Age Categories – Page 6 – Disability Day of Mourning

Brandon Storie

Name: Brandon Storie.
Died: October 18, 2023.
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Unspecified neglect.
Location: Cortland, New York, USA.
Disability: Muscular dystrophy, schizophrenia.

Details:
Brandon was found dead in his bedroom in a filthy house, and his death ruled a homicide following an autopsy. His father and brothers, who served as caregivers, were charged in the case. In court, Brandon’s caregivers said that he did not want them to keep him or his room clean, that his health had been declining over the course of the last two years, and that he had become unable to shower or keep himself clean and eventually unable to leave his bed. A social worker who offered to help was turned down, and the family refused to call emergency services until Brandon died.

Brandon loved working on computers and playing with RC cars.

Case Status:
David H. Storie (Father), charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of an incompetent/physically disabled person; pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Michael S. Storie (Brother), pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of an incompetent/physically disabled person, sentenced to 1 year probation.
and Nicholas A. Storie (Brother), pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of an incompetent/physically disabled person, sentenced to 1 year probation.

Sources:
County Court: Brothers receive probation in connection to death of family member
Father pleads guilty in case involving death of disabled son
Suspicious Death Ruled a Homicide in Cortland – Three Arrested and Charged
Obituary of Brandon Storie
Father, brothers accused of allowing disabled Cortland man to die through extreme neglect
Individual accused of manslaughter released
Central NY father charged with causing son’s death; 2 siblings also arrested

Ethan Ruiz

No Photo Name: Ethan Ortiz Ruiz.
Died: October 14, 2023.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Sanford, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Ethan went missing and was found later that day drowned in a pond; he was rushed to the hospital, but could not be resuscitated. At first this was thought to be an unforeseeable accident, since young children, especially those who are autistic, often love water and do not understand the danger of drowning. However, when police investigated, they found that Ethan’s parents had known that he was completely capable of leaving the house unsupervised. He had been lost three times before he died, and no precautions had been taken to prevent it from happening again. His parents were under the influence of marijuana when Ethan left the house for the final time.

Case Status:
Barbara Ruiz (Mother), charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Lester Ortiz (Father), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Ethan Ruiz
Toddler wanders from apartment and drowns in pond, Florida cops say. Parents charged
Police: Parents facing charges after 3-year-old found in Sanford pond dies
Florida Parents Arrested After 3-Year-Old Toddler with Autism Drowns in Pond
Autistic toddler drowns while weed-smoking parents were inside apartment

Amanpreet Alsubaihi

Name: Amanpreet “Abraham” Alsubaihi.
Died: October 13, 2023.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Reno, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Police were called to a hotel room, where they found Abraham unresponsive. Despite lifesaving efforts, he could not be revived; police suspect that his mother had strangled him.

Abraham liked visiting the park, where he could run around or play on the swings.

Case Status:
Ansonia Laws (Mother), charged with open murder.

Sources:
Mother in custody for allegedly killing her son, father gives his reaction
Juvenile dies of injuries at Reno motel; mother arrested
Child allegedly killed by mother in Reno was from Modesto area
Mother arrested after child found dead at Reno motel
Modesto father speaks after 9-year-old son dies in Reno hotel under mother’s care

Jean Salter

No Photo Name: Jean Ann Salter.
Died: October 8, 2023.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Mount Maunganui, North Island, New Zealand.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Jean’s dementia was progressing, and it had been suggested that Jean should be moved to a residential facility; her husband, upset that they might be separated, strangled her with a necktie. The killer claimed that there was a suicide pact, but there is no evidence of this save for his claim, and Jean, impaired by dementia, would not have been able to consent to an assisted suicide.

Case Status:
John Alfred Salter (Husband), pleaded guilty to murder.

Sources:
Wife’s last words as husband of 60 years strangled her with a tie
‘Smell of an oily rag’: Murder of wife with Alzheimer’s shows need for more dementia support

Thérèse Brassard-Lévesque

No Photo Name: Thérèse Brassard-Lévesque.
Died: September 30, 2023.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Thérèse and her partner were found unconscious in her room at her senior living home. Thérèse was declared dead at the scene, but her partner was taken to the hospital, where his condition improved. Police believe that Thérèse’s partner killed her and then tried to kill himself, but survived the attempt.

