Age Categories – Page 141 – Disability Day of Mourning

Ayahna Comb

Name: Ayahna Comb.
Died: January 29, 2014.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Malnutrition/dehydration.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Ayana was fatally neglected by her mother. When she died, her mother wrapped her in blankets and put her 15-pound body in the crisper drawer of her refrigerator.

Case status:
Amber Keyes (Mother), pleaded guilty to injury to a child by omission, sentenced to 20-40 years.

Source:
Death of girl found wrapped in blankets in refrigerator ruled a homicide
Mother of girl, 9, found dead in refrigerator sentenced to 40 years

Photo of Lucas Ruiz, an infant lying on a fleece throw; he has light skin, neat brown hair, and a round face. Name: Lucas Ruiz.
Died: January 24, 2014.
Age at death: 17 months.
Cause of death: Alcohol poisoning.
Location: Belle Chasse, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Lucas’s mother poisoned him with hand sanitizer injected into his feeding tube.

Case status:
Erika Wigstrom (Mother), charged with first-degree murder, pleaded guilty, sentenced to 40 years.

Source:
Belle Chasse mom booked with fatal poisoning of her 17-month-old son

Frances Dresser

Black and white photo of a young woman with fair skin, wearing an old-fashioned cocktail dress and sitting on the hood of a car. Name: Frances Dresser.
Died: January 22, 2014.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Carson City, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Paralysis (from fall).

Details:
Frances fell at home and doctors said she would be paralyzed and need to move to a nursing home. Her husband went home, bought a gun, returned to the hospital and shot her in the chest. She died three days later.

Frances Dresser was a great-grandmother who loved music and nature.

Case status:
William Lyle Dresser (Husband), charged with murder; charges dropped by a judge who said, “William Dresser killed his wife, but he is not a murderer”.

Source:
‘No evil in his act’: DA seeks to drop mercy killing murder charge
Murder charge dismissed against William Dresser

Damien Veraghen

Name: Damien Veraghen.
Died: January 20, 2014.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Autism, epilepsy.

Details:
Damien was drugged and suffocated by his mother in a murder-suicide.

Damien liked playing catch, and loved sports in general. He played in the Miracle League of Green Bay. Every week, Damien played a game with friends in the league. He loved the baseball bats.

He also liked to run the vacuum cleaner at home; neighbors would hear the vacuum cleaner and know it was Damien.

Case status:
April Veraghen (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Damien Veraghen
April and Damien Veraghen, Obituary
Mother-son deaths at west-side apartment ruled murder, suicide
Friends remember victims of murder-suicide
Mother-son murder-suicide investigation closed

Susan Simonetti

Photo of Susan Simonetti, a woman with curly dark hair and olive-toned skin, smiling for the camera. The photo has a faint watermark or stamp on it. Name: Susan Simonetti.
Died: January 18, 2014.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Neglect-related.
Location: New Britain, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Susan’s brother was under investigation for her death when her mother also died from neglect in similar circumstances.

Case status:
Frank Simonetti (Brother), no charges; charged later for a similar neglect death of his mother, Michaelina Simonetti.

Source:
New Britain Man Charged With Manslaughter In 93-Year-Old Mother’s Death

Aidan Bossingham

Photo of a young boy with light olive-toned skin, wearing a sweatshirt and a Cardinals baseball cap. Name: Aidan Edward Bossingham.
Died: January 12, 2014.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Kenmare, North Dakota, USA.
Disability: Growth hormone deficiency.

Details:
Aidan’s mother refused him treatment for his growth hormone deficiency and starved him until he died.

Case status:
Jessica Lee Jensen (Mother); pled guilty to murder and child neglect; sentenced to 40 years in prison with 15 years suspended.

Source:
North Dakota woman sentenced in child starvation case
N.D. 13-year-old weighed 21 pounds; mom accused in his starvation death

Bruce Simmons

School photo of Bruce Simmons, a young man with pale skin and brown hair gelled into a neat side-parted style. He is wearing a brown flannel shirt. Name: Bruce Simmons.
Died: January 12, 2014.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Kindred, North Dakota, USA.
Disability: Mental illness.

Details:
Bruce’s brother neglected him, letting him starve and freeze to death.

Case status:
Ronald Simmons (Brother), pleaded guilty to one count of endangering a vulnerable person, sentenced to 1 year of parole.

Source:
Plea deal disgusts sister-in-law of brothers in frozen farmhouse case
North Dakota man let mentally ill brother freeze to death: charges

Arthur Pelham

Photo: An older man, balding, with brown hair, wearing a jacket and red shirt. Name: Arthur “Gary” Pelham.
Died: January 5, 2014.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Jonesboro, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia.

Details:
Gary’s caregiver locked him outside the house during a January ice storm and would not let him back inside. In ten hours, he was dead.

Mr. Pelham was a military veteran.

Case status:
Dale El Smith (Paid caregiver), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.

Source:
Murder conviction stands for woman who left veteran outside to freeze
Ex-caregiver gets life for murder in freezing death of man
Murder conviction stands for woman who left veteran outside to freeze
Murder conviction upheld for woman who let veteran freeze to death

Lena Smith

Photo of Lena Smith. She is an African-American woman wearing big hoop earrings. She has very curly black hair. Name: Lena “Elaine” Smith.
Died: January 2, 2014.
Age at death: 45.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Schizophrenia.

Details:
When Lena’s boyfriend stabbed her to death, he claimed he had done it in self-defense because she had schizophrenia and was violent. Lena did have schizophrenia–but she had been stabbed six times in the back, and the jury didn’t buy his self-defense claim.

Case status:
Ulysses Jay James (Ex-boyfriend), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 31 years.

Source:
Man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death in Norfolk gets 31 years
Police make arrest in stabbing death of Norfolk mother
Norfolk man stabbed his girlfriend in self-defense, lawyer argues as murder trial opens

Saharah Weatherspoon

Photo of Saharah Weatherspoon, a toddler girl sitting in a pink car seat. She has very curly black hair and brown skin. Name: Saharah Weatherspoon.
Died: January 1, 2014.
Age at death: 23 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Ringgold, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Developmental delay.

Details:
When doctors noticed Saharah’s bruises in the months before her fatal head injury, Saharah’s foster mother said Saharah was falling down because of her developmental delay and asked for a helmet. Saharah died of severe head injuries; she had been beaten to death by her foster mother.

Case status:
Clara Louise Edwards (Foster mother), pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 20 years.

Source:
Former Ringgold foster mom pleads guilty to killing baby, sentenced to 20 years
Defense wraps up its case with afternoon of testimony in Clara Edwards murder trial
Jury Reaches Verdict in Foster Child Death Case