Category: Age: Child

Age 5-11

George and Gianna Kantanka

Two young African-american children, a girl wearing a pink dress and hair ribbon, and a boy wearing a red Mickey Mouse shirt.Name: George Kantanka.
Name: Gianna Kantanka.

Died: December 18, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
With their father away working the night shift, George and Gianna were alone with their mother when she called for an ambulance, saying they were unresponsive. The twins were found dead in their beds. Initially, it seemed they had died of natural causes, but an autopsy concluded they had both been smothered.

Case Status:
Gloria Asamoah (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Mother Is Charged With Murder of Twins Found Dead in the Bronx
Bronx mom indicted for murder in deaths of 5-year-old twin children

Damari Carter

Photo of a small African American boy with short hair, wearing a black sweatshirt.Name: Damari Carter.
Died: December 7, 2023 (Missing, presumed dead).
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Nonspeaking; suspected learning disability.

Details:
Neighbors heard Damari screaming; then his mother’s boyfriend was seen dragging a trash bag out of their apartment. Eventually, police asked his mother what had happened, and she said that her boyfriend had beaten Damari, killing him, and then put him in a trash can. Police are still searching for Damari’s body.

Case Status:
Dominique Bailey (Mother), charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.
Kevin Spencer, charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.

Sources:
Mom Claimed 4-Year-Old Was Hit by a Car; Now She & Boyfriend Are Accused of Murdering Him
Police do not believe they will find 4-year-old Damari Carter’s body
‘Damari Was My Heart’: Dad of Pa. Boy, 4, Speaks Out After Boy’s Mom & Her Boyfriend Are Charged with Murder (Exclusive)
Boy’s body remains missing after mom, boyfriend are charged in his murder
West Philadelphia detectives searching dumpsters for body of missing 4-year-old Damari Carter: police sources – CBS Philadelphia

Eli Riggan

Photo of a round-faced boy with Down syndrome, wearing a blue shirt and cupcake party hat. He has soft brown hair and fair skin. Name: Eli Ezekiel Riggan.
Died: November 25, 2023.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Pressure sores, sepsis, kidney failure.
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; mobility impaired.

Details:
Emergency services were summoned to Eli’s home on a call for an unresponsive child, but they found him dead. An autopsy report showed that he had been neglected; the medical examiner found multiple pressure sores that had become septic, causing kidney failure and killing Eli.

Case Status:
Ariel Lea Horn (Mother), charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.
Charles Jackson McClellan Jr. (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.

Sources:
Tucson mom, boyfriend arrested in death of disabled boy, 11
Police: Special needs boy dies from neglect in Tucson
Media Release: Child Abuse Homicide Arrest – 900 Block of E. Limberlost Dr.
Gofundme: 11 year old Eli Riggan’s Funeral Expenses

Victoria Pendergraph

No PhotoName: Victoria Pendergraph.
Died: November 24, 2023 (Body found; died November 19).
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Westminster, California, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, non-speaking.

Details:
Victoria’s father, who shared custody with her mother, went to pick her up to spend Thanksgiving together only to find the door locked. Concerned, he requested a welfare check; police found Victoria’s body in the bathtub, where Victoria’s mother had allegedly drowned her several days prior.

Case Status:
Khadiyjah Aliyyah Pendergraph (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Woman arrested at shopping center after officers find 9-year-old daughter dead in home
Body of 9-year-old girl in wheelchair ‘left to rot’ after drowning death, OC DA says; mother charged
Mother charged with murder for allegedly drowning disabled, non-verbal 9-year-old daughter
Woman charged with murder, accused of drowning 9-year-old disabled daughter
Westminster woman charged with killing 9-year-old daughter
California mother charged with murder, accused of drowning 9-year-old disabled daughter

Ahmad and Ava Jackson

Name: Ahmad Jackson.
Name: Ava Jackson.

Died: October 20, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Sanford, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified special needs.

Details:
When Ahmad and Ava’s mother jumped off a bridge and died, authorities checked on Ahmad and Ava and found the twins dead in their beds; they had been smothered.

Their loved ones remember Ava as “the talkative one”, and Ahmad as the “quiet observer”. The two were kindergarten students at a local school.

