Age Categories – Page 148 – Disability Day of Mourning

Harry Aspley

No Photo
Name: Harry Aspley.
Died: April 1, 2013.
Age at death: 23 months.
Cause of death: Head injury; shaken baby.
Location: Stoney Stanton, England, UK.
Disability: Developmental delay; suspected autism.

Details:
Harry was violently shaken by his foster mother. This caused brain injuries which killed him.

Case status:
Wendy Hardy (Foster mother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to six and a half years.
David Hardy, charged with child cruelty.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Harry Aspley
Death of toddler shaken by foster mum “could have been prevented”
Foster mother jailed for killing toddler by violently shaking him
Woman jailed after death of 23-month-old Harry Aspley

Heidi Good-Swiacki

Name: Heidi Good-Swiacki.
Died: March 25, 2013.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Location: Solvang, California, USA.
Disability: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Details:
Heidi died when her ventilator failed. At the time, she was in the care of her mother and a hired caregiver. The caregiver left to go shopping, and in the meantime, the ventilator failed. Her mother and caregiver were charged with deliberately sedating her and disconnecting the ventilator, but the jury deadlocked on her mother’s trial, and the caregiver’s conviction was overturned.

Heidi wrote a blog using an eye-based input device. In the introduction to her blog, she said, “I will share my ALS story which will hopefully encourage others. It will show that quality of life comes in many forms… Since I have had ALS I have seen many miracles.”

She was a deeply spiritual woman with two children, and she started a company to set up accounting systems for new wineries. Although non-verbal and ventilator-dependent, Heidi saw her life as “filled with laughter, trust and love”.

Case status:
Marjorie Good (Mother); jury deadlocked on involuntary manslaughter charge; charges dropped.
Wanda Nelson (Caregiver), convicted of involuntary manslaughter; conviction overturned because conspiracy could not be proved.

Source:
Case dismissed for caretaker convicted of involuntary manslaughter of ALS patient Heidi Good
Solvang woman acquitted of murdering her daughter
Case dismissed for caretaker convicted of involuntary manslaughter of ALS patient Heidi Good
Tragic Tale of ALS Patient Heidi Good Swiacki’s Death Emerges in Criminal Grand Jury Transcripts
Good Times

Chi-wai Yeung

No Photo Name: Chi-wai Yeung.
Died: March 23, 2013.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Methamphetamine poisoning.
Location: Sheung Shi, Hong Kong, China.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Chi-wai’s mother and her boyfriend were smoking meth while feeding him milk from a bottle. Somehow, the boy was poisoned with meth and died.

Case status:
Wong Pu-lin (Mother) and Ngan Tin-hung (Mother’s boyfriend); both charged with child abuse; charges dropped.

Source:
Carrie Lam offers ray of hope to tackling child abuse
Disabled boy died after mother and boyfriend smoked Ice while feeding him milk, Hong Kong inquest hears
Neglect of the neglected: Hong Kong boy’s death exposes a child protection system riddled with holes

Robert Gensiak

Granite gravestone with a brass plaque reading, "In memory of Robert Gensiak, 2013. Every voice shall be heard." Name: Robert Gensiak.
Died: March 20, 2013.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Robert was severely neglected by his family; he died of blood poisoning from an untreated skin rash his body could not fight because he was so malnourished.

Case status:
Susan Gensiak (Mother), pled to third-degree murder, sentenced to 10-20 years in prison
Joan Gensiak (Sister), convicted of neglect, sentenced to 6 years.
Rebekah Gensiak (Sister), convicted of misdemeanor neglect, sentenced to 6-23 months in jail.

Source:
Susan Gensiak And 2 Daughters Charged With Murder Of Robert Gensiak, Disabled Man
Lackawanna County woman’s sentence overturned in disabled brother’s neglect death
Joan Gensiak re-sentenced to same term for starvation death of brother

Isabella Wiens

Photo of a baby with pale skin and wispy red hair, smiling and showing her baby teeth. Name: Isabella Wiens.
Died: March 16, 2013.
Age at death: 21 months.
Cause of death: Undetermined, in the setting of abuse.
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Disability: Developmentally delayed. Removed from her mother absent any evidence of abuse, because her mother is learning disabled.

Details:
Isabella died while in foster care. The autopsy showed evidence of abuse, including a swollen brain and healing fractures, but her cause of death is listed as undetermined.

Case status:
Foster home closed.
Isabella’s mother is suing the province.

