Age: Elder – Page 47 – Disability Day of Mourning

Ena Lai Dung

No Photo Name: En Lai Dung.
Died: January 16, 2015.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Manurewa, South Auckland, New Zealand.
Disability: Elderly disabled; possibly bulimia.

Details:
Ena Lai lived with her daughter in a rented house. Her daughter refused to take care of her or ask for help; she claimed that Ena Lai had bulimia and refused to eat.

Ena Lai died in her filthy bed, weighing only 29 kg (64 pounds), dehydrated, malnourished, and suffering from infected bedsores. She had fourteen half-healed broken ribs and a broken sternum.

Case status:
Cindy Taylor (Daughter), found guilty of manslaughter, sentenced to 13 years 3 months.
Brian Taylor (Housemate), found guilty of failure to protect a vulnerable adult, sentenced to 6 years.
Luana Taylor (Housemate), found guilty of failure to protect a vulnerable adult, sentenced to 6 years 6 months.

Source:
Woman who let her mother starve to death declined parole
Appeals thrown out over harrowing death of Ena Lai Dung
Daughter on trial for manslaughter of mother
Dead woman had been ‘nibbled’, manslaughter trial hears
Jury to view shocking pics of dead woman
Paramedic overwhelmed by smell when examining malnourished woman’s body
Pathologist details state of dead elderly woman found in own waste
Pathologist: I’ve never seen anything like it
Trial begins over elderly woman’s grim death
Woman found guilty of letting mother starve
Daughter’s ‘cruel’ neglect killed mother
Jail for letting mother starve to death
Daughter jailed for neglect and manslaughter of elderly woman

Brenda Davidson

Photo of Brenda Davidson, an older woman with pale skin and white hair, in a white dress, petting a brown-and-white dog. Name: Brenda Davidson.
Died: January 6, 2015 (Body found).
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Homicidal violence.
Location: Alvor, Portimão, Algarve, Portugal.
Disability: Cancer.

Details:
Brenda’s boyfriend killed her and then buried her body; she was found two months later.

Brenda had two dogs, a mutt and a Labrador mix, whom she called “her babies”.

Case status:
Nigel Jackson (Boyfriend), convicted of murder, desecration of a body, larceny, IT and telecommunications fraud, and misuse of a credit card; sentenced to 25 years.

Source:
Son of British woman buried in villa garden speaks after mother’s partner is found guilty of her murder
Former Gravesend minicab driver ‘admits burying partner under patio but denies murder’
Funeral of British expat buried in villa garden to be held in Algarve

Caryl Vanzo

A gravestone, reading, "Mother Caryl. 1924-2015." Name: Caryl Vanzo.
Died: January 5, 2015.
Age at death: 90.
Cause of death: Unspecified.
Location: Plymouth, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Elderly disabled; wheelchair user.

Details:
Caryl was neglected by her son, who stole and spent her retirement funds. When she was dying, or possibly soon after she had died, Caryl’s son put her in a wheelchair and went to the bank to withdraw more money from her account. Her body showed signs of malnutrition and dehydration, and she had severe untreated bedsores.

Case status:
David Vanzo (Son), pleaded guilty to one count of financial exploitation over $35,000; sentenced to 42 months in prison.

Source:
Guilty plea from son who forced mother to make bank withdrawal just before her death
Man Accused of Taking Possibly Dead Mother Into Bank Arrested in Pomona
Guilty plea from son who forced mother to make bank withdrawal just before her death
Twin Cities man accused of financially exploiting mom before her death
Minnesota man suspected of wheeling dead mother into bank
Man Accused of Taking Possibly Dead Mother Into Bank Arrested in Pomona
Man Allegedly Wheeled Dying Mother Into Bank to Withdraw Cash From Her Account
Man accused of taking dead mother into bank to make cash withdrawal

Barbara Beam

No Photo Name: Barbara Anne Beam.
Died: January 2, 2015.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Pulmonary embolism.
Location: Greeneville, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impairment.

Details:
Barbara’s caregivers allegedly left her sitting in her chair for six months, without moving her or cleaning her. Finally Barbara died from a blood clot, caused by sitting still for so long, that lodged in her lungs. She also had a severe untreated kidney infection.

Case status:
Carole Howell (Sister), charged with abuse and neglect resulting in the death of a vulnerable adult.
David Howell (Nephew), charged with abuse and neglect resulting in the death of a vulnerable adult.

