Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Name: Pankaj.
Died: May 23, 2022.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Disability: Intellectual disability.
Details:
Pankaj’s brother allegedly cut his throat and tried to burn his body. Police say he confessed to the crime during interrogation.
Case Status:
Ashok (Brother), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Sources:
Man Kills Mentally Challenged Brother In Uttar Pradesh; Arrested: Police
Name: Eli Hart.
Died: May 20, 2022.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Mound, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Townes-Brock syndrome.
Details:
Eli was found dead in the trunk of his mother’s car after she shot him dead with a shotgun.
Eli liked to play with matchbox cars and wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. He had recently learned how to fish, and had such a talent for it that he caught more fish on his first day than his father, who owns a bait shop and had been fishing all his life.
Case Status:
Julissa Thaler (Mother), convicted of first- and second-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Sources:
Julissa Thaler sentenced to life in prison for murdering 6-year-old son, Eli Hart
Father of slain 6-year-old takes stand in mom’s trial: ‘He was everything to me’
Mental health records sought by lawyer representing woman accused of killing 6-year-old son
Woman charged with shooting 6-year-old son whose body was found in trunk during traffic stop
Father was trying to reclaim custody of boy found slain in trunk in Mound
Family of boy killed in Mound says state didn’t do enough to protect him ‘They ignored us’
Funeral and Headstone, organized by Nikita K
Family remember the boy found dead in Mound, ‘Eli was the sweetest kid’
2 Arrested After Boy’s Body Found In Trunk; Victim Identified As Eli Hart
Mother, 28, is arrested after son, 6, is found in car trunk
Name: Jack McKenzie Ross.
Died: May 18, 2022.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Arson fire.
Location: Tyler, Texas, USA.
Disability: Mental and physical disability.
Details:
When Jack’s home caught on fire, he was trapped inside and died. Fire investigators believe Jack’s brother deliberately set the fire, knowing that Jack’s physical and mental disabilities might keep him from escaping.
Jack loved to cook, clean, and help others, and did his share of the chores at home. Jack was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, watched wrestling every Friday, and is remembered for his loving personality.
In his obituary, Jack’s family says:
The news media referred to him a ‘man with special needs’. His ‘special needs’ were to always seek out those who needed a helping hand. They did not know our Jack. He never had a need, special or otherwise. His desire was to help others. He was an “extraordinarily special person”, but not for the reasons they gave.
Case Status:
Robert Harrison Johnson IV (Half-brother), charged with murder.
Sources:
Tyler man accused of causing house fire that killed half-brother with special needs indicted on arson
Man charged with starting Smith County house fire that killed his half-brother
Man arrested for murder after allegedly starting fatal fire that killed half-brother
OFFICIALS: East Texas man arrested for murder after setting house fire that killed half-brother with special needs
Smith County man accused of starting fire which killed disabled half-brother
Police: East Texas man blames ‘spirits’ for causing fire that killed his half-brother with special needs
Name: Jamie Ward.
Died: May 18, 2022.
Age at death: 50.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Greenfield, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Chronic pain; degenerative disk disease.
Details:
Jamie’s body was found in her home, with her husband. He reportedly told police that he had killed Jamie because she asked him to kill her; but news articles make no mention of a suicide note or any indication that she had wanted to die. Police describe the incident as a “domestic violence homicide”.
Case Status:
Braeden Ward (Husband), pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide, sentenced to 12 years in prison and eight years on extended supervision.
Sources:
The medical examiner said Jamie Ward was dead for two weeks before her decomposing body was found.
A Greenfield man pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in the stabbing death of his wife
Greenfield Man Pleads Guilty To New Charge After Wife’s Stabbing Death
Husband says he killed wife to end suffering, drained blood from body
Milwaukee Co. man stabbed wife to death because she wanted to die, complaint states
A Greenfield man has been charged in the stabbing death of his wife. He says she lived with chronic pain and asked him to help her die.
Greenfield Man Charged With Homicide After Wife Found Stabbed To Death
Greenfield homicide: Braeden Ward accused of fatally stabbing wife
Husband ‘stabbed wife & left body to rot – but WASHED corpse to hide smell’
Woman dead 2 weeks found in home, husband to face homicide charge
Police ID woman killed in Greenfield homicide
Name: Sharon Mook.
Died: May 15, 2022.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Mount Laurel, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; nursing home resident.
Details:
Sharon’s husband stabbed her to death in her nursing home.
Case Status:
Dan Mook (Husband), charged with first-degree murder, third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Sources:
Mercy Killing? 84-year-old Mt. Laurel, NJ, Husband Charged With Wife’s Death
Mount Laurel man charged in wife’s death in nursing home, claims mercy killing
Name: Kalayikkal Ranjini.
Died: May 12, 2022.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Paralysis.
