Age: Child – Page 32 – Disability Day of Mourning

Reece Mushrush

Name: Reece Mushrush.
Died: December 27, 2002.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Blood clot on the brain due to blows to the head.
Location: Painesville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, asthma, epilepsy

Details:
Reece died from blunt-force trauma to the head, inflicted during beatings over the course of several days. According to the sheriff, his mother’s boyfriend said he had “lost his temper” with Reece for not following instructions.

Reece was a football fan, and his favorite shirt was his Browns football jersey.

Case Status:
Emery Martin (Mother’s partner), convicted of involuntary manslaughter and attempted child endangerment, sentenced to 15 years.
Heather Mushrush (Mother), sentenced to 4 years for child endangerment.

Source:
Reece A. Mushrush (1993-2002) – Find A Grave
Boyfriend charged with endangering boy who died
Many abused children die while under government watch
Reece A. Mushrush
Beating kills ‘special’ boy

Christopher Forder

Photo of Christopher Forder, a young boy with olive skin and black hair, smiling. Name: Christopher Forder.
Died: November 22, 2002.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Seabeck, Washington, USA.
Disability: Reactive attachment disorder.

Details:
Christopher died of untreated pneumonia. He had been beaten and starved by his adoptive mother.

Case status:
Kimberly Ann Forder (Adoptive mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Source:
Christopher Forder

Mitchell Dickson

No Photo Name: Mitchell Dickson.
Died: June 4, 2002.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Blood loss.
Location: Seymour, Texas, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Mitchell’s mother slashed him to death with razor blades and then tried to disguise it as a car accident.

Case status:
Melanie Rochelle Dickson (Mother); pled guilty to murder; sentenced to 15-30 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Mitchell Dickson
Mom Gets 30 Years In Prison For Son’s Murder

Mark Young

Name: Mark Owen Young.
Died: September 17, 2001.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Fall/drowning.
Location: Consett, England, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Mark was given an overdose of medication by his mother; then she slashed both their wrists, went to a nearby bridge, pushed Mark off, and jumped off after him.

When Mark was five years old, he hated bubbles on the surface of the water in the toilet, and he watched a “Fireman Sam” video repeatedly–but only on rewind.

Case status:
Helen Rogan (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Mark Owen Young
Mother killed herself and son
A Mother’s Last, Terrible Act of Love
Despair of mother in fatal leap with son

Gabriel Britt

School photo of a young boy wearing a plaid shirt; he has brown skin and dark-brown hair. His expression is neutral. Name: Gabriel Britt.
Died: March 3, 2001.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: St. George, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Gabriel was suffocated by his father, who put his body in a pond and tried to pretend that Gabriel had accidentally drowned.

Case status:
Terrence Britt (Father); convicted of unlawful conduct toward a child, sentenced to 10 years with all but 4 years suspended.
Renee Britt (Mother); mistrial, no conviction.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Gabriel Britt
Terrence Britt pleads guilty to reduced charge, sentenced to 10 years in prison, mistrial declared in mother’s case
Gabriel Britt’s death now ruled a homicide
Mother, Father charged in death of boy
Judge rules SC no longer has to monitor how Renee Britt cares for her children

Logan Marr

Photo of Logan Marr, a small girl with fair skin and light brown hair, wearing a pink T-shirt; she is licking her lower lip and looking off to the side. Name: Logan Marr.
Died: January 31, 2001.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Chelsea, Maine, USA.
Disability: Reactive attachment disorder.

Details:
Logan’s mother taped her into a high chair with duct tape, wrapping her in tape and putting the chair in the basement. There, Logan died of suffocation from the duct tape across her mouth.

Case status:
Sally Schofield (Foster mother), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 17 years, released on probation after 15 years.

Source:
AT Victim — Logan Marr
Logan Marr – Police Interviews With Sally Schofield
Release of central Maine woman convicted in child’s death stirs painful memories

Shane Graham

No Photo Name: Shane “Moo” Graham.
Died: July 2000.
Age at death: About 10.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Florida, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, autism, sickle-cell anemia.

Details:
Shane was one of eleven children adopted by the same family. When Shane’s siblings were discovered, badly neglected and abused, they told police that Shane had died and their adoptive mother had taken him away. Shane’s body has not been found, but he is presumed dead.

Shane was called “Moo” because it was a sound he often made.

Case status:
Judith Leekin (Adoptive mother) was charged for child abuse for Shane’s siblings, but since Shane’s body was never found, she has not been charged for his death. Her fraud and abuse charges netted her twenty years in prison.

Source:
Eight in Adoption Abuse Case Agree to $17.5 Million Settlement With Foster Agencies
Autism Memorial: Shane Graham
Shane Graham and 10 Siblings
Children adopted by Judith Leekin

Justin Malphus

Black and white photo of Justin Malphus, a little boy with a big smile. Name: Justin Malphus.
Died: April 19, 2000.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: Savannah, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Justin had been physically abused by his mother for some time. In the end, she slammed his head into a refrigerator and dumped him into a swimming pool, where he drowned.

Case status:
Joyce Malphus (Mother). Convicted of felony murder; sentenced to life plus sixty years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Justin Malphus
Mother convicted in murder of autistic child
Daily Listing of Sacred Family Unit Atrocities
Neighbors recall recovering boy

Joseph Beebe

Name: Joseph Jose Beebe.
Died: March 17, 2000.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Tarkington Prairie, Texas, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome.

Details:
Joseph, who told his triplet siblings that he wanted to give them a better life, was beaten to death by his adoptive mother for wetting his pants. When Joseph died, they were removed from the home, and survived.

Case status:
Edith Beebe (Adoptive mother), convicted of injury to a child, 30-75 years.
Brian Beebe (Adoptive father), convicted of failure to protect, served 6 months of a 10-year sentence.
Justin Martin (Stepbrother), convicted of injury to a child, served 6 months of a 10-year sentence.

Source:
Survivor of childhood abuse moves forward by looking back
WHO’S TO BLAME FOR Joseph’s DEATH?
Joseph Jose Beebe

Timothy Boss

School photo of a boy with short, very curly black hair and brown skin and eyes. He is wearing a loose sweater, and has his arms folded in front of him. His expression is neutral. Name: Timothy Boss.
Died: February 23, 2000.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Remsen, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Unspecified “special needs”.

Details:
Timothy’s adoptive parents beat him, and when he died from their abuse, buried his body in their basement.

Case status:
Donald Boss Jr. (Adoptive father), first-degree murder, sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Lisa Boss Green (Adoptive mother), voluntary manslaughter/attempted murder/child endangerment/willful injury, 50 years prison.

Source:
Timothy Boss