Age: Elder – Page 37 – Disability Day of Mourning

Leona Twiss

Black and white photo of Leona Twiss, a young woman in old-fashioned clothing. She has curly hair and light skin and is wearing a white blouse and flight attendant's cap. Name: Leona Twiss.
Died: July 9, 2017.
Age at death: 95.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Fort Ann, Florida, USA.
Disability: Early dementia, frail elder.

Details:
Not long after Leona’s grandson moved into her house to help care for her, he and his wife conspired to kill her; he strangled her with a towel.

Case status:
Kevin L. Gonyea (Grandson), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.
Melissa Gonyea (Grandson’s wife), pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence and other charges related to being an accomplice, sentenced to 3 1/3 to 10 years.

Source:
Gonyea sentenced to 15 years to life for strangling his grandmother
Fort Ann man charged with murder
Fort Ann grandson and his wife charged in death of 95-year-old grandmother
Local police travel to Florida for murder investigation
New York man charged with strangling his 95-year-old grandma
Man accused of killing grandmother, 95
Sheriff’s Office: Fort Ann woman found murdered, family members arrested
Murder suspect has new attorney, court date
Fort Ann couple indicted in connection with 95-year-old’s killing
Family: Woman in murder case deserves life, too
Videos show woman’s implication of husband, others in murder case
Wife of Fort Ann murder suspect pleads guilty
Murder case hearing postponed as subpoena issues debated
Gonyea mulling plea offer in grandmother’s murder
Fort Ann murder suspect talks plea deal again
NY man pleads guilty to strangling grandmother, 95
Following death of 95-year-old woman, two more family members charged
Police were suspicious of Twiss relatives at murder scene
Documents claim former guard told of killing inmates
Defense claims defendant is ‘immune’ in murder case

Johnnie and Shirley Ervin

No Photo Name: Johnnie Ervin.
Age at death: 67.
Disability: Mobility impairment (Used walker).

Name: Shirley Ervin.
Age at death: 69.
Disability: Dementia.

Died: June 18, 2017.
Cause of death: Stab wounds.
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Details:
Shirley and Johnnie’s son is charged with stabbing them to death.

Case status:
Dexter Barnes (Son), charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
Son charged in stabbing deaths of elderly parents held without bail
Son Stabbed Parents in ‘Unimaginable’ Double Murder: Court
Austin man charged with stabbing his elderly parents to death

Lam Mei-kam

No Photo Name: Lam Mei-kam.
Died: June 6, 2017.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Hong Kong.
Disability: Stroke, wheelchair user, chronic illness.

Details:
Lam was strangled to death by her husband, who said that he had been worried no one would look after her if he died.

Case status:
Wong Kwok-man (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 2 years, released on time served, reduced for good behavior.

Source:
‘A tragic case’: Judge frees elderly man who killed disabled wife due to fear no one would care for her if he died
Hong Kong man who ‘strangled disabled wife feared no one would take care of her if he fell sick’
Man ‘strangled his disabled wife to end her suffering’

Nancy Gleisinger

Old, sepia-tone portrait photo of Nancy Gleisinger. She is a young woman with fair skin and curly dark-brown hair, wearing a shirt with a broad white collar. Writing at the bottom of the photo says, "Best wishes, Nancy. '58." Name: Nancy Jo Gleisinger.
Died: May 16, 2017.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Goodyear Heights, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Nancy’s son stabbed her to death in front of her husband Earl.

Case status:
Michael Gleisinger (Son), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and failure to provide for a functionally impaired person, sentenced to 4 years in prison.

Source:
Nancy Gleisinger Obituary – Akron, OH
Akron man pleads guilty to stabbing mother to death
Akron man pleads guilty to charges stemming from elderly mother’s stabbing death
Akron man accused of stabbing, killing mother to be confined in mental health facility
Akron man pleads guilty in stabbing death of mother, prosecutors say
Man sentenced in stabbing death of mom with Alzheimer’s
Akron man sentenced in stabbing death of 78-year-old mother

83-year-old woman

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: May 16, 2017.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Dehydration/malnutrition.
Location: Milford, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
This 83-year-old woman’s grandmother visited her and saw her chapped, bleeding lips, and called the police to ask for a welfare check. When the police arrived, they found the woman dead, and a medical examiner determined that she had died from dehydration and malnutrition. She had also been drugged with antidepressants.

Case Status:
Michael O’Connell (Son), pleaded no contest to negligent cruelty; given a 9-month suspended jail sentence and 2 years probation.

Sources:
Milford man pleads no contest to negligent cruelty charge in mother’s 2017 death
Milford man pleads no contest to negligent cruelty charge in mother’s 2017 death

Gail Caulfield

No Photo Name: Gail Caulfield.
Died: May 10, 2017 (Body found).
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Deltona, Florida, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Gail was shot by her husband. He buried her body and claimed she had moved away. Some time later, he committed suicide himself just after telling police where her body was.

