Age: Child – Page 4 – Disability Day of Mourning

11-year-old boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: October 29, 2022.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Stab wounds, head injury.
Location: Marseille, France.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
This 11-year-old boy’s mother told police she had lost sight of him and he had gotten lost; but the next day, his body was found on the banks of a river; he had been murdered. Police, who suspected his mother of killing him, arrested her and soon reported that she had admitted to killing her son because she “couldn’t deal with him anymore”.

Case Status:
His mother, age 39 (Arrested).

Sources:
11-year-old boy
Mum ‘admits killing’ autistic son, 11, after dad found his body on riverbank
12-year-old autistic child found dead in Marseille: mother admits killing him
Enfant autiste de 11 ans tué à Marseille : la mère mise en examen pour “meurtre sur mineur”
Enfant autiste tué à Marseille: la mère mise en examen pour meurtre
Infanticide à Marseille : la mère du garçon de 11 ans mise en examen

Frederico Mendes

Name: Frederico Mendes.
Died: September 15, 2022.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Leeds, England, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Frederico was killed by his mother in a murder-suicide.

Case Status:
Dalia Baptista (Mother), deceased.

Sources:
Mum and murdered son, 10, found dead in flat after both struggled with autism
Mum and son, 10, found dead in Leeds flat named as cousin speaks out
Mum and murdered son, 10, found dead in flat after autism struggles
Heartbroken family speaks out after mum, 30, and son, 10, found dead in flat
Mother and son found in suspected murder-suicide named
Autism Memorial: Frederico Mendes

Louise Nash

Somewhat blurred photo of a teenage girl with a round face, tan skin, and frizzy black hair tied back in a ponytail. She is wearing a dark zip-up sweater and a seat belt stretches across her chest. Her expression is neutral and relaxed, eyes half-closed. Name: Louise Nash.
Died: September 8, 2022.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Great Waldingfield, Suffolk, England, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Louise and her mother Jillu lived in Suffolk, where Louise attended a special-needs school. Louise’s parents lived in India, and the mother and daughter sometimes went to visit them. They were well-known to neighbors, who remember them always waving from their car when they drove past.

Someone called the authorities, worried about Louise and Jillu, and police went to check on them. They found Louise and Jillu dead, a gas leak in the home, and Louise’s father, badly injured and immediately taken to the hospital, who they suspect is responsible for the killings. The neighborhood had to be evacuated while the gas leak was repaired, but no one else was hurt.

Case Status:
Peter Nash (Father), convicted of murder; sentenced to 40 years to life.

Sources:
Man handed life prison sentence for murders of wife and daughter, 12
Suffolk double murder: Man called wife ‘validated cheater’
Ipswich Crown Court shown footage of Great Waldingfield family murder accused, Peter Nash, referring to 12-year-old daughter as his ‘property’ in video recorded by wife before her death
After Neely homicide, mental health workers explain what to do if someone is in crisis on the subway
Murder trial set to enter closing stages
Husband who murdered wife and daughter thought they were his ‘property’
Man faces mandatory life sentence for murder of wife and daughter
Autism Memorial: Louise Nash
Tributes paid to ‘devoted’ mum and her daughter, 12, found at home dead
Council chair speaks of shock after suspected double murder
Injured man arrested over deaths of a mother and her 12-year-old daughter
Family of ‘murdered’ mother and daughter, 12, tell of ‘utter despair’
Dad ‘stabbed severely disabled daughter, 12, to death and strangled wife’
Father in court after being charged with murder of wife and kid
Man ‘killed wife and autistic daughter’
Husband ‘stabbed autistic daughter & strangled his wife who was leaving him’
Man accused of double murder ‘confessed to psychiatrist’, court told

Yat-ming Lai

No Photo Name: Yat-ming Lai.
Died: September 2, 2022.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Beating.
Location: Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Disability: Developmental disability.

Details:
Yat-ming was found dead, his body covered in bruises.

Case Status:
Shing-tai Lai (Mother), charged with murder.
His aunt, charged with child neglect.

Sources:
Mother of murdered 5 year old boy was remanded in a mental health facility in Hong Kong

Leon Apler

Name: Leon Apler.
Died: August 29, 2022.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Drowning, head injury.
Location: St. Johann, Tirol, Austria.
Disability: SYNGAP1.

Details:
Leon’s father claimed that he had been mugged, and that Leon had fallen into the River Ache, where he was found dead from drowning and a head injury. However, investigators believe Leon’s father faked the mugging in order to cover up Leon’s murder.

Leon’s favorite toy was a huge stuffed lion. He loved bubbles and “everything that spins”.

Case Status:
Florian Apler (Father), charged with murder.

