Age: Elder – Page 6 – Disability Day of Mourning

Martha Rutledge

No Photo Name: Martha Rutledge.
Died: August 14, 2023.
Age at death: 99.
Cause of death: Starvation, untended bedsores.
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Martha was found dead at home. Her body was very thin, and she was covered in multiple severe bedsores. Her daughters, with whom she lived, are accused of not providing any medical care to their mother. Martha also had a lot of alcohol and THC in her system when she died; unable to move from her bed, she would not have been able to ingest these on her own. She had not seen a doctor in ten years.

Case Status:
Martha Carroll Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.
and Nancy Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.

Sources:
Rock Hill sisters granted bond for mother’s death whose body has ‘chronic open wound’
Police: Rock Hill woman died from lack of medical care, 2 daughters charged
Martha Rutledge Obituary (2023) – Rock Hill, SC – The Herald

Connie Smith

No Photo Name: Connie Smith.
Died: August 13, 2023.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Connie was fatally shot in her own home. Police say her son, who lived with her, confessed to killing her.

Case Status:
Shane Smith (Son), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Update: Oklahoma City man charged with first-degree murder in mother’s shooting death
Man arrested after shooting, killing elderly mother in NW OKC, police say
OKC man booked for murder of elder mother
Man Arrested, Accused Of Shooting Mother To Death In NW Oklahoma City

Parambuliyil Thankamani

Name: Parambuliyil Thankamani.
Died: August 7, 2023.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Blunt head and neck injury.
Location: Maniyarankudy, Kerala, India.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Parambuliyil was brought to the hospital with injuries to her head and neck, and lived for a week before dying from her wounds. Police say her son, angry that she wouldn’t eat the food he was trying to feed her, slammed her head against her cot and hit her with the glass he was holding, and that he later confessed to doing so after being questioned.

Case Status:
Sanjeev (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Idukki man held for murdering 80-year-old bedridden mother

Jean Morley

Name: Jean Morley.
Died: July 31, 2023.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Fisher, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Jean’s husband suffocated her because he thought they had “lived too long”.

Case Status:
Donald Morley (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 9 years in prison and must serve at least half before parole. Expected to die in prison because of his age and health.

Sources:
Brit who suffocated his wife in ‘mercy killing’ is jailed for 9 years
Pensioner, 93, who suffocated dementia-stricken wife in ‘mercy killing’ jailed
Brit, 93, who killed wife, 92, is jailed for nine years in Australia
Brit who suffocated his wife in ‘mercy killing’ is jailed for 9 years
92-year-old Donald Morley will plead guilty to murder of his dementia-suffering wife, Jean
Murder accused withdraws bail application over alleged suffocation of Jean Morley
Elderly man charged with murder after allegedly suffocating wife

Ana Asencio

No Photo Name: Ana Asencio.
Died: July 17, 2023.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Head and neck trauma.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia; pacemaker.

Details:
Police entered Ana’s apartment on a welfare check and discovered her dead, with bruising to her head and neck. It took six months for her death to be classified as a homicide, and another few months before her son was arrested on suspicion of having strangled her.

Ana was a retired schoolteacher.

Case Status:
Edward Asancio (Son), charged with manslaughter and second-degree assault.

Sources:
Death of Manhattan woman, 84, ruled homicide from elder abuse
July ‘23 Death of Retired School teacher in UWS Apt. Ruled a Homicide by M.E.
Edward Asencio charged strangling his mom Ana Asencio to death

Patricia Zaccario

Photo of a middle aged woman with short, wavy blond hair and fair skin, wearing silver earrings and a red blouse, smiling. Name: Patricia Zaccario.
Died: July 15, 2023.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Hackensack, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; terminally ill nursing home resident.

Details:
Patricia’s husband visited her at her nursing home, shot her dead, and then shot himself.

Case Status:
Michael Zaccario (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Authorities ID husband, wife dead in murder-suicide at N.J. nursing home
Elderly married couple shot dead in nursing home in ‘murder suicide’
Officials: 73-year-old Patricia Zaccario, 76-year-old Michael Zaccario fatally shot at New Jersey nursing facility

Marsha Foster

Name: Marsha Sprayberry Foster.
Died: July 12, 2023.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Morphine overdose.
Location: Harlem, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Marsha died from a morphine overdose administered at the nursing home where she lived. Her daughter is suspected of having injected her with the unprescribed medication.

Marsha loved reading, painting, and drawing. She was a retired satellite communications expert who had worked for the Army as a civilian employee.

Case Status:
Rachel Elaine Waters (Daughter), indicted on malice murder and felony murder charges.

Sources:
Daughter charged with murder after ‘injecting mom with morphine’
Daughter facing murder charges after injecting Alzheimer’s-stricken mother with morphine, cops say
Marsha Sprayberry Foster’s Obituary

Ethel Moore

Name: Ethel Moore.
Died: May 25, 2023.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Insulin overdose.
Location: Grafton, West Virginia, USA.
Disability: Dementia, heart disease, arthritis.

Details:
Ethel’s daughter is accused of poisoning her with insulin. Police say she was irritated at having to care for her mother.

Ethel was a homemaker who liked reading and taking trips to McDonald’s and Walmart. She greeted everyone with a hug.

Case Status:
Kelly Moore (Daughter), charged with murder.

Sources:
Woman accused of killing her 82-year-old mother with insulin
Preston County woman accused of killing her mother with a lethal dose of insulin
Preston County woman arrested for murdering her mother with insulin
West Virginia woman accused of killing her 81-year-old mom by injecting with an overdose of insulin
Obituary for Ethel Lucille (Kelley) Moore

Ray Crammond

No Photo Name: Ray Crammond.
Died: April 29, 2023.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Pneumonia; bedsores.
Location: Ankeny, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Medics were called to Ray’s house and found him in a terrible condition, with severe bedsores. Eight days later, he died in the hospital from pneumonia. Court documents say that Ray had been left without food water, baths, or medication.

Ray was a retired agricultural engineer.

Case Status:
Diana Lynn Becker-Abeyta (Unlicensed live-in caretaker), charged with second-degree murder.

Sources:
Live-in caretaker murders bedridden elderly man in Iowa: Police
Ankeny woman charged with murder in death of 73-year-old, bedridden man
Ankeny caretaker charged in death of 73-year-old bedridden man
Ray Crammond Obituary

Hashi Som

No Photo Name: Hashi Som (Sometimes spelled “Harshi Som”).
Died: April 28, 2023.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: New Delhi, National Capital Territory, India.
Disability: Arthritis, mobility impaired.

Details:
Hashi was found dead in her home. She had massive head injuries. Allegedly, her daughter-in-law, frustrated at having to care for her, bludgeoned her to death with a pressure cooker.

Case Status:
Sharmishtha Som (Daughter-in-law), charge with murder.

Sources:
In Delhi, 86-year-old killed with frying pan, cooker by daughter-in-law
Mom-in-law beaten to death in Delhi for refusing to live in care home
Delhi: Woman brutally beats 86-year-old mother-in-law to death using frying pan