Age Categories – Page 103 – Disability Day of Mourning

Stephanie McGeough

Name: Stephanie McGeough.
Died: September 21, 2016 (Body found).
Age at death: 54.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: San Andreas, California, USA.
Disability: Depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, arthritis.

Details:
Only days after Stephanie’s brother moved in with her, he strangled her. Her body was found at her house a few weeks later, and her brother arrested after he went on the run.

Stephanie kept a very tidy house. She liked traveling and children and had one nephew. As a young woman, she played soccer in her school’s recreational league. She was a history buff and a fan of Queen Elizabeth I, and a music lover who liked rock-and-roll and the bands Rush and the Allman Brothers. She worked for Sprint.

Case status:
Sean McGeough (Brother), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
McGeough gets life in prison for murder of sister
McGeough trial draws to a close; question of murder or suicide put before jury
Stephanie McGeough’s Obituary

Frédéric Leclerc

No Photo Name: Frédéric Leclerc.
Died: September 21, 2016.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Landres, France.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Frédéric’s mother tried to poison him with medication, but when he threw it up, she stabbed him to death. She also killed his dog.

Case Status:
Séverine Michelin (Mother), sentenced to 16 years.

Sources:
Nancy : une mère condamnée à 16 ans de prison pour avoir tué son fils autiste
justice. Ado autiste tué à Landres : la mère en prison

Earl Coleman

No Photo Name: Earl Coleman.
Died: September 12, 2016.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Jackson, Mississipi, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness, paralysis, wheelchair user.

Details:
Earl was brought to the hospital, having had boiling water poured over him. After nine days in the hospital, he died from his severe burns. His daughter was charged with murder.

Case status:
Diane Coleman (Daughter), charged with murder.

Source:
Woman charged with killing father with boiling water
Woman Charged With Murder After Pouring Boiling Water Over Her Paralyzed Elderly Father
Jackson woman charged in murder of disabled father
Daughter charged with murder after allegedly burning father with boiling water
Woman Charged With Father’s Murder
Woman charged with killing elderly father with boiling water

Henry Wilson

Black and white newspaper photo of Henry Wilson, a middle-aged man with dark hair, light skin, and glasses. Name: Henry Wilson.
Died: September 3, 2016.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Ayr, Scotland, UK.
Disability: Chronic heart disease.

Details:
When Henry expressed a desire to die, his wife left out a dose of her medication for him and left the house. When she returned he was not dead, so she took a pillow and smothered him.

Case status:
Susanne Wilson (Wife), pleaded guilty to culpable homicide; no sentence, walked free from court.

Source:
74-year-old woman charged with murdering her husband, 71, at their home in Ayr
Wife killed sick husband with cushion after sex allegations
Wife walks free after killing husband
Ex-councillor who killed husband to death avoids jail
Wife who killed suicidal husband walks free

68-year-old woman

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: September 2, 2016.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Spanaway, Washington, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
This 68-year-old woman was shot to death by her husband, who then killed himself.

Case status:
Her husband, deceased.

Source:
Elderly couple found dead in suspected murder-suicide in Pierce County
Police: Elderly man kills wife suffering from dementia, turns gun on himself
Couple die in murder-suicide

John Zdon

Name: John Emile Zdon.
Died: August 31, 2016.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA.
Disability: Frail elder, needed 24-hour care.

Details:
John’s daughter knew his health was getting worse, but she would not take him to the doctor because she was afraid he would be put in a nursing home. He was found malnourished and unresponsive and brought to the hospital, where he died.

He was an Air Force veteran and a fan of the Atlanta Braves.

Case Status:
Tammy Zdon (Daughter), pleaded guilty to manslaughter and permitting abuse on an elderly or disabled person, sentenced to 6 months in jail.

Source:
John Zdon Obituary (1944 – 2016) The Berkshire Eagle
Massachusetts caregiver admits to causing father’s death
North Adams woman faces caretaker abuse, involuntary manslaughter charges in father’s death

Margaret Shelton

Name: Margaret “Pat” Patricia Shelton.
Died: August 31, 2016.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Disability: Early-stage Alzheimer’s.

Details:
Police say Pat’s son turned himself in just after smothering her with duct tape and his hand and breaking the neck of the family dog.

Pat was known by her neighbors for her friendly demeanor. She liked to do yard work and would mow their lawns for them.

Case status:
Kenneth Baker (Son), convicted of murder, sentenced to 12 to 25 years.

Source:
Man arrested for murdering elderly mother inside Fort Worth home
Fort Worth man who called police accused of killing his mother
Margaret Shelton Obituary
Elderly woman killed by son in her Fort Worth home
Fort Worth man said he suffocated mother with duct tape, then snapped barking dog’s neck, police say

Austin Anderson

Name: Austin Anderson.
Died: August 29, 2016.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Dehydration, medical neglect.
Location: Aldrich, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Autism, blindness.

Details:
Austin’s mother took him out to a field in the middle of nowhere. For two days, she withheld his food, water, and medication in the summer heat while Austin begged for her help. He died from dehydration and from being refused the medication he needed to live.

Case status:
Kimberly R. Lightwine (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and elder abuse, sentenced to 7 years, served 2 1/2 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Austin Anderson
‘I killed my kid:’ Polk County mother charged after death of blind, autistic teen
‘Let God take you’: Woman said she left her blind, autistic son in field until he died, police say
Lightwine charged with two felonies in death of son
Mother Accused in Death of Disabled Son Returns to Court
Woman accused of son’s death in Polk County appears in court
Attorney releases video segments of police interview with mom accused of killing her son
Bench Trial in May for Mom of Disabled Victim
Polk County mom could be out in 120 days after guilty plea in blind, autistic son’s death
Polk County Woman Pleads Guilty in Connection with Death of Blind, Autistic Son
Mother pleads guilty to son’s death
Mother pleads guilty to letting her blind, autistic son die in a field
Woman claims innocence in son’s death despite guilty plea
Once charged with murder in autistic son’s death, Ozarks woman says she’s a victim

Leslie Ramirez

Photo of Leslie Ramirez. She is a small girl with tan skin and dark brown hair pulled into two ponytails. She is wearing a white shirt with a checked pinafore. Name: Leslie Ramirez.
Died: August 29, 2016.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Hyperthermia.
Location: Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Leslie’s mother left her in the family van at 3 p.m. on a summer day. At 7 p.m., Leslie’s father returned home to find her still in the van four hours later. She was dead.

Case status:
Rene Ramirez (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse/neglect.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Leslie Ramirez
Autopsy: Heat exposure responsible for death of Durham girl left in van
Mother of autistic girl found dead in a hot van insists it was an accident
Mother charged in death of 3-year-old daughter in Durham

2-month-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown
Died: August 24, 2016.
Age at death: 2 months.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Koratagere, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
This two-month-old girl’s mother had taken her to a hospital for treatment. She exited the hospital, came back without the baby, and told police that she had been kidnapped. However, the baby’s body was found in the river, and her cause of death was determined to be drowning. It was alleged that her mother had drowned her because she could not produce milk to feed her.

Case Status:
Kavitha (Mother), convicted of murder, sentenced to life; however, since several witnesses refused to testify, the judge ruled that the case had insufficient evidence and released her after 6 years in jail.

Sources:
Mother jailed for baby’s murder to walk free
Karnataka HC acquits woman found guilty of killing her two-month-old baby
Woman gets life term for throwing daughter into river