Age: Child – Page 23 – Disability Day of Mourning

Terrilynn Dennis

Photo of a young girl with dark skin and dark braided hair, wearing a pink skirt and a pink T-shirt with a cupcake on it. Name: Terrilynn Destiny Julz Dennis.
Died: April 4, 2013.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Peritonitis.
Location: Newport News, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida.

Details:
Terrilynn died of peritonitis from blows to the stomach, complicated by physical and medical neglect. Her parents allegedly waited eight hours after she became unresponsive to take her to the hospital, and she died shortly thereafter.

From her obituary: “Terrilynn had a warm spirit; she enjoyed playing with her sisters and learning about the Bible.”

Case status:
Terri W. Dennis (Adoptive father), charged with murder.
Pamela T. Dennis (Adoptive mother), charged with murder.

Source:
Girl adopted by Terri and Pamela Dennis
Terrilyn Destiny Julz Dennis

Chi-wai Yeung

No Photo Name: Chi-wai Yeung.
Died: March 23, 2013.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Methamphetamine poisoning.
Location: Sheung Shi, Hong Kong, China.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Chi-wai’s mother and her boyfriend were smoking meth while feeding him milk from a bottle. Somehow, the boy was poisoned with meth and died.

Case status:
Wong Pu-lin (Mother) and Ngan Tin-hung (Mother’s boyfriend); both charged with child abuse; charges dropped.

Source:
Carrie Lam offers ray of hope to tackling child abuse
Disabled boy died after mother and boyfriend smoked Ice while feeding him milk, Hong Kong inquest hears
Neglect of the neglected: Hong Kong boy’s death exposes a child protection system riddled with holes

Shamim Nalwoga

No Photo Name: Shamim Nalwoga.
Died: December 17, 2012.
Age at death: Minor.
Cause of death: Sharp force trauma.
Location: Lukuli-Makindye, Kampala, Uganda.
Disability: Paralysis in one hand and one leg.

Details:
Shamim’s grandmother and half-brother took her from her bed and kidnapped her to see a “traditional healer”, saying they would cure the girl’s disability. They fed Shamim soil and paraffin, and eventually killed her by slashing and cutting off parts of her body.

Case status:
Hanifa Namuyanja (Grandmother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 15 years in jail.
Hussein Lukenge (half-brother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 32 years in jail.
Hadijja Nasaka (Healer), acquitted.

Source:
Uganda v Namuyanja & Anor (Criminal Session Case-2013/292) [2016] UGHCCRD 95 (28 January 2016); | Ulii
82-year-old woman gets 15-years in jail over murder of grandchild
82-Year-Old Woman Found Guilty for Murdering Grandchild :
Hearing of Shamim ritual murder case to start

Melissa Stoddard

Name: Melissa Stoddard.
Died: December 17, 2012.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Sarasota, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Melissa suffocated in the restraints her family routinely used to tie her to her bed.

Case status:
Misty Stoddard (Stepmother); convicted of first-degree murder; sentenced to life without parole.
Kenneth Stoddard (Father); aggravated manslaughter, aggravated child abuse; sentenced to 65 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Melissa Stoddard
Before Melissa Stoddard died here, abuse in North Carolina
Sarasota man Kenneth Stoddard arrested for hog-tying 11-year-old daughter Melissa, who later died
Misty Stoddard arrested for child abuse after death of autistic stepdaughter Melissa Stoddard
Trial set in abuse death of autistic Fla. girl
Woman Guilty of Killing Autistic Stepdaughter

Ayanda Mnisi

No Photo Name: Ayanda Mnisi.
Died: August 16, 2012.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Strangulation.
Location: KaMhlushwa, South Africa.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Ayanda’s father raped and strangled her to death.

Case status:
Sunnyboy Phakimpi Mnisi (Father), sentenced to 15 years for murder and 3 years each for two counts of rape.

Source:
Mpumalanga man jailed for raping, murdering daughter
Father admits to killing epileptic daughter, but denies raping her

Taariq Cross

Name: Taariq Cross.
Died: July 11, 2012.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Hit by car.
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Taariq was left unsupervised and was fatally hit by a car. He had often been left to fend for himself, and just days previously had nearly been hit by a car while unsupervised.

Case status:
Latasha Kendrick (Mother). Not charged.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Taariq Cross
Innocents lost: Taariq Cross, 7
FHP: Autistic boy run over, killed
Taariq Cross: Family wants answers after autistic boy’s tragic death
Petition: Kendrick should face criminal charges for death of Autistic 7yr old son

Alayah-Rose Savarese

Name: Alayah-Rose Savarese .
Died: June 25, 2012.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Ruptured stomach.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Alayah died from a ruptured stomach. Her case was known to social services, and there had been multiple complaints of neglect and reports of bruises on Alayah’s body.

Case status:
Nicole Diggs (Mother) and Oscar Thomas (mother’s boyfriend); charged with neglect, but the charges were dropped. They later inherited $2.1 million that had been placed in trust for Alayah’s care.

Source:
Alayah-Rose Savarese

Daniel Corby

Photo of Daniel Corby, a small boy with short brown hair and fair skin, smiling and covering his mouth with his hands. Name: Daniel Corby.
Died: March 31, 2012.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: San Diego, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Daniel’s mother drowned him in the bathtub. She said she had killed him because he was autistic, she was sick of taking care of him, and she had gone $70,000 into debt for autism treatment.

Daniel learned all of the letters of the alphabet when he was three.

Case status:
Patricia Corby (mother) pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Daniel Corby
Woman sentenced in tub drowning of autistic son, 4
Murder of Daniel Corby
Mom gets 15 years in autistic son’s tub drowning
Mother admits she drowned autistic son, 4, in bathtub because ‘she was sick of taking care of him’ and was $70,000 in debt after paying for his care
‘She felt like she had no life’: Mother drowns autistic four-year-old
Mother who drowned 4-year-old autistic son sentenced to life term

Russell Fox

Name: Russell Wayne Fox.
Died: March 4, 2012.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Suwannee County, Florida, USA.
Disability: ADHD, developmental delay, cystic fibrosis.

Details:
Russell was denied medical care and not fed enough. He died at the age of 8 from complications of cystic fibrosis. Medical neglect was a contributing factor.

Russell “enjoyed playing outside and watching Spongebob Squarepants.”

Case status:
Lesa Rose Fox (Adoptive mother), not charged. In 2018, she was sentenced to 2 years for a presumably unrelated aggravated assault.

Source:
Russell Wayne Fox
Russell Fox, 8

Nubia Barahona

Name: Nubia Barahona.
Died: February 14, 2012.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida, USA.
Disability: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Details:
Nubia was allegedly abused by her foster, later adoptive, parents. When she showed up at school thin and ravenously hungry, her parents blamed her condition on her CAH, and the abuse was not investigated. Eventually Nubia was found beaten to death in her adoptive father’s truck.

Nubia is survived by her twin brother, Ivan, who was found in poor condition but recovered.

Case status:
Jorge Barahona (Adoptive father), charged with murder.
Carmen Barahona (Adoptive mother), pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and multiple counts of aggravated child abuse.

Source:
Child Murder Case Still Hasn’t Gone to Trial After More Than a Decade, Here’s Why
Murder of Nubia Barahona
‘Murderer who melted disabled daughter’s body in acid’ is attacked in jail
Before the torture, Nubia Barahona dreamed as a child