Age Categories – Page 59 – Disability Day of Mourning

Heidi R.

Name: Heidi R.
Died: April 28, 2019.
Age at death: 49.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Turnhout, Belgium.
Disability: Mild intellectual disability.

Details:
Heidi lived with her sister and her sister’s girlfriend. One night, Heidi’s sister took her for a walk along the river, where she allegedly strangled her and dumped her body in the water.

Heidi was an outgoing chatterbox. She worked in a sheltered workshop, and was looking forward to moving back to Arendonk and having a home of her own. At work, she was known as cheerful and helpful, liked by both management and co-workers.

Case Status:
Inge R. (sister), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Daisy VM (sister’s girlfriend), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Source:
Niet één maar twee verdachten voor moord op gehandicapte vrouw: “Slachtoffer stond relatie in de weg”
“Heidi zat nog vol toekomstplannen”: moordslachtoffer stond op punt om weer naar eigen stekje te verhuizen
Inge R. (50) aangehouden voor moord op gehandicapte zus: gewurgd voor ze ‘verdronk’
Nieuwe verdachte voor moord op gehandicapte vrouw uit Turnhout

Duke Flores

Photo of a small boy with tan skin and curly brown hair, grinning at the camera with his eyes nearly shut. Name: Duke Josehyah Flores.
Died: April 25, 2019 (Reported missing; died around April 14th, 2019).
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Homicide; body not found.
Location: Apple Valley, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Duke’s mother reported him missing, the six-year-old had already been missing for two weeks. Soon thereafter, she was arrested for child cruelty; a few days later, she and Duke’s aunt were charged with murder. Police report that in her confession, Duke’s mother said that they strangled him with an electrical cord and buried his body in their backyard; but after the family dogs kept trying to dig up his body, the two women dug him up and put him in a dumpster. His body has still not been found.

Case status:
Jackee Raquel Contreras (Mother), charged with murder.
Jennifer Rachel Contreras (Aunt), charged with murder.

Source:
Community Mourns 6-Year-Old Boy Police Believe Was Murdered
The Charley Project: Duke Josehyah Flores
Apple Valley: Mother, aunt arrested for murder of missing 6-year-old boy, authorities say
Apple Valley Mother, Twin Sister Booked on Suspicion of Murder as Search for Missing Boy Continues
Murder charges filed against mother of missing 6-year-old Duke Flores of Apple Valley
Detectives arrest Jakee Raquel Contreras (mother) and Jennifer Rachel Contreras (aunt) for the…
Apple Valley: Mother, aunt arrested for murder of missing 6-year-old boy Duke Flores
Homicide Detectives Search Victorville Landfill for Body of Missing Boy; Mom, Aunt Charged With Murder
Duke Flores case: Mother, aunt charged in Apple Valley boy’s murder as detectives search landfill
Mother, aunt plead not guilty in murder of missing 6-year-old Apple Valley boy Duke Flores
6-year-old Duke Flores was tied, smothered, buried, dug up, then dumped by mother and aunt
Autism Memorial: Duke Flores

Andrew Freund Jr.

Photo of a small boy in a big blue baseball cap and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt. He has pale skin and his ears stick out, and he is smiling, showing he still has all his baby teeth. Name: Andrew “AJ” Freund Jr.
Died: April 24, 2019.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Woodstock, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Parents claimed he had oppositional defiant disorder to justify abuse. Whether AJ had a disability is unknown.

Details:
AJ spent some time in a foster home before being returned to his parents. His foster parents and one of his grandmothers released a statement that said, “This smart little boy loved having books read to him, doing puzzles, his Thomas the Train, playing with his fire trucks, bulldozers, cement mixer and Ninja Turtles. He was very curious and always wanted to learn about everything.”

AJ was regularly abused by his parents. He died of head injuries after having been forced to take a cold shower and beaten because he had lied about having dirty underwear.

Case status:
Joann Cunningham (Mother), pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, sentenced to 35 years with no parole.
Andrew Freund Sr. (Father), pleaded guilty to aggravated battery to a child, involuntary manslaughter, and concealing a homicidal death; sentenced to 30 years.

Source:
AJ Freund’s mother sentenced to 35 years in his beating, cold shower murder
A.J. Freund’s Mom Allegedly Had Video of Beaten Kid on Her Phone, Which Helped Solve Case: Docs
Warrant: AJ’s father says his mother killed the boy
Newly released documents reveal graphic details about AJ Freund case
Video of beaten 5-year-old AJ Freund on mom’s phone helped crack case, search was made for ‘child cpr,’ authorities say
Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund’s foster family releases statement: ‘AJ was loved by us’
Photos of AJ Freund’s Crystal Lake home reveal filthy living conditions
Cell phone video led to father’s confession in the killing of 5-year-old AJ Freund, police say
Grand jury indicts parents of slain Crystal Lake 5-year-old AJ Freund; court hearing scheduled for Friday morning

Robbie Ballenger

Name: Robbie Ballenger, also called Robert Williams.
Died: April 15, 2019.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, malnutrition.
Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, epilepsy.

Details:
Robbie lived, along with his twin brother and six other children, with his grandmother and five other adults. The children didn’t go to school or get medical care.