Case Status:
Catorreia Hutto (Mother), deceased. Deaths ruled homicide-suicide.
Photo of a young boy with black hair and dark-brown skin, wearing a black polo shirt and a backpack. Some spots of vitiligo are visible on his face, lightening skin under his mouth and one eye.
Ahmad Jackson

Photo of a small girl with her hair in braids and a bow atop her head, smiling for the camera and holding up a "V" sign. She is wearing a purple tank top and a lime-green bracelet.
Ava Jackson

Sources:
Special-needs twins, 5, found dead after Florida mom jumps to her death
5-year-old twins found dead in Sanford home after mother jumps to her death, deputies say
Florida mother and 5-year-old twins dead in apparent double murder-suicide, officials say
Twins Found Dead After Mother Died By Suicide Remembered as ‘the Sweetest Kids’
Officials release details on 5-year-old twins found dead after Sanford mom jumped from bridge

Amanpreet Alsubaihi

Photo of a boy with light-brown skin and curly brown hair, lying on his back. He is wearing a yellow shirt. His expression is pensive, and he is looking at something he is holding in his hands.Name: Amanpreet “Abraham” Alsubaihi.
Died: October 13, 2023.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Reno, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Police were called to a hotel room, where they found Abraham unresponsive. Despite lifesaving efforts, he could not be revived; police suspect that his mother had strangled him.

Abraham liked visiting the park, where he could run around or play on the swings.

Case Status:
Ansonia Laws (Mother), charged with open murder.

Sources:
Mother in custody for allegedly killing her son, father gives his reaction
Juvenile dies of injuries at Reno motel; mother arrested
Child allegedly killed by mother in Reno was from Modesto area
Mother arrested after child found dead at Reno motel
Modesto father speaks after 9-year-old son dies in Reno hotel under mother’s care

Lech

No PhotoName: Lech (Family name unknown).
Died: June 29, 2023.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Baltic Sea.
Disability: Unspecified; used adapted stroller.

Details:
Lech’s mother threw him into the Baltic Sea and then jumped in herself. A rescue operation recovered both within an hour and sent them to Karlskrona, Sweden, by helicopter; but it was too late, and both were declared dead on arrival.

Case Status:
Paulina (Mother), deceased.

Sources:
“Miraculous” Double Rescue Turns Into Homicide Investigation
Probe into death of mum and boy falling off Stena Line ferry takes chilling turn
Child who died with Polish mother when they plunged from ferry ‘was in a wheelchair’, say witnesses
Śmierć Pauliny i jej synka. Poruszające słowa szefa ratowników morskich. Mówi o cudzie podczas poszukiwań
Nowa relacja pasażerki promu. Widziała Paulinę przed tragedią. “On się nie ruszał, było widać nóżki”

Alivia Hobbs-Jordan

Photo of a young girl with brown skin and black hair in tight braids. She is wearing a puffy blue jacket.Name: Alivia Hobbs-Jordan.
Died: June 25, 2023.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Abandonment.
Location: Decatur, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Alivia’s mother allegedly buckled her into her stroller, rolled her into a closet, and left the apartment, never to return. Alivia’s body was found months later.

Case Status:
Alondra Hobbs (Mother), charged with murder and child cruelty.

Sources:
New details emerge in case where 7-year-old girl with autism was left in closet for so long she became mummified
Mother accused of killing 7-year-old daughter who was found mummified in closet left her there, had ‘no intention of returning’: Warrant
Autism Memorial: Alivia Hobbs-Jordan

A’niyah Perry

Photo of a toddler girl wearing a pink print long-sleeved shirt. Her skin is light tan and her hair, pulled into a huge white satin bow, is curly and brown; she is half-smiling for the camera, and one of her small hands is tucked in close to her body.Name: A’niyah Perry.
Died: May 1, 2023.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Hinesville, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Emergency responders were called to A’niyah’s home for a report of an unresponsive child. They found A’niyah’s body, emaciated and weighing only 28 pounds; investigators determined she had died from malnutrition, and examination of the home showed a dirty environment with almost no food available. Child services had been alerted to A’niyah’s case when she was treated for a broken leg, which medical professionals said was non-accidental but her mother said had come from falling off the bed; A’niyah had also been missing medical appointments. Her non-custodial father had also been attempting to get help for A’niya for two years, but, he says, “No one ever listened to me.”

Case Status:
Shelly Perry (Mother), charged with child cruelty through starvation, tampering with evidence, false statements, and concealment of a death.
Brandon Robinson (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with child cruelty through starvation, tampering with evidence, false statements, and concealment of a death.

Sources:
What happened to A’niyah? Report sheds new light on what Hinesville police found after child’s death
Records detail abuse investigation years before Hinesville 6-year-old died
Obituary for A’Niyah Sandrea Perry at SMALLS FUNERAL HOME, INC.
Father of 6-year-old found dead in Hinesville home says he had been worried for his daughter for years

5-year-old girl

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: April 27, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Surat, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This 5-year-old girl died from her injuries after her mother, who came home to hear her crying, allegedly became infuriated and beat her severely.

Case Status:
Bilkisbanu (Mother), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Surat: Shocking revelation in the murder of a 5-year-old disabled girl
A mother killed her 5-year-old disabled daughter in Surat
Shocking Twist in Surat Murder Case of 5-Year-Old Disabled Girl