Age: Child – Page 28 – Disability Day of Mourning

Michael Becht Jr.

Name: Michael “Mikey” Becht Jr.
Died: July 6, 2009.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Michael’s mother poisoned him with a drug overdose.

Michael had befriended the neighbor’s six-year-old, with whom he played “Whales and Sharks”, a modified version of tag.

Case status:
Patricia Becht (Mother); pled guilty to murder; Sentenced to 38 years, 3 months with possibility of parole in 25-and-a-half years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Michael Becht Jr.
In Loving Memory Of Michael Becht Jr (Mikey)
Mother investigated in South St. Paul boy’s death
South St. Paul mother suspected of killing 10-year-old son
South St. Paul mom charged in attempted murder-suicide by drug overdose that left son dead
Mom admits to killing autistic son
Minnesota Mother Charged With Poisoning Children Says She Had Planned to Commit Suicide With Them at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch

D’Amber Myles

No Photo Name: D’Amber Myles.
Died: June 30, 2009.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Cerebral Palsy.

Details:
D’Amber’s mother allegedly put her in the bathtub and turned the water on, then closed the door and left her there with the water running as the bathtub filled. Because she could not hold her head out of the water, D’Amber drowned.

Case status:
Raven Gibbons (Mother), charged with second-degree murder.

Source:
Woman arrested, charged in drowning of daughter
Mother charged in drowning of 5-year-old daughter – Las Vegas Sun Newspaper
Mother charged with murder

Peter Mugo

No Photo Name: Peter Mugo.
Died: June 25, 2009.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Limuru, Kiambu County, Kenya.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
Peter’s mother killed him and threw his body into a latrine. She had been hiding his existence from her current husband, and killed him to try to save her marriage.

Case status:
Alice Njoki (Mother), sentenced to 6 years.

Source:
Alice Njoki

Faheem Farook

No Photo Name: Faheem Mohamed Farook.
Died: April 24, 2009.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Fall.
Location: Singapore.
Disability: Asperger syndrome.

Details:
Faheem and his parents moved to Singapore from India when he was just a year old; at five, Faheem was diagnosed with autism, and his parents were “troubled by his condition”.

When he was seven, his father pushed him out a high-rise window and jumped out after him.

Case status:
Mohamed Farook (Father), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Faheem Farook
Husband leaped to death with son: She taps into grief to help others heal
Book of stories about conquering mental illness launched at charity’s 5th anniversary dinner

Shylae Thomas

Photo of Shylae Thomas, a girl with her hair in braids and barrettes, propped up against a cushion. She has light-brown skin and dark-brown hair, and her shirt is a red and white striped tank top. Name: Shylae Myza Thomas; sometimes spelled “Shylea”.
Died: April 22, 2009.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Flint, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegia.

Details:
Shylae was starved to death by her aunt.

Case status:
Lorrie Thomas (Aunt, adoptive mother), convicted of involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 10-15 years.

Source:
Lorrie Thomas Gets 10 Years for Starving Quadriplegic Daughter Shylae Thomas to Death
A Memorial Page for Shylae Myza Thomas | Facebook
Shylae Thomas: Starved to Death

Jeremy Fraser

Photo of a young boy with a buzz cut and navy blue sweater. He has light skin and brown eyes, and is smiling for the camera. Name: Jeremy Fraser.
Died: March 30, 2009.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Leukemia.
Location: Salem, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Autism, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Details:
Jeremy was in remission, on the last stage of his cancer therapy, when his mother deliberately withdrew the medication that probably would have saved his life. He died of recurrent leukemia.

Case status:
Kristen LaBrie (Mother), convicted of attempted murder, sentenced to 8-10 years; served 5 years before being granted new trial; pleaded guilty to attempted murder, sentenced to time served.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Jeremy Fraser
New Trial Granted for Salem Mother in Attempted Murder of Son
Woman Who Withheld Chemotherapy Medication From Ill Son Gets Time Served, Freed

Daniel Ndayiragije

No Photo Name: Daniel Ndayiragije.
Died: 2009.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Burundi.
Disability: Albinism.

Details:
Daniel’s older brother and sister-in-law agreed to sell him to a gang of albino hunters for the equivalent of $250. His killers shot him, then cut off his limbs for sale as ingredients in ritual magic.

Case status:
Omari Ndayiragije (brother), wanted fugitive.
Victoria Nkuizikiye (Sister-in-law), charged with murder.
A gang of three men, unnamed, wanted.

Source:
The ‘genocide’ of Burundi’s albinos
Una tragedia olvidada
Albinos under Burundi police protection welcome Napoleon

Mason Scott

School photo of a small boy with pale skin, strawberry-blond hair in a bowl cut, and brown eyes, wearing a red polo shirt. Name: Mason Scott.
Died: August 16, 2008.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Burned.
Location: Russellville, Alabama, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Mason’s mother locked him in their house and set it on fire. Mason burned alive.

Case status:
Christie Scott (Mother), first-degree murder, death sentence.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Mason Scott
Murderpedia Article (Includes newspaper articles and court case.)
Christie Bray Scott’s Road to Death Row
A Mother’s Murder?

Kevin Johnson

Name: Kevin Johnson.
Died: July 20, 2008.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Fatal abuse.
Location: Crete, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Kevin’s foster father physically abused him, and eventually beat him so badly that he was taken to the hospital, unconscious, and died two days later.

His favorite hymn was the gospel song “I Need You To Survive.”

Case Status:
Fred D. Johnson II (Foster father), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 5-17 years.

Source:
Man charged with beating disabled foster child
Crete murderer seeks reduced sentence
Kevin Johnson
Family mourns loss of Crete boy

Aleksi Toledo

No Photo Name: Aleksi Morgan Pressey Toledo.
Died: May 13, 2008.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: San Bernardino County, California, USA.
Disability: Autism, juvenile diabetes.

Details:
Aleksi’s diabetes treatment was withheld and he was starved and dehydrated. He died of diabetic ketoacidosis with no fat left on his body. It is alleged that his mother chose not to seek medical attention, even though she could have saved his life had she done so.

Case status:
Father, D. T., no charges
Mother, unnamed, charged with child endangerment.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Aleksi Toledo
D.T. v. Superior Court
Death Record