Age: Child – Page 25 – Disability Day of Mourning

Amanda Cooper

Photo of Amanda Cooper, a girl in a fancy dark red dress and hairbow. She is smiling and holding up her hand in a peace sign. Name: Amanda Cooper.
Died: November 27, 2010.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Homicidal trauma.
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, leukodystrophy.

Details:
Amanda was found unresponsive in her home by paramedics. She had been sexually assaulted, and died soon thereafter. At the time she was found dead, Amanda’s case was under active supervision by child protective services.

Case status:
Unsolved. Amanda’s death was likely caused by a family member, but there is a security hold on the case and no information is being released.

Source:
Death Of 10-Year-Old L.A. County Resident Amanda Cooper Might Have Involved Sexual Assault
No one arrested in Hawthorne girl’s death
Amanda Cooper, 10 [Updated]

Kyle Potts

Photo of Kyle Potts, a young boy with short dark hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin, wearing a white tank top. His wide smile reveals a gap between his front teeth. Name: Kyle Joseph Potts.
Died: October 18, 2010.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Crestline, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Kyle’s grandmother shot him and herself in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
Denise Snyder (Grandmother), deceased.

Source:
Crestline woman fatally shoots grandson, self
Crestline woman kills herself and 9-year-old grandson, authorities say
Crestline Murder-Suicide
Kyle Joseph Potts
Autism Memorial: Kyle Potts

Zahra Baker

Photo of Zahra Baker, a girl with straight brown hair and freckles, smiling at something to the left of the viewer. Name: Zahra Baker.
Died: September 24, 2010.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Homicide, undetermined.
Location: Hickory, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Leg amputee, hearing impairment, cancer survivor.

Details:
Zahra was born in Wagga-Wagga, Australia, and at five years old she survived bone cancer, though her leg had to be amputated. When she was eight, her father married an American woman and moved to North Carolina.

In the nine months before Zahra was reported missing, multiple reports of abuse came in to child protective services. Her mother took her out of school to “home-school” her.

More than a month after she went missing, Zahra’s body was found. It could not be determined how she died, but her stepmother admitted to killing her.

Case status:
Elisa Baker (Stepmother); pled guilty to murder; sentenced to 18 years. Sentence extended for 10 years on drug charges.

Source:
Murder of Zahra Baker

Rohit Singh

No Photo Name: Rohit Singh.
Died: September 10, 2010.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Fatal abuse.
Location: Bthinda, India.
Disability: Visual impairment and injured leg from previous abuse.

Details:
When he soiled his bed, Rohit’s father allegedly beat him to death with a hammer.

Case status:
Gurmeet Singh (Father), accused of murder.

Source:
Man kills disabled son for defecating on bed

Tia McShane

Name: Tia McShane.
Died: August 30, 2010 (Body found); died sometime in 2006.
Age at death: About 7.
Cause of death: Unsolved.
Location: Pensacola, Florida, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
It is not known how Tia died. Her body was found, years later, hidden in a storage unit owned by her mother.

Case status:
Alicia McShane (Mother). Died before Tia’s body was found.

Source:
Remains Found In Storage Unit Identified

Zain and Faryaal Akhter

No Photo Name: Zain Syed Akhter.
Died: July 19, 2010.
Age at death: 5.
Disability: Autism.

Name: Faryaal Rashid Akhter.
Died: July 20, 2010.
Age at death: 2.
Disability: Developmental delay; her mother thought she also had autism.

Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA.

Details:
Zain and Faryaal’s mother tried to make them drink bathroom cleaner; when they wouldn’t do it, she strangled them.

Case status:
Saiqa Akhter (Mother), found not guilty by reason of insanity; hospitalized.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Zain and Faryaal Akhter
Dallas mom, Saiqa Akhter, killed her two children because they were autistic: 911 recording
Mother cites kids’ autism as motive for their slayings in call to 911 operator
Texas Mom Says She Killed Kids Because They Were Austistic

Charles Poertner

Black and white photo of Charles Poertner, a boy with light skin and medium hair. Name: Charles Poertner.
Died: June 7, 2010.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Dehydration.
Location: Newport News, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, developmental delay, epilepsy.

Details:
Charles’s mother starved him to death.

Case status:
Heather Poertner (mother), convicted of child neglect and murder; sentenced to 50 years.

Source:
Newport News mother pleads guilty in death of disabled son
Mother charged in death of son with cerebral palsy

Glen Freaney

Photo of a boy with fair skin and short brown hair, his glasses slipping down his nose. He is smiling, holding a watercolor painting and a small silver trophy. Name: Glen Freaney.
Died: May 13, 2010.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Penarth Vale, Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Glen was strangled by his mother.

Case status:
Yvonne Freaney (Mother); pled guilty to manslaughter and walked free from court with a supervision order.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Glen Freaney
Mother killed autistic son with coat belt, court hears
‘He was laughing when I strangled him. Then I knew he was happy’: Mother ‘killed’ severely autistic son after facing lifetime of care
“Glen Freaney”, Find a Grave
“Despairing mother who strangled autistic son walks free from court”, Daily Mail

Gerren Isgrigg

Gerren Isgrigg, a toddler with fair skin and red hair, wearing a yellow shirt, lying on a mat. Name: Gerren Joseph Isgrigg, a.k.a. “Wylie’s Angel”.
Died: April 12-15, 2010.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Exposure.
Location: Wylie, Texas, USA.
Disability: Multiple disabilities; medically fragile.

Details:
Gerren’s grandmother abandoned him in a park where he was unlikely to be found, and he died there. Unidentified when he was found, he was briefly known as “Wylie’s Angel”.

Case status:
Darlene Phillips (Grandmother); pleaded guilty to murder; sentenced to 12-28 years.

Source:
Grandmother gets 28 years in death of Gerren Isgrigg, boy dubbed ‘Wylie’s Angel’

Aja Johnson

Name: Aja Danielle Johnson.
Died: March 29, 2010.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: ADHD, sleep disorder.

Details:
Aja’s abusive stepfather, after losing custody, killed her mother and kidnapped her. Two months later, he killed her and then himself.

Aja’s father called her “Punky.” She wanted to be a cheerleader.

Case status:
Lester Hobbs (Stepfather), deceased.

Source:
Amber Alert: 7-Year-Old Aja Johnson Believed to Be With Accused Murderer
Horrific abuse marked last three years of Aja Johnson’s life
New Info in Aja Johnson Case
Aja Danielle Johnson (2003-2010) – Find A Grave
Command center closing in search for 7-year-old