Details:
When Ranjini’s husband told police that she had died, her neighbors urged police to investigate. When they found marks on her neck, they questioned her husband; police say he confessed to strangling her because he “could not bear her suffering”.
Case Status:
Muniswami (Husband), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Sources:
Idukki: Bedridden woman killed by husband
Man held for strangling bedridden wife in Idukki
Name Unknown.
Died: May 10, 2022.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Davenport, Florida, USA.
Disability: Failure to thrive; possible muscular dystrophy, possible cystic fibrosis.
Details:
This girl, two months short of three years old, died weighing 9 pounds, with no food in her stomach. Although the girl’s doctors were worried about both cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy at her six-month checkup, her parents allegedly did not take her to the doctor until they found her dead.
Case Status:
Regis Johnson (Father), charged with Negligent Child Abuse causing Great Harm.
Arhonda Tillman (Mother), charged with Negligent Child Abuse causing Great Harm.
Frank Robinson (Uncle), charged with Negligent Child Abuse causing Great Harm.
Sources:
2-year-old starved to death, parents arrested, Polk sheriff says
Polk toddler weighed 9 pounds, 5 ounces at death. Couple charged with felony child neglect
Couple Charged In Death Of 34 Month Old Who Starved To Death Weighing 9.5 Pounds
Couple charged for starving toddler to death, sheriff says
Davenport couple arrested for negligent child abuse resulting in death of 34-month-old toddler
Name: Sara Latimer.
Died: May 10, 2022.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Blunt head trauma.
Location: Sparta, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Stroke.
Details:
Sara was beaten to death, and her boyfriend, who had previously been convicted of charges related to domestic abuse against Sara, was charged with her murder.
Case Status:
Shawn Hock (Boyfriend); charged with first-degree intentional homicide, aggravated battery, disorderly conduct, and drug charges.
Sources:
Mother of Monroe County homicide victim accuses authorities of not protecting her daughter
Man charged with killing 32-year-old Sparta woman
Autopsy: Sparta waitress beaten to death
32-year-old Sparta man in court Monday on homicide charges
Name: Morgan Moore.
Died: May 10, 2022.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Homicide, complications of neurological disorder.
Location: Montgomery Village, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis, diabetes, Long COVID.
Details:
Medics were called to Morgan’s house, where they found him dead, weighing only 79 pounds. His family told emergency responders that he had not seen a doctor in two years. Police believe Morgan’s health declined over a matter of months; he lost the ability to walk and developed an abscess on his back. He was allegedly made to live in poor conditions, in a filthy house.
One of Morgan’s siblings remembers that they planned to go to Japan together; but instead, Morgan became increasingly isolated; his parents kept him home and “home-schooled” him, and he rarely went anywhere besides the movie theater or the local playground. As a transgender boy, he managed to find an outlet in online interaction, but he never did get to visit Japan. “I just want my brother to be remembered as the artist and the person he was. He was a good person,” Morgan’s sibling says. “I want people who are transphobic and not accepting of their children to accept their kids for who they are and love them no matter what.”
On an online tribute page, a relative writes that Morgan was “a celebrated artist, self taught guitarist, cook, keyboard player, gamer and all around great person.”
Six minor children were removed from the home when Morgan died. None of the children had ever been to school or received vaccinations.
Case Status:
Cynthia Moore (Mother), convicted of child neglect.
Dominique Moore (Father), charged with second-degree murder and neglect of a minor.
Sources:
A Maryland teen wasted away at home to 79 pounds. Was it murder?
Prosecutors disappointed after Maryland mom is found guilty of child neglect
Remembering Morgan Moore
Maryland Parents Charged With Murder Over Death of Transgender Teenager
Montgomery Co. parents facing murder charges, accused of not addressing ‘emaciated’ teen’s medical needs
17-Year-Old Girl With Health Problems Dies, Didn’t See Doctor For 2 Years, Police Said
Parents accused of murdering disabled child struggled with mental illness and practiced dark religion, grandmother says
Parents Charged With Murder Of 17-Year-Old Daughter In Montgomery County | WFMD-AM
Parents charged with murder, neglect in death of 17-year-old child
Parents charged with murder of daughter in Montgomery County
Name: Gertie Duncan.
Died: May 9, 2022.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Leasburg, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Dementia.
Details:
Gertie’s husband shot her dead, called the police, shot himself, and was taken to the hospital where he died the next day.
Gertie was very involved in her community. She made cupcakes for children at the local school, volunteered as a softball coach, and even made TikTok videos with her grandchildren.
Case Status:
Jerry Duncan (Husband), deceased.
Sources:
Family: Person County couple’s murder-suicide was an act of love :
Gertie Kendrick Duncan, age 79
Person County man kills wife, then shoots himself, sheriff says