Age: Elder – Page 2 – Disability Day of Mourning

Donna Kitzmiller

Photo of a middle aged woman with short brown hair, light skin, and red cheeks. She is wearing glasses and a light-yellow sweater, and smiling broadly at the camera. Name: Donna L. Kitzmiller.
Died: September 28, 2024.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Grand Haven Charter Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Donna’s husband fatally shot her before fatally shooting himself. He told a 911 operator that he was “giving [her] a merciful ending”.

Donna was a retired elementary school teacher. She loved nature and wildlife, enjoyed reading and watching movies, and cared for pet Golden Retrievers and cats.

Case Status:
William Kitzmiller (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Retired cop, 80, shot wife in ‘merciful’ end to her Alzheimer’s disease, 911 call shows
Retired Cop Fatally Shot Wife, Then Himself, Claiming ‘Merciful Ending’ Because of Her Alzheimer’s: 911 Call
William & Donna Kitzmiller Obituary | Sep 28, 2024 | Grand Haven, MI

Carmel McDougall

Name: Carmel McDougall.
Died: September 18, 2024.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Brain trauma.
Location: Roosevelt, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Carmel died from head injuries sustained after a fall. According to video recordings from their home security system, the fall happened because Carmel’s son put her in a headlock and swung her around, causing her to lose her balance; police say he was “frustrated with [her] declining health”. Videos from two weeks before show her daughter “constrict[ing] her mother’s ability to move and breathe”.

Carmel was born in Jamaica and had lived in Canada before moving to New York. Her passion for cooking invigorated her career as a hospital dietician. Along with her own four children, she fed and cared for many children in her community. She was a devoted Christian who spent much of her time after retirement doing volunteer work for the Most Holy Rosary Church.

Case Status:
Michael Rainford McDougall (Son), charged with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree endangerment of a vulnerable person, and criminally negligent homicide.
Nichole McDougall Mullings (Daughter), charged with first-degree endangerment of a vulnerable person.

Sources:
LI Son Charged After Abuse Of Mother Leads To Her Death: DA
Roosevelt siblings indicted in elder abuse case, mother dead.
Obituary of Carmel McDougall

Jimmy Cardwell

No Photo Name: Jimmy Lamar Cardwell.
Died: August 28, 2024.
Age at death: 71.
Cause of death: Sepsis, osteomyelitis.
Location: Rockledge, Florida, USA.
Disability: Hemiparesis after stroke.

Details:
Paramedics responded to Jimmy’s house to find him thin, filthy, and with multiple infected wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors tried to save his life with emergency surgery, but died later that day. Police say his son admitted to bathing him only every few months and not seeking help for his father’s medical conditions, including the pressure sores that eventually became infected and killed him.

Case Status:
Alton Cardwell (Son), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Brevard County man charged with manslaughter of his father, deputies say
Rockledge Man Arrested for Aggravated Manslaughter of Disabled Father
Son accused in death of elderly father, found smelling of rotting flesh

Consuelo Gonzalez

No Photo Name: Consuelo Gonzalez.
Died: August 21, 2024.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Infected bedsores, untreated broken hip, dehydration/malnutrition.
Location: Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Consuelo was found at her home, having been badly neglected. She had severe, infected bedsores and a broken hip that had gone untreated for a long time. She was taken to the hospital, but died a day later.

Case Status:
Salvador Gonzalez Rivera (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Bond denied for Charleston man accused of murder after his mother was found bedridden, malnourished
Charleston man charged with murder after bedridden mother dies at hospital
Son’s charges upgraded to murder after bedridden woman dies at Charleston hospital

Woman in her 70s

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: June 9, 2024.
Age at death: 70s.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
This unnamed woman and her son were in an SUV driven by her other son when he drove the car off a pier, allegedly attempting to drown them all. She and one son drowned; the driver was pulled out alive.

Case Status:
“Kim”, her son, is charged with murder.

Sources:
Man sentenced for murder of dementia-stricken mother
An SUV crashed into the sea at a dock in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, killing two people

Devassia Kumbukkal

No Photo Name: Devassia Kumbukkal.
Died: May 12, 2024.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Udayagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
After a family argument, Devassia’s nephew allegedly attacked him with an axe and a heavy stone, causing fatal head injury.

Case Status:
Shinemon (Nephew), charged with murder.

Sources:
Disabled man hacked to death by nephew in Kannur

Kathrikutty

No Photo Name: Kathrikutty.
Died: May 3, 2024.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Muvattupuzha, Kerala, India.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Kathrikutty died from having her throat cut. Authorities say that her husband was angry that she was bedridden and needed care, so he attacked her with a knife and killed her.

She was the mother of five children.

Case Status:
Joseph (Husband), charged with murder.

Sources:
Elderly man slits bedridden wife’s throat, arrested
Frustated man murders his octogenarian, bedridden wife in Kerala
Murder: Elderly Man Kills Bedridden Wife by Slitting Her Throat
Invalid elderly woman murdered by husband in Muvattupuzha

Indrajit Pathak

No Photo Name: Indrajit Pathak.
Died: April 20, 2024.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: Buhurdki village, Gyanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Indrajit was bathing at a pump outside the home he shared with his daughter when his brother, acting on an old feud between the two, attacked him with a wooden plank. His daughter, seeing his severe injuries, went for help. Authorities and other villagers came to the rescue and Indrajit was taken to the hospital, but he died of his wounds.

Case Status:
Mahendra Nath Pathak (Brother), convicted of murder, sentenced to life and ordered to pay a Rs 50,000 fine to Indrajit’s daughter.

Sources:
UP court sentences man to life imprisonment for killing disabled brother

Edward Cheng

No Photo Name: Edward Cheng Kin-wong.
Died: March 27, 2024.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Disability: Dementia, muscular dystrophy.

Details:
Mr. Cheng’s domestic help entered his bedroom to find him dead on his bed, and his wife hurt, apparently having tried to take her own life. Mr. Cheng had his nose and mouth covered with tape. Police suspect that his wife, worried about her ability to care for him, had smothered him.

Case Status:
Cheng Ying-lee (Wife), charged with murder.

Sources:
Hong Kong woman, 71, charged with murder after husband, 84, found dead in bed
Hong Kong woman, 71, charged with murder after dementia-suffering husband, 84, found dead in bed
Elderly woman charged with husband’s murder in Kowloon City tragedy to appear in court on 30th March
Elderly couple in grim murder-suicide case
April court date for woman charged with murder of husband, 84, in Hong Kong

Paula Lombardo

Name: Paula Lombardo.
Died: March 15, 2024.
Age at death: 69.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Clearfield, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Parkinson’s disease.

Details:
Paula’s son reported her dead; emergency responders found her dead on her bed, and her son reportedly asked police when he could claim life insurance money. An autopsy concluded that she had died from asphyxia, likely strangulation.

Case Status:
David Michael Lombardo (Son), charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, strangulation, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, and recklessly endangering another person.

Sources:
Clearfield Man Headed to County Court for Mother’s Alleged Murder
Paula Lombardo Obituary (2024) – Clearfield, PA – Gant Daily
Clearfield man accused of smothering his disabled mother
Man kills mom and asks police when he can collect life insurance, Pennsylvania cops say
Clearfield Man Jailed for Mother’s Alleged Murder