Case status:
Laurence Caulfield (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Deputies investigate possible murder-suicide of elderly Deltona couple
Detectives investigating possible murder-suicide in Deltona after man found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound
Body found in back yard of Deltona home where husband killed self, deputies say
Volusia deputies find body buried in yard after man leaves note about killing wife, kills self
Florida man shoots self and says wife is buried out back
Woman dies, man kills himself when confronted by Osceola County deputies
Sheriff: Human remains found in Deltona backyard where man took his own life, left note saying he killed wife
Man Kills Himself And Leaves Note Saying He Buried Wife In The Backyard
Fla. man kills self, claims in note he buried wife’s body in yard
Man killed wife who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, deputies say

Yoshiaki Tamekiyo

No Photo Name: Yoshiaki Tamekiyo.
Died: May 6, 2017.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Yoshiaki’s wife allegedly stopped feeding him, and he died of starvation.

Case staus:
Nobuko Tamekiyo (Wife), arrested.

Source:
Woman arrested for starving to death husband who had dementia

Rollis Bowman

Photo of Rollis Bowman, a balding older man with light skin and gray hair. Name: Rollis Nobel Bowman.
Died: May 4, 2017.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration.
Location: Newnan, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Rollis lived with a young couple who served as his caregivers. However, he did not get the assistance or medical care he needed. He died from a combination of starvation, dehydration, and pneumonia.

Rollis had a college degree in theology.

Case status:
Jonathan Lee Barber (Housemate, caregiver), charged with murder, elder neglect, and elder exploitation.
Tiffany Dawn Fountain (Housemate, caregiver), charged with murder, elder neglect, and elder exploitation.

Source:

‘Caretaker’ couple facing murder charges in death of elderly man
Rollis Nobel Bowman

Laxmi Naidu

No Photo Name: Laxmi Naidu.
Died: April 25, 2017.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma, asphyxia.
Location: Delhi, India.
Disability: Disabled elderly.

Details:
Laxmi’s son allegedly hit her on the head with a brick, then strangled her. Police say he confessed to them and said he had killed his mother because he couldn’t pay to take care of her and she wouldn’t go to an old-age home or move in with her other son.

Case status:
Laxman Kumar Naidu (Son), arrested.

Source:
Delhi man batters 76-year-old mother to death for refusing to go to old-age home
‘I Have Killed My Mother’: Delhi Man Calls Police After Beating And Strangulating Septuagenarian To Death
Failing to provide healthcare, son strangles elderly woman to death in Delhi

Helen Dansie

Name: Helen Dansie.
Died: April 16, 2017.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Helen’s husband picked her up from her nursing home, went to a park, and pushed her into a pond, where she drowned. He believed she had become a burden to him, and had taken out a life insurance policy on her four days prior.

She was a retired microbiologist. At the nursing home, she liked playing chess and doing crossword puzzles.

Case status:
Peter Rex Dansie (Husband); charged with murder. First trial ended in mistrial; second trial ended in conviction for murder. Sentenced to 25 years. Died in prison in 2024.

Source:
Man who killed his disabled wife dies in prison
Life sentence stands for killer who pushed disabled wife into pond
Killer who pushed wife’s wheelchair into pond loses appeal
Real life: My dad staged my mum’s murder as an accident
Lawyer for wife-killer Peter Dansie compares his murder conviction to George Pell case
Man killed wheelchair-bound wife by pushing her into pond
Adelaide man guilty of murdering wife who drowned in pond
This is what accused Adelaide wife-killer Peter Rex Dansie told police on the day his wife died
‘Suitcase full of condoms’: Adelaide murder accused bought ticket to China
Alleged wife killer replied ‘no comment’ when son asked about her death
Dansie to face new murder trial in October
Disabled woman’s husband ‘carefully planned her murder’
Husband charged with murder of wheelchair-bound wife found in pond
Murder charge
Man charged with murder of wife who drowned in Adelaide pond
Wheelchair-bound wife drowned in ‘planned attack’
Husband charged with murder of wheelchair-bound wife
SA man charged over Adelaide pond death
Husband charged with his wheelchair-bound wife’s murder
Tiny pond where a wheelchair-bound woman was mysteriously found dead
Veale Gardens pond drained as police investigate Helen Dansie’s death
Wheelchair drowning death unexplained, despite autopsy, police say
Detectives return to scene of pond death
Pond death: ‘Of course it was an accident’
Twist in parklands pond death mystery
Man accused of drowning wife had allegedly searched internet for ‘cheap funerals’
Man accused of pushing disabled wife into pond pleads not guilty to murder
Man accused of drowning wheelchair-bound wife fronts court
Man charged with drowning wheelchair user wife in Adelaide pond to face trial by judge
Husband ‘pushed wife’s wheelchair into pond for insurance pay-out’
Man accused of drowning wife seemed ‘unfazed’ when paramedics arrived, court hears
Man, 70, accused of drowning disabled wife in pond after she ‘became a burden’
Man accused of drowning wife with disabilities saw her as a ‘cost burden’, court hears