmother strangled her, then reported her missing, saying she had vanished from her home. Police issued a Silver Alert, announcing that Skylea had a history of running away to her mother’s home and might have an autism awareness blanket with her. Skylea’s body was found behind her home several days later.

Skylea was one of six siblings.

Case status:
Amanda Carmack (Stepmother), convicted of murder, neglect of a dependent, strangulation, and domestic battery; sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Skylea Carmack
Jury recommends life without parole for Indiana woman convicted of killing 10-year-old stepdaughter
BREAKING: Missing 10-year-old girl found strangled in shed behind home [Police]
Skylea Carmack: Autopsy confirms girl found dead in shed was strangled as stepmom remains jailed for her
Court docs: Stepmom killed Gas City girl over charm bracelet. Abuse, confinement marked her last hours.

Malachi Lawson

Name: Malachi Lawson.
Died: August 4, 2019.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Walked with a limp; possibly autism

Details:
Malachi’s mother and stepmother initially reported him missing. Police say that, when questioned, they admitted they had burned him by making him sit in a bathtub full of hot water after he had a potty-training accident. Malachi’s body was found in a dumpster.

Malachi loved Paw Patrol and Mickey Mouse. He liked dancing and his favorite color was blue. He had been taken into foster care, but returned to his mother and her partner.

Case status:
Alicia Lawson (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect resulting in death, sentenced to life with all but 30 years suspended and 5 years probation.
Shatilka Lawson (Stepmother), found guilty of neglect resulting in the death of a minor, first-degree child abuse, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and false statement; sentenced to 30 years in prison and 5 years probation.

Source:
Alicia Lawson Pleads Guilty In Death Of 4-Year-Old Son Malachi Lawson
Missing Baltimore 4-Year-Old Found Dead in a Dumpster: Police
‘Remembering Our Superhero’ | 4-Year-Old Malachi Lawson Laid To Rest Tuesday
Family says goodbye to 4-year old Baltimore boy with songs, praise and a comic book in a tearful service
Autism Memorial: Malachi Lawson

Lukas Castillo

Lukas, a child with frizzy brown hair and olive-toned skin, is about to blow into a pink birthday blower tied with pink ribbons. He is wearing a black shirt. Name: Lukas Castillo
Died: July 20, 2019.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Lukas’s stepfather hit him in the head until he was unconscious; hours passed before he was brought to the hospital. On arrival, he was too injured to live. He had his sixth birthday while he was unconscious at the hospital, and died two days later.

Case status:
Carl Bookout (Stepfather), pleaded no contest to first-degree reckless homicide, sentenced to 22 years in prison and 20 years probation.
Edzaida “Selina” Pace (Mother), convicted of failure to act to prevent great bodily harm to a child, sentenced to 1 year in jail and 5 years probation.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Lukas Castillo
Stepfather sentenced: 22 years in death of 6-year-old boy with autism
Waukesha Man Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison For Causing His Stepson’s Death
Waukesha mother faces child neglect charges after 6-year-old son dies
A Waukesha mother has been charged with child neglect after her 5-year-old died from abuse
Autistic 6-year-old brutally beaten by sex offender stepfather suffers skull fracture before bleeding to death
‘Stepdad battered boy, 6, so hard his brain was forced to one side of his skull’
Step-dad arrested in connection with death of his six-year-old stepson
Stepfather faces homicide charge in death of 6-year-old boy with autism who ‘fell down the stairs’

Ari Ase, Mya Ase, and John Savage

Photos of a young boy with dark-brown skin and short hair, a young girl with brown skin and her hair in dreads, with rhinestones glued onto the photograph, and a toddler boy with tan skin, wearing a too-big Carolina Panthers baseball cap. Name: Ari Ase.
Age at death: 8.
Disability: Autism.

Name: Mya Ase.
Age at death: 7.
Disability: Autism.

Name: John Savage.
Age at death: 3.
Disability: Autism.