Sources:
Drowned in Ache – Leon (6) begins his last journey
Dad who claims he was mugged has been arrested for murder of his disabled son
Austria tragedy as disabled boy, 6, drowns after his father was ‘knocked unconscious’

Brayden Butcher

Photo of a young boy with pale skin and dark-red hair, wearing a gray sweatshirt. His expression is neutral. Name: Brayden Aaron Butcher.
Died: August 12, 2022.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma to head and torso.
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Autism, scoliosis, rheumatoid arthritis.

Details:
Brayden died of blows to the head and torso. His parents were arrested on suspicion of child abuse.

Brayden was a Star Wars fan who loved Darth Vader.

Case Status:
Joshua Aaron Butcher (Father), charged with murder and child abuse.
Mercedes M. Caho (Mother), charged with murder and child abuse.

Sources:
Pima County couple accused in death of special needs child
GoFundMe: Brayden’s Funeral
Brayden Aaron Butcher
Autism Memorial: Brayden Butcher

Driti Balakrishna

Name: Driti Balakrishna.
Died: August 4, 2022.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Fall.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability, hearing loss.

Details:
Driti died after falling from her fourth-floor balcony. After watching CCTV footage, police arrested her mother, who was allegedly upset because she had to care for Driti instead of working.

Case Status:
Sushma Bharadwaj (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Driti Balakrishna
Bengaluru woman charged with murder for throwing her child off apartment
Bengaluru: Police charge dentist with murder for throwing autistic child from apartment
Caught on Cam: B’luru woman throws deaf and mute daughter to death from 4th floor
Woman throws 4-year-old daughter to death in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: 4-year-old dies as dentist mother throws her off fourth floor

Jackie Thrasher III

Name: Jackie Thrasher III.
Died: July 22, 2022.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Frederick, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Autism, epilepsy.

Details:
Jackie was brought to the hospital with a major head injury and died shortly afterward. When authorities saw the bruises on his body, they arrested his mother and her boyfriend.

Case Status:
Catherine Thrasher, charged with child abuse resulting in death, assault, child neglect, and child sexual abuse.
Timothy Lee Haselden II, charged with child abuse resulting in death, assault, and child neglect, and child sexual abuse.

Sources:
Washington County man charged with first-degree child abuse and death of 5-year-old boy
Md. couple accused of sexually assaulting and abusing autistic 5-year-old child, resulting in death
Washington County mother charged in death of 5-year-old son
Man and Woman Charged With Death Of 5-Year-Old Boy In Hagerstown
2 adults face numerous child abuse, sex abuse charges after 5-year-old dies
Cases of two charged in fatal child abuse moved to circuit court; rape charges dropped
Washington County couple face new charges in child abuse case that left boy dead
Autism Memorial: Jackie Thrasher III

Dominic Paddock-Wood

Name: Dominic Landon Paddock-Wood.
Died: July 15, 2022.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Cocaine and Fentanyl poisoning.
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Dominic was found unresponsive in his mother’s house, in a dangerously filthy environment. He was declared dead, and an autopsy revealed he had died from poisoning with cocaine and Fentanyl. His mother and her boyfriend were arrested and charged with child neglect.

Case Status:
Noel Wood (Mother), charged with neglect of a dependent causing death.
Jonathan Mulvihill (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with neglect of a dependent causing death.

Sources:
Police arrest couple in connection to death of 4-year-old
Police searching for couple wanted in child neglect death
Couple arrested in connection to death of four-year-old
Fort Wayne couple arrested on neglect charges after death of 4-year-old child
Dominic Paddock-Wood Obituary – Fort Wayne, IN

Eli Hart

Name: Eli Hart.
Died: May 20, 2022.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Mound, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Townes-Brock syndrome.

Details:
Eli was found dead in the trunk of his mother’s car after she shot him dead with a shotgun.

Eli liked to play with matchbox cars and wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. He had recently learned how to fish, and had such a talent for it that he caught more fish on his first day than his father, who owns a bait shop and had been fishing all his life.

Case Status:
Julissa Thaler (Mother), convicted of first- and second-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Sources:
Julissa Thaler sentenced to life in prison for murdering 6-year-old son, Eli Hart
Father of slain 6-year-old takes stand in mom’s trial: ‘He was everything to me’
Mental health records sought by lawyer representing woman accused of killing 6-year-old son
Woman charged with shooting 6-year-old son whose body was found in trunk during traffic stop
Father was trying to reclaim custody of boy found slain in trunk in Mound
Family of boy killed in Mound says state didn’t do enough to protect him ‘They ignored us’
Funeral and Headstone, organized by Nikita K
Family remember the boy found dead in Mound, ‘Eli was the sweetest kid’
2 Arrested After Boy’s Body Found In Trunk; Victim Identified As Eli Hart
Mother, 28, is arrested after son, 6, is found in car trunk