Case Status:
Gilles Brassard (Partner), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Police investigate homicide at Terrebonne, Que., seniors’ residence | CBC News
Man, 81, charged in wife’s murder at Quebec seniors’ home
Woman, 79, killed at Quebec seniors residence; suspect, 81, under watch in hospital

Dana Morris

Name: Dana Morris.
Died: September 30, 2023.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Stabbed with screwdriver.
Location: Modesto, California, USA.
Disability: Double leg amputee.

Details:
Dana was stabbed to death with a screwdriver. Police detained her son, who was charged with the murder.

Dana was an artistic woman who created jewelry and beadwork. A creative and resourceful individual, she could often find ways to help others even when it seemed she didn’t have the means to do so.

Case Status:
Zachary Ray Morris (Son), charged with murder and abuse of a dependent adult.

Sources:
Dana Morris-Mears Obituary (1968 – 2023)
Man charged with stabbing his double-leg amputee mother to death with a screwdriver
Modesto man charged with inflicting torture while fatally stabbing his mother
Hearing for California man accused of killing mother delayed over competency questions

Michael Parks Jr.

No Photo Name: Michael Steven Parks Jr.
Died: September 17, 2023.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Michael, who lived with his mother, went to bed one night and died in his sleep. At autopsy, examiners took note of his extremely low body mass index and declared that he had died from malnutrition due to neglect.

Case Status:
Pamela Parks (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter and neglect of a disabled adult in a domestic setting causing serious injury.

Sources:
A Winston-Salem woman faces a manslaughter charge after her disabled son’s death in 2023
Autopsy reveals a man died from malnutrition in his mother’s care
Disabled man found dead inside Triad home, woman charged with involuntary manslaughter, officials say
Autopsy reveals Winston-Salem man with Down syndrome died of malnutrition; mother charged with manslaughter

Florence Brown

Name: Florence Brown.
Died: September 12, 2023.
Age at death: 94.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Florence’s husband called police to tell them he had just shot his wife. Police arrived to find Florence and her husband with gunshot wounds; Florence, who had been shot multiple times, was dead on arrival at the hospital, and her husband died later that night.

Case Status:
Stanley Brown (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Lansdale husband, 93, killed wife, 94, in murder-suicide, Montgomery County DA says
93-year-old man kills his wife, then himself in Montgomery County murder-suicide: Police
Stanley Florence Brown Obituary – Huff & Lakjer Funeral Home, Inc. – Lansdale – 2023
Shooter and Victim Identified in Tuesday’s Murder-Suicide in Lansdale
MURDER-SUICIDE: Husband Kills 94-Year-Old Wife Then Himself In Lansdale, DA Says

Philista St. John

Name: Philista Mae St. John.
Died: September 7, 2023.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Polson, Montana, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
When police were called to do a welfare check on Philista, they found that she had been stabbed to death and her body hidden. They arrested her son, since he had an outstanding warrant, and later charged him with the stabbing that had caused Philista’s death when they found a note which they believe was written by Philista’s son, in which he stated that he “couldn’t do it anymore” and admitted that he had killed her.

Case Status:
Garrett Edward Vaska (Son), charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence.

Sources:
Polson man charged with stabbing his mother with dementia to death
Polson man charged with killing mother who had dementia
Man accused of killing mother in Polson pleads not guilty
Philista Mae St. John Obituary 2023

Baba Junior

Name: Baba Junior.
Died: September 5, 2023.
Age at death: 4 months.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Berekum, Bono, Ghana.
Disability: Suspected autism.

Details:
Suspecting that the little boy had autism, Baba’s father allegedly hired a fetish priest to suffocate the child. Baba’s parents went to the cemetery at night to bury the body. Neighbors who heard about the incident reported it to the police, who are now investigating.

Case Status:
Dj Poli (Father), wanted and at large.
Madam Paulina (Mother), arrested but later released.
Nana (Hired killer), status unspecified.

Sources:
Man allegedly pays fetish priest GHS800 to kill 4-month-old autistic son, buries him secretly
Man Allegedly Kills His 4-Month-Old Autistic Son
Man allegedly kills and secretly buries his 4-month-old son — Kasapa102.5FM
B/R: Level 200 Legon student allegedly kills four-month-old son for being autistic baby
Autism Memorial: Baba Junior