Source:
B.C. ministry will review toddler Isabella Wiens’ death in care
B.C. mother sues province after infant daughter dies in foster care
Coroner’s Report

Douglas Streeter

Name: Douglas Ivor Streeter.
Died: March 14, 2013.
Age at death: 69.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Natte Yallock, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Motor neuron disease.

Details:
Douglas and his brother John owned a large sheep farm, which his son was due to inherit when he died. His son shot Douglas and John.

From Douglas’s obituary: “Dougie, an extraordinary person. You always greeted us with wide open arms when we came to visit. Our hearts would melt as we watched you take our little boy out for many drives in your ute with the flashing light.”

Case Status:
Ross Streeter (Son), convicted of two counts of murder, sentenced to 28-37 years.

Sources:
Love and tears for lost brothers
Farm killer stood to inherit $500,000
Killer Ross Streeter ‘sick in the guts’ over shooting murder of father, Douglas, and uncle, John
The Queen v Streeter
STREETER, Douglas Ivor | Death Notices | Melbourne

Gerald Lakes

No Photo Name: Gerald Lee Lakes.
Died: March 13, 2013.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Starvation, dehydration.
Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Gerald was neglected and starved to death by his parents.

Case status:
Jerry Lakes (Father), pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, two counts of knowing abuse or neglect of an adult, three counts of exploitation, and three counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of property, sentenced to 20 years.
Peggy Whitlock (Mother), guilty to two counts of knowing abuse and neglect, sentenced to 10 years.

Source:
Lexington couple sentenced for neglect in death of mentally handicapped son
Detectives: Father of man who starved to death spent thousands in a casino

Marci Garvin

Name: Marci Garvin.
Died: March 11, 2013.
Age at death: 39.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, dehydration.
Location: Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, epilepsy.

Details:
Marci’s father and sister neglected her so badly that she died of infection, pneumonia, and dehydration.

Marci had spent 18 years working part-time for the Star-Telegram human resources office. Sadly, the same newspaper was later to publish the report on her death.

Case status:
Mike Garvin (Father), convicted of injury to the disabled and sentenced to 10-20 years in prison.
Tabby Martinjak (Sister), convicted of injury to the disabled and sentenced to 10-20 years in prison.

Source:
Father, daughter sentenced to 20 years in prison in death of disabled woman
Failing Marci: A disabled woman’s story of triumph and tragedy | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Failing Marci: Investigation raises questions about care and oversight for disabled woman – Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX), 3/1/2015 Bexar County, Texas

Jamielynn Bleakley

Photo of Jamielynn Bleakley, a heavyset woman with pale skin and curly blonde hair. She is wearing makeup; her expression is solemn. Name: Jamielynn Bleakley.
Died: March 7, 2013.
Age at death: 36.
Cause of death: Head injury, hypothermia.
Location: Denning, New York, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.

Details:
Jamielynn was beaten, strangled, and left outside in the cold by her fiance. She died of head injuries and exposure.

Before she became disabled, she had been employed in health care; she was a fan of Renegade, NASCAR, and the Yankees.

Case status:
Gerald Babcock (Fiance), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 25 years.

Source:
Appeals court upholds Denning resident’s manslaughter conviction in death of his fiancée
Jamielynn Bleakley Online Obituary, December 29, 1975 – March 7, 2013
Denning woman had reported violence in home prior to being killed, police say; boyfriend charged, held without bail
Babcock convicted of manslaughter in death of girlfriend
Saratoga native, 37, allegedly killed by boyfriend in domestic violence incident
Cause of girlfriend’s death disputed
Savage beating leaves Denning woman dead
Denning man gets 25-year prison term for killing girlfriend

Jessie Dziomba

Photo of a teenage boy with light skin and a buzz cut. He is wearing a striped shirt and has a solemn expression. Name: Jessie James Dziomba, born Jessie Palmer.
Died: March 4, 2013.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Influenza, infection.
Location: Lockport, New York, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability.

Details:
Police who investigated the home after Jessie was found dead say that Jessie and his brothers were routinely locked into their rooms by their adoptive parents. When Jessie got sick, his adoptive parents allegedly did not care for him nor take him to the doctor. Jessie died of his illness. His two brothers survived and were removed from the home.

Jessie liked playing sports and video games.

Case status:
Joy and John Dziomba (Adoptive parents). Case status unknown.

Source:
Guardian appointed for brothers of disabled Lockport man who died in March
How did Jessie die?
Jessie James Dzombia AKA Palmer