Robbie’s grandmother neglected him. He was not fed enough, and at the age of 8, he died of pneumonia secondary to starvation, weighing only 18 pounds.

Case status:
Geneen Romalia Ballenger (Grandmother), pleaded guilty to child abuse and reckless disregard for human life, sentenced to 10-21 months in prison, suspended, and 18 months probation.

Source:
Fayetteville grandmother pleads guilty in death of disabled 8-year-old grandson
DA: Fayetteville grandma faces 2 years max after child starved to death
Fayetteville boy who starved to death in grandmother’s care had cerebral palsy, weighed 18 pounds :
Fayetteville grandmother faces 2 years max for starving disabled child to death
Disabled boy, 8, ‘was so badly starved by granny his corpse looked like a baby’

Martina Ávila

No Photo
Name: Martina Ávila.
Died: April 13, 2019.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Puerto Madryn, Argentina.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Martina was stabbed to death by her father.

“If she were here, she would hug you. She would hug everyone,” Martina’s aunt told the court.

Case Status:
Manuel Ávila (Father), pled guilty to murder; faces a mandatory life sentence.

Source:
“I wanted the two of us to leave, but I had no luck”: the aberrant confession of the man who killed his 6-year-old daughter with a disability
Culpable: Manuel Ávila condenado por el asesinato de su hija de seis años
Declaró la vecina de Martina: «la nena era hermosa, un ángel», recordó

Stephen Ihrig

No Photo Name: Stephen Ihrig.
Died: April 12, 2019.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Dehydration, malnutrition, pneumonia.
Location: Martinsville, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; incapacitated adult.

Details:
Stephen died from starvation, thirst, and pneumonia due to being neglected by his son and his son’s girlfriend.

Case Status:
Jeffrey Louis Ihrig (Son), convicted of neglect, sentenced to 3 months.
Crystal Rae Painter, convicted of neglect, sentenced to 3 months.

Sources:
Martinsville couple sentenced in father’s death
Martinsville couple found guilty of causing man’s father’s death

Alexandra Jacobs

Name: Alexandra Jacobs.
Died: April 10, 2019.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Orono, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Dementia; wheelchair user due to unsuccessful hip replacement.

Details:
Alexandra’s husband shot her in a murder-suicide.

Alexandra was a skilled painter who created watercolor and oil paintings and exhibited them in galleries. She raised five children, including a daughter with cerebral palsy, and was active in charities that assisted people with disabilities.

Case status:
Irwin Jacobs (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Irwin Jacobs, wife Alexandra dead in murder-suicide, close friend says
Businessman Irwin Jacobs, Wife Found Dead In Suspected Murder-Suicide
Jacobs family ‘heartbroken’ after couple found dead in Orono mansion
Jacobs’ murder-suicide leaves friends and industry reeling
Former Vikings part-owner was ‘upbeat’ days before ‘murder-suicide’
Deaths of Irwin, Alex Jacobs confirmed as murder-suicide
Prominent businesman Irwin Jacobs shot wife, then himself, medical examiner confirms
Son says Irwin Jacobs struggled with health before he shot wife, then himself

42-year-old woman

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: April 10, 2019.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Puerto Rico, Mogan, Spain.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
This woman was beaten to death, and her partner is accused of the murder. The crime is considered particularly severe because the woman was unable to defend herself, as she was both mobility-impaired and intoxicated at the time. In the weeks before she died, she had been injured twice–both explained away by her partner as falls due to her disability.

Case Status:
Lars E.A. (Partner), charged with murder, aggravated by kinship, gender violence, and cruelty.

Sources:
Swedish man faces up to 29 years, on trail, suspected of killing his partner in Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria

Dhunalutchmee Naidoo

Name: Dhunalutchmee Naidoo.
Died: April 8, 2019.
Age at death: 69.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Durban, South Africa.
Disability: “An unknown disease”; bedbound.

Details:
When Dhunalutchmee’s husband failed to suffocate her with a pillow, he slit her throat with a kitchen knife instead. He said he had done it because she was a large woman and he had difficulty picking her up to give her a bath.

Case status:
Dickson Naidoo (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder, given a 5-year suspended sentence.

Source:
WATCH: Phoenix man who slit bedridden’s wife throat escapes jail time | The Post
Man kills ‘large’, bedridden wife as he’s unable to care for her anymore
Why I slit my bedridden wife’s throat
Durban man confesses to murdering his bedridden wife
Phoenix man due in court for allegedly slitting woman’s throat
Wife murderer confesses he was ‘fed up’
‘My bedridden wife pleaded with me to kill her’

Unknown Elder Man

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: April 6, 2019.
Age at death: 70s.
Cause of death: Wrist cut.
Location: Lysekil, Lysekil Municipality, Sweden.
Disability: Dementia, wheelchair user.

Details:
This man lived with his wife in a supported living center. Believing that he would be better off dead, she killed her husband by slitting his wrist. At trial, she claimed it had been a mercy killing, but the prosecution noted that her husband could not competently have made a decision to die, and that there were indications that he wanted to live.

Case Status:
His wife. Initially convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 2 years; on appeal, convicted of murder and sentenced to 4 years.

Source:
The High Court tightens the punishment for the “mercy murder” in Lysekil | tellerreport.com
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