Category: Age Categories

Hayden Dukes

Photo of Hayden, a toddler wearing a too-big set of sunglasses.Name: Hayden Dukes.
Died: January 8, 2015.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Underwood, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Autism, DiGeorge syndrome.

Details:
Hayden’s father was watching TV, and Hayden was getting in the way. Instead of paying attention to his son, Hayden’s father beat him to death.

Case status:
Christopher Bruck (Father); charged with aggravated battery and neglect of a dependent, sentenced to 40 years in prison and 2.5 years parole.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Hayden Dukes
Family: Child beaten by father dies
Southern Indiana man convicted in 4-year-old son’s death given 40 year prison sentence

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

Susan Winters

Photo of Susan Winters. She is a woman with pale skin and curly strawberry-blonde hair.Name: Susan Winters.
Died: January 3, 2015.
Age at death: 48.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Boulder City, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
Susan’s death from poisoning with painkillers and antifreeze was initially thought to be a suicide. But her husband–a psychiatrist–admitted to poisoning her and trying to stage a suicide.

Susan was a lawyer, and later became a judge. She loved animals, Elvis, reading, and running marathons.

Case status:
Gregory Dennis (Husband), convicted of involuntary manslaughter; sentenced to 3-10 years.

Source:
Pandemic delays murder trial for Henderson psychologist
Murder or suicide? Unsealed documents reveal new evidence in doctor’s wife death
Did a Boulder City psychologist murder his wife, or was it a suicide?
Susan Winters case: coroner changes cause from suicide to undetermined

Barbara Beam

No PhotoName: 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

Alexandra, Maxim, and Mikhail Kordyukova

Photo of Misha Kordyukova, a baby with fair skin and short blond hair, photographed against a background of water.
Misha Kordyukova
Gravestone of Sasha and Maxim Kordyukova. Their names are written in Cyrillic characters, and above each name is a dim black-and-white image of a young child. The bottom of the photograph is torn off so that the dates of birth and death cannot be seen.
Gravestone of Sasha and Maxim Kordyukova

Name: Alexandra “Sasha” Kordyukova.
Name: Maxim Kordyukova.
Name: Mikhail “Misha” Kordyukova.

Died: Unknown; mother arrested in 2015.
Age at death: All were under 3.
Cause of death: Warfarin poisoning.
Location: Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Disability: Atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

Details:
Sasha, Maxim, and Misha died before their brother Ilya was taken to the hospital, gravely sick from warfarin poisoning. Ilya survived, but the attempted murder tipped off police that his siblings’ deaths might not have been accidental. After exhumation and autopsy, it was determined that Maxim and Misha had both died from warfarin poisoning. Their sister Sasha’s autopsy was inconclusive, but like them, she died young and suddenly.

Their mother, when arrested, claimed she had tried to cure her children, but that it was too difficult; so she wanted to kill them and start a new family with healthy children.

Ilya, who recovered from the poisoning, is now living with his father.

Case status:
Elena Kordyukova (Mother), convicted, sentenced to 18 years.

Source:
Mum accused of killing her two sick kids with rat poison
Russian murdered sons with genetic condition with Warfarin
Evil mum jailed for killing two of her disabled sons with ‘rat poison’

Katherine Lavoie

Photo: A middle-aged woman with shaggy brown hair, pale, flushed skin, heavy mascara, and beaded earrings. She is smiling for the camera.Name: Katherine Lavoie.
Died: December 30, 2014.
Age at death: 49.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: New Hampshire, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Katherine had attempted suicide, but survived and was hospitalized in critical condition. Her husband then walked into the hospital, shot her in the head, and killed himself.

Case status:
Mark Lavoie (Husband), deceased.

Source:
New Hampshire ‘double suicide’ wife’s death ruled homicide

Hope Ruller

Grainy newspaper photo of a woman in an old-fashioned dress and hat; she looks to be in her twenties and is smiling.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

Kendrea Johnson

Photo of Kendrea Johnson. She is an African-American girl wearing a yellow dress, her hair in hair clips. She has her hands on her hips and is leaning forward, lips puckered, as though she is trying to kiss the camera.Name: Kendrea Johnson.
Died: December 27, 2014.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Hanging.
Location: Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: PTSD.

Details:
Foster child Kendrea was showing signs of severe mental illness; she had been experiencing suicidal ideation every day for months. But her foster home did nothing to help her; instead, she was threatened with beatings and locked in her room. Four times, her foster home was reported for neglect, but not investigated.

Kendrea was found hanging from her bunk bed with a jump rope tied around her neck; the death was ruled a “ligature hanging” and showed all the signs of suicide, including a suicide note reading “I’m sorry”. If that is the case, then Kendrea’s death was the result of neglect, with her mental illness left untreated to the point that the little girl died by suicide. However, Kendrea’s grandmother believes her death was a murder rather than a suicide, since the knot in the jump rope might have been too complex for a six-year-old to tie.

Case status:
Tannise Nawaqavou (foster mother), foster care license revoked.
$1.5 million settlement paid to Kendrea’s grandmother by Hennepin County.

Source:
SiebenCarey and NewmarkStorms File Civil Lawsuit Following Death of Six-Year-Old in Foster Care
String of failures came before suicidal 6-year-old’s death
Did 6-year-old Brooklyn Park girl kill herself? Police wonder
Hennepin County officials say little about death of girl in Brooklyn Park foster-care home
Girl, 6, died by hanging in foster care. County settles with family for $1.5 million.
$1.5 million settlement in Minnesota six-year-old’s foster care death
Minnesota girl, 6, died by hanging in foster care. Hennepin County settles with family for $1.5 million.

William Collins

No PhotoName: 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