Age: Elder – Page 23 – Disability Day of Mourning

Kiyoshi Suzukawa

No Photo Name: Kiyoshi Suzukawa.
Died: March 2, 2019.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified; disabled elder.

Details:
Police suspect Kiyoshi’s son of strangling him to death. They say he told them that he had done it because caring for his father was stressful and he wanted to put his father out of his misery.

Case status:
Koji Suzukawa (Son), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Source:
46-year-old man kills bedridden father, then tries to kill himself

Mary Fitzgerald

Name: Mary E. Fitzgerald.
Died: February 17, 2019.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, pressure sores.
Location: Rutland City, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Mary had been living under the care of her daughter and grandson. When she was brought to the hospital, she was very thin and badly injured, already dying. To make things even worse, she had to die without pain medication, allegedly because a nurse at the nursing home where she spent her last days stole her morphine.

Mary had worked at a delicatessen and bakery. She had three grandchildren.

Case status:
Marie E. Fitzgerald (Daughter), charged with murder and neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Christopher Preedom (Grandson), charged with murder and neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Dermot J. Hanna (Nurse), charged for fraud and exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

Source:
Daughter and grandson charged with second-degree murder in death of 85-year-old
Mother and son charged with murder of grandmother
Woman and son may face homicide charge for grandmother’s death
Mary E. Fitzgerald

Evelyn Scott

Photo: Middle-aged woman in a striped shirt, with olive-toned skin and curly, shoulder-length hair Name: Evelyn H. Scott.
Died: February 7, 2019.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Sharp-force injury.
Location: Murray, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Evelyn lived with her niece and her niece’s boyfriend. Her neighbors rarely saw her, but her niece, 37-year-old Tera Todd, was often seen walking Evelyn’s little dog.

Her caregiver’s boyfriend killed Evelyn and Tera by stabbing Tera and slashing Evelyn’s throat. He also strangled the dog.

Case status:
Todd Scott (Niece’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to 2 counts of murder, sentenced to 40 years.

Source:
Scott enters guilty plea in double-murder case
Court documents paint gruesome picture of Murray double murder
2 women found dead in Murray, KY, suspect facing murder charges
Police investigating double murder in Murray, KY
Evelyn Scott
Family releases names of women in Murray double murder

Julie Kneifl

No Photo Name: Julie A. Kneifl.
Died: January 31, 2019.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Blood loss due to knife wound.
Location: Woodbury, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Julie’s husband slashed her throat and left her to bleed out in the bathtub.

Case status:
Harvey Kneifl (Husband), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 30 years.

Source:
Minnesota school bus aide gets 20 years for molestation, 30 years for killing wife
Charges: Former bus aide killed wife to ‘help her get to heaven’
Former Woodbury bus aide charged with murder of wife
Former Woodbury bus aide accused of inappropriate touching charged in connection to death of his wife
Charges: Accused child molester killed wife in Woodbury
UPDATE: Woodbury man charged with second-degree murder in wife’s death

Donna Featherstone

Name: Donna Featherstone.
Died: January 25, 2019.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Septic shock, pneumonia.
Location: Pleasant Grove, Utah, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Donna was found on her couch, in very poor condition, and the paramedic who took her to the hospital reported that she said had been forced to sit in her own waste and not been moved from the couch for the past two weeks. She was taken to the hospital in poor condition and died the next day from pneumonia and sepsis due to infected pressure sores.

She and her husband had worked as owners and administrators of a nursing home. Her cousin remembers her infectious smile and bubbly personality; getting a hug from her was, she says, “like a huge pillow just enveloping you.” Her hobby was researching her family’s genealogy.

Case status:
Mackey Featherstone (Son), charged with aggravated abuse of an elder adult.

Source:
Donna Jeanne Austin Featherstone (1940-2019)
Police: Pleasant Grove man arrested after leaving mother in deplorable conditions
Donna Jeanne Featherstone – View Obituary & Service Information
Pleasant Grove woman dies after living two weeks in ‘horrendous’ conditions

Sharon McManness

Name: Sharon McManness.
Died: January 23, 2019.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Infected bedsores.
Location: Olanthe, Kansas, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Sharon’s son moved in to care for her, but then moved back out even though she had severe dementia. She needed more care than he provided, and was eventually found dead. She was malnourished and dehydrated and weighed only 58 pounds. An autopsy determined she died from an infection caused by her severe bedsores.

Case status:
Raymond McManness (Son), pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, sentenced to 374 months in prison.

