Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Name: Tia McShane.
Died: August 30, 2010 (Body found); died sometime in 2006.
Age at death: About 7.
Cause of death: Unsolved.
Location: Pensacola, Florida, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
It is not known how Tia died. Her body was found, years later, hidden in a storage unit owned by her mother.
Case status:
Alicia McShane (Mother). Died before Tia’s body was found.
Name: Jeffrey Bishop.
Died: Late August 2010.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Unknown; was receiving disability checks.
Details:
Jeffrey’s body was found in the basement of the house where he had been staying with his caregivers, who received his disability checks in exchange for caring for him. Police say that one of his caregivers strangled Jeffrey, and when he was dead, they hid his body and continued spending his money.
Case status:
Dennis Mitchell Hall (Caregiver), convicted of murder, tampering with evidence, forgery, and fraud; sentenced to 35-50 years.
Heather Lynn Baringer (Caregiver), charged with murder and tampering with evidence.
Source:
Offender Information – Kentucky Department of Corrections – Offender Online Lookup System
Two charged with murder after body found wrapped in bags in basement
Name: Suellen Pike.
Died: August 12, 2010 (Last seen).
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Hyperthyroidism, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, insomnia, migraines and arthritis.
Details:
Soon after she signed her house into his name, Suellen’s son killed her and dumped the body, which has not been found.
Case Status:
Stephen Jonathon Pike (Son), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 10-and-a-half years, 80% of which must be served before parole.
Sources:
Suellen PIKE
R v Pike
Stephen Pike jailed for 10-and-a-half years for killing mother, whose body has never been found, after she changed her will
Name: Esther Moraa.
Died: August 2, 2010.
Age at death: 4 months.
Cause of death: Suffocated.
Location: Bokimweri, Nyamache District, Kenya.
Disability: Albinism.
Details:
Esther’s father convinced her mother to kill her because she had been born with albinism. Her mother suffocated her, then dumped her body in the river.
Case status:
Sara Kemunto Nyabuto (Mother), sentenced to one year in prison. Esther’s father fled and was not arrested.
Source:
Mother jailed for killing albino baby
Kenya : Woman kills albino child to avoid bad omen
Kenya : When mother finds it easy to kill her child
Woman kills albino child to avoid bad omen
Name: Kenneth Holmes.
Died: July 28, 2010.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: New York, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Kenneth was shot to death by his mother, who then committed suicide herself. Police said she was “frustrated over the demands of raising an autistic child”.
Case status:
Michaela Jackson (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Kenneth Holmes
JA mom kills autistic son, herself
Mom suspected in murder-suicide involving autistic son posted heart-wrenching blog item before death
It’s Mick’s World
Name: Janet Mackozdi.
Died: July 23, 2010.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Mt. Lloyd, Tasmania, Australia.
Disability: Dementia, coronary vascular disease, mobility impaired.
Details:
Janet’s daughter and son-in-law made her live in an uninsulated shipping container on their property in midwinter, so they could make room in their house for boxes of their belongings. They spent her money, and did not care for her as her weight dropped, even though one was a nurse and the other a disability support worker. Temperatures dropped below freezing and she died of hypothermia.
Case status:
Jassy Anglin (Daughter), pleaded guilty to causing death by culpable negligence and received a 2-year suspended sentence.
Michael Anglin (Son-in-law), pleaded guilty to causing death by culpable negligence and received a 2-year suspended sentence.
Source:
Sam Connor on Twitter
Dead elderly woman had lost 15kg in her final year, inquest told
Inquest examines care of 77yo who died of hypothermia in shipping container
Couple pleads guilty to death of elderly relative housed in shipping container
Woman dies after being ‘forced to live in a shipping container’
Couple charged after mother freezes to death sleeping in shipping container
Couple avoids jail over mother’s death
Tragic mum couple walks
Elder abuse reform needed over 77yo’s shipping container death, coroner says
Tassie couple let her freeze to death: coroner
Name: Jorene White.
Died: July 23, 2010.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Madisonville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Severe arthritis.
Details:
Jorene’s husband neglected her. She died of infected bedsores.
Case status:
Darrel White (Husband), convicted of neglect; 5 years of probation.
Source:
Darrel White Allowed Bed-Ridden Wife Jorene White to Be Eaten Alive by Maggots
Name: Zain Syed Akhter.
Died: July 19, 2010.
Age at death: 5.
Disability: Autism.
Name: Faryaal Rashid Akhter.
Died: July 20, 2010.
Age at death: 2.
Disability: Developmental delay; her mother thought she also had autism.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA.
Details:
Zain and Faryaal’s mother tried to make them drink bathroom cleaner; when they wouldn’t do it, she strangled them.
Case status:
Saiqa Akhter (Mother), found not guilty by reason of insanity; hospitalized.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Zain and Faryaal Akhter
Dallas mom, Saiqa Akhter, killed her two children because they were autistic: 911 recording
Mother cites kids’ autism as motive for their slayings in call to 911 operator
Texas Mom Says She Killed Kids Because They Were Austistic
Name: Grace Carlson.
Died: July 17, 2010.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: South Lyon, Michigan, USA.
Disability: “Seriously disabled”; born addicted to crack.
Details:
Grace’s mother poisoned her in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
Donna Carlson (Adoptive mother), deceased.
Source:
Details emerge about South Lyon murder-suicide attempt; police seek charge of murder 1
Name: Louis “Nap” Lockett.
Died: July 16, 2010.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: St. Louis, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Cancer.
Details:
Louis’s wife shot him in the chest and killed him. She claims that she had intended only to hit him in the head with the gun, and it went off while she was hitting him.
Case status:
Josephine Lockett (Wife), convicted of involuntary manslaughter of a family member, sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Source:
Josephine Lockett kills husband during argument over $87
People vs. Josephine Lockett