Died: July 7, 2019.
Cause of death: Carbon monoxide poisoning.
Location: Syracuse, New York, USA.

Details:
Ari, Mya, and John were all autistic. Ari smiled all the time; Mya sang songs. Both liked music. Mya was a talented artist whose teacher thought she would one day become famous. Ari would read the dictionary for fun. Three-year-old John, a precocious boy who could already count and spell, loved reading books.

Their mother packed the three children into a rental car and ignited a charcoal grill, filling the car with carbon monoxide and killing them all.

Case status:
Crystal Savage (Mother), deceased.

Source:
DA: Mom in murder-suicide was in “utter despair”, kids were “high maintenance” for her
Dad IDs mom, 3 children killed in Syracuse murder-suicide
Dad of boy killed by mom in Syracuse murder-suicide: ‘He was everything that I had’ (video)
Woman and 3 Children Died From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Inside Vehicle: Report
Crystal Savage’s sister: Her story is ‘bigger than’ murder-suicide
Syracuse mother’s trail of hardship ends with murder-suicide
Community Gathers to Remember Kids Lost in Murder-Suicide
Mom lights a charcoal grill in trunk of a rental car to kill herself, three children: Report
Mom’s struggles and note at center of probe into her suicide, murder of 3 kids
Autism Memorial: Ari Ase, Mya Ase, and John Savage

Duke Flores

Photo of a small boy with tan skin and curly brown hair, grinning at the camera with his eyes nearly shut. Name: Duke Josehyah Flores.
Died: April 25, 2019 (Reported missing; died around April 14th, 2019).
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Homicide; body not found.
Location: Apple Valley, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Duke’s mother reported him missing, the six-year-old had already been missing for two weeks. Soon thereafter, she was arrested for child cruelty; a few days later, she and Duke’s aunt were charged with murder. Police report that in her confession, Duke’s mother said that they strangled him with an electrical cord and buried his body in their backyard; but after the family dogs kept trying to dig up his body, the two women dug him up and put him in a dumpster. His body has still not been found.

Case status:
Jackee Raquel Contreras (Mother), charged with murder.
Jennifer Rachel Contreras (Aunt), charged with murder.

Source:
Community Mourns 6-Year-Old Boy Police Believe Was Murdered
The Charley Project: Duke Josehyah Flores
Apple Valley: Mother, aunt arrested for murder of missing 6-year-old boy, authorities say
Apple Valley Mother, Twin Sister Booked on Suspicion of Murder as Search for Missing Boy Continues
Murder charges filed against mother of missing 6-year-old Duke Flores of Apple Valley
Detectives arrest Jakee Raquel Contreras (mother) and Jennifer Rachel Contreras (aunt) for the…
Apple Valley: Mother, aunt arrested for murder of missing 6-year-old boy Duke Flores
Homicide Detectives Search Victorville Landfill for Body of Missing Boy; Mom, Aunt Charged With Murder
Duke Flores case: Mother, aunt charged in Apple Valley boy’s murder as detectives search landfill
Mother, aunt plead not guilty in murder of missing 6-year-old Apple Valley boy Duke Flores
6-year-old Duke Flores was tied, smothered, buried, dug up, then dumped by mother and aunt
Autism Memorial: Duke Flores

Andrew Freund Jr.

Photo of a small boy in a big blue baseball cap and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt. He has pale skin and his ears stick out, and he is smiling, showing he still has all his baby teeth. Name: Andrew “AJ” Freund Jr.
Died: April 24, 2019.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Woodstock, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Parents claimed he had oppositional defiant disorder to justify abuse. Whether AJ had a disability is unknown.

Details:
AJ spent some time in a foster home before being returned to his parents. His foster parents and one of his grandmothers released a statement that said, “This smart little boy loved having books read to him, doing puzzles, his Thomas the Train, playing with his fire trucks, bulldozers, cement mixer and Ninja Turtles. He was very curious and always wanted to learn about everything.”