Source:
Find a Grave: Sharon McManness
Man Who Left Demented Mom To Die In Abandoned Home Gets 30 Years In Jail
New Kansas elder abuse law used to charge son with Olathe mom’s murder
Olathe man accused of killing his mother appears in court
Man charged with murder after Olathe woman found dead in home
Son charged in connection with death of 75-year-old mother in Olathe
Olathe woman died weighing 58 pounds; son refused to take her to doctor: charges
Grisly details revealed in Olathe mistreatment case where son is accused of murder in mom’s death
Kansas man charged in death of mother who weighed 58 lbs
Kansas man charged in death of ‘very emaciated’ 58-pound mom
Update: Kansas man charged in death of mother who weighed 58 lbs

Anita Arias

No Photo Name: Anita Arias.
Died: January 21, 2019.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Dehydration, starvation, hyperglycemia.
Location: Melbourne, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
When Anita’s grandson brought her to the hospital, she was unresponsive. Doctors reported her poor condition and many infected bedsores to police. Investigators described her house, where she had been living with her grandson and his wife, as filthy and cluttered, with evidence of severe neglect. Anita died of dehydration and starvation with severe bedsores and a blood sugar that was as high as the test could measure.

Case status:
Allen Arias (Grandson), charged with aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person.

Source:
Melbourne man arrested after grandmother, 87, died from lack of medication and care, police say
Florida man charged with grandmother’s death; deputies say her bed was filled with maggots
Melbourne man charged after grandmother’s death
Melbourne man arrested after grandmother, 87, died from lack of medication and care, police say
Affidavit for Arrest Warrant (Allen Glenn Arias)

Elvis Dry

Name: Elvis Dry.
Died: January 20, 2019.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Burns, trauma.
Location: Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Diabetes; Amputee; wheelchair user.

Details:
Elvis was a sports fan who was a barefoot kicker for the Kansas High School football team in the 70s. He grew up to become a truck and bus driver who liked to travel. His neighbors remember him as a gentleman with a sense of humor, who “always had a comeback”.

Elvis’s burned body and wheelchair were found when neighbors asked police for a welfare check. He had been stabbed, then set on fire while he was still alive.

Case status:
Denise Lynn Grass (Paid live-in caregiver), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 23 years.

Source:
Several old cases slated for district court in 2023
Alleged murderers seeking relief after McGirt ruling
Accused killer of wheelchair-bound man to be in court
Hearing in Dry murder case postponed
Cherokee County deputies seek suspect in killing of amputee
No arrests made in murder of Tahlequah man, leaving neighbors on edge
Arrest made in murder of Cherokee County veteran, amputee
Disabled Oklahoma Veteran Allegedly Killed by Live-In Caretaker
Live-in caretaker accused of burning, killing veteran amputee in Cherokee County
Friends, Family Say Goodbye To Cherokee County Murder Victim
Family, friends say goodbye to Cherokee County man murdered, set on fire
Woman who burned man alive charged with murder
Woman accused of burning man alive charged with murder

Chet Scharnick

Photo of Chet Scharnick, an older man wearing a Cardinals baseball cap, sporting a wispy white goatee and mustache. Name: Chester Rubin “Chet” Scharnick.
Died: January 18, 2019.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Fresno, California, USA.
Disability: Blind in one eye.

Details:
In his youth, Chet was a baseball player; as an adult he became a professional painter who painted murals in downtown Fresno.

He was found dead, and his step-granddaughter was arrested for his murder. She had previously been renting an apartment from him, but was evicted when she set the building on fire.

Case status:
Katreeva Woolf (Step-granddaughter), charged with murder, burglary, attempted arson, and possession of a stolen car; pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 25 years to life plus one year.

Source:
Clovis, CA woman sentenced for murder of stepgrandfather
84-year-old man murdered at Fresno home was well-known painter with big heart

Julie Burdett

No Photo Name: Julie Burdett.
Died: January 15, 2019.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Pressure ulcers, malnutrition.
Location: Leicester, England, UK.
Disability: “A disease similar to multiple sclerosis”; wheelchair user.

Details:
Julie died from extreme pressure sores. Allegedly, she was not moved or fed properly, and before she died, was left alone in her bedroom for two weeks.

Case Status:
Philip Burdett (Brother), convicted of gross negligence manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years.
Ralph Burdett (Father), convicted of allowing death, sentenced to 2 years, suspended for 2 years.

Sources:
‘Extreme hoarder’ Philip Burdett jailed for gross negligence manslaughter after death of vulnerable sister
Brother of vulnerable woman jailed for gross negligence manslaughter
Julie Burdett: Woman left to die ‘surrounded by filth’ after her father and brother failed to care for her, court told
Immobile woman ‘left to die alone in agony by extreme hoarder father’