Source:
Greenville mother, son indicted 2 years after elderly woman found dead
Woman charged in death of her sister who sat in chair for 6 months, warrants say

Hope Ruller

Name: Hope Beverly Ruller, née Carr.
Died: Body found December 29, 2014; died October 2013.
Age at death: 93.
Cause of death: Unknown suspicious death.
Location: Gloversville, New York, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; elderly disabled.

Details:
Hope lived in a duplex, downstairs from her daughter, who was supposed to be caring for her. However, instead her daughter isolated her and kept her from seeing family members or getting medical care.

When Hope died, her daughter did not report the death and continued cashing her mother’s disability checks for more than a year, assuring her family that she was “fine” and even cashing a check sent as a Christmas present. Eventually, Hope’s son grew suspicious and asked police for a welfare check; they found her body.

Hope’s cause of death can never be determined because her body was left in a bed for 14 months after she died. Police could only say that her death was considered suspicious.

Case status:
Mary Kerstig (Daughter), pleaded guilty to larceny, improper disposal of a body, and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or disabled person; sentenced to 6 months in jail, 5 years probation, and community service.

Source:
Upstate New York Woman Admits to Keeping Mother’s Corpse for More Than a Year To Collect Government Checks
Hope Beverly Carr Ruller

William Collins

No Photo Name: William Collins.
Died: December 27, 2014.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Head trauma, broken neck.
Location: Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; Elderly; wheelchair user.

Details:
William was beaten to death by his caregiver, with whom he was living. He died of head injuries and a broken neck. Mr. Collins was the third elderly tenant to die while living with them; apparently, the couple used the vulnerability of the elderly disabled to steal their tenants’ assets under the guise of caring for them.

Case status:
Judith Marc (Caregiver), pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, sentenced to 15-40 years.

Source:
Coolbaugh Twp. caregiver faces murder charge
Caretaker pleads guilty to murder in death of 92-year-old
Caregiver sentenced to 15 to 40 years in elderly man’s death

Elizabeth Siwicki

No Photo Name: Elizabeth “Betty” Siwicki.
Died: December 18, 2014.
Age at death: 89.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Garden City, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
When Betty fell out of bed and couldn’t stand back up, her son left her there for more than three weeks until she died from sepsis due to infected bedsores.

Case status:
Ron Siwicki (Son), pleaded guilty to criminal negligence, sentenced to 3 months in jail.

Source:
Man sentenced to 3 months for negligence in mother’s death
Winnipeg musician who left mother to die after fall sentenced to 3 months in custody
‘I should’ve disobeyed her’: Winnipeg man who let elderly mother die after fall speaks at sentencing

Georgianne Woolum

Photo: An elder woman with light skin and short curly gray hair, wearing a pastel sweater and dark, square-rimmed glasses, smiling for the camera. Name: Georgianne Woolum.
Died: December 3, 2014.
Age at death: 90.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Keller, Texas, USA.
Disability: Stroke, congestive heart failure, colectomy.

Details:
Georgianne’s husband shot her in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
Joe Woolum (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Murder-Suicide At Keller Living Center

Agnes Caviston

Photo of an elderly woman with gray hair and pale skin, lying back against a pillow and smiling slightly. She is wearing a hospital gown. Name: Agnes Caviston.
Died: November 15, 2014.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Dementia, bedbound.

Details:
Agnes’s son bludgeoned her head with an IV stand, killing her. He then set the house on fire.

Case status:
Robert Caviston (Son), convicted of murder and arson, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Augusta man describes for jury how his mother’s brutal demise was really an accident
Augusta man who beat elderly mother to death sentenced to life in prison without parole
Medical examiner describes condition of elderly woman’s body at son’s murder trial

Jean Adams

Name: Jean Carol Adams, née Hoeldtke.
Died: November 3, 2014.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Waco, Texas, USA.
Disability: Leukemia.

Details:
Jean was allegedly shot by her husband.

From Jean’s obituary: “She enjoyed spending time with her friends, crocheting, gardening, refinishing antique furniture and decorating her home… she was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother.”

Case status:
Alvin Ray Adams Jr. (Husband), charged with murder; died before trial.

Source:
Texas husband shot, killed 77-year-old ill wife in possible mercy killing: police
Man charged with murder for “mercy killing” of elderly wife dies
Waco Tribune obituary: Adams, Jean Carol