AJ was regularly abused by his parents. He died of head injuries after having been forced to take a cold shower and beaten because he had lied about having dirty underwear.

Case status:
Joann Cunningham (Mother), pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, sentenced to 35 years with no parole.
Andrew Freund Sr. (Father), pleaded guilty to aggravated battery to a child, involuntary manslaughter, and concealing a homicidal death; sentenced to 30 years.

Source:
AJ Freund’s mother sentenced to 35 years in his beating, cold shower murder
A.J. Freund’s Mom Allegedly Had Video of Beaten Kid on Her Phone, Which Helped Solve Case: Docs
Warrant: AJ’s father says his mother killed the boy
Newly released documents reveal graphic details about AJ Freund case
Video of beaten 5-year-old AJ Freund on mom’s phone helped crack case, search was made for ‘child cpr,’ authorities say
Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund’s foster family releases statement: ‘AJ was loved by us’
Photos of AJ Freund’s Crystal Lake home reveal filthy living conditions
Cell phone video led to father’s confession in the killing of 5-year-old AJ Freund, police say
Grand jury indicts parents of slain Crystal Lake 5-year-old AJ Freund; court hearing scheduled for Friday morning

Robbie Ballenger

Name: Robbie Ballenger, also called Robert Williams.
Died: April 15, 2019.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, malnutrition.
Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, epilepsy.

Details:
Robbie lived, along with his twin brother and six other children, with his grandmother and five other adults. The children didn’t go to school or get medical care.

Robbie’s grandmother neglected him. He was not fed enough, and at the age of 8, he died of pneumonia secondary to starvation, weighing only 18 pounds.

Case status:
Geneen Romalia Ballenger (Grandmother), pleaded guilty to child abuse and reckless disregard for human life, sentenced to 10-21 months in prison, suspended, and 18 months probation.

Source:
Fayetteville grandmother pleads guilty in death of disabled 8-year-old grandson
DA: Fayetteville grandma faces 2 years max after child starved to death
Fayetteville boy who starved to death in grandmother’s care had cerebral palsy, weighed 18 pounds :
Fayetteville grandmother faces 2 years max for starving disabled child to death
Disabled boy, 8, ‘was so badly starved by granny his corpse looked like a baby’

Martina Ávila

No Photo
Name: Martina Ávila.
Died: April 13, 2019.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Puerto Madryn, Argentina.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Martina was stabbed to death by her father.

“If she were here, she would hug you. She would hug everyone,” Martina’s aunt told the court.

Case Status:
Manuel Ávila (Father), pled guilty to murder; faces a mandatory life sentence.

Source:
“I wanted the two of us to leave, but I had no luck”: the aberrant confession of the man who killed his 6-year-old daughter with a disability
Culpable: Manuel Ávila condenado por el asesinato de su hija de seis años
Declaró la vecina de Martina: «la nena era hermosa, un ángel», recordó

Sarah Dubois-Gilbeau

Name: Sarah Dubois-Gilbeau.
Died: April 5, 2019.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Sarah’s father beat her to death because she refused to do her schoolwork. Her mother says that her father refused to accept she was autistic.

Sarah liked acting out movie scenes and reading Lego Ninjago comic books.

Case status:
Brandon Reynolds (Father), pled guilty to intentional child abuse resulting in the death of a child; sentenced to 30 years to life.

Source:
ABQ man gets life in beating death of daughter
Autism Memorial: Sarah Dubois-Gilbeau
Mom says 5-year-old allegedly killed by father had autism
New Mexico father beat daughter, 5, to death after she refused to do homework: cops
Mother of murdered little girl says she was autistic, claims dad who beat 5-year-old to death over homework ‘couldn’t deal’ with diagnosis
Dad ‘battered autistic girl, 5, to death with shoe for refusing to do homework’
Father is arrested for allegedly beating 5-year-old autistic daughter to death with shoe for refusing to do homework