Age Categories – Page 63 – Disability Day of Mourning

Donna Featherstone

Name: Donna Featherstone.
Died: January 25, 2019.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Septic shock, pneumonia.
Location: Pleasant Grove, Utah, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Donna was found on her couch, in very poor condition, and the paramedic who took her to the hospital reported that she said had been forced to sit in her own waste and not been moved from the couch for the past two weeks. She was taken to the hospital in poor condition and died the next day from pneumonia and sepsis due to infected pressure sores.

She and her husband had worked as owners and administrators of a nursing home. Her cousin remembers her infectious smile and bubbly personality; getting a hug from her was, she says, “like a huge pillow just enveloping you.” Her hobby was researching her family’s genealogy.

Case status:
Mackey Featherstone (Son), charged with aggravated abuse of an elder adult.

Source:
Donna Jeanne Austin Featherstone (1940-2019)
Police: Pleasant Grove man arrested after leaving mother in deplorable conditions
Donna Jeanne Featherstone – View Obituary & Service Information
Pleasant Grove woman dies after living two weeks in ‘horrendous’ conditions

Sharon McManness

Name: Sharon McManness.
Died: January 23, 2019.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Infected bedsores.
Location: Olanthe, Kansas, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Sharon’s son moved in to care for her, but then moved back out even though she had severe dementia. She needed more care than he provided, and was eventually found dead. She was malnourished and dehydrated and weighed only 58 pounds. An autopsy determined she died from an infection caused by her severe bedsores.

Case status:
Raymond McManness (Son), pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, sentenced to 374 months in prison.

Source:
Find a Grave: Sharon McManness
Man Who Left Demented Mom To Die In Abandoned Home Gets 30 Years In Jail
New Kansas elder abuse law used to charge son with Olathe mom’s murder
Olathe man accused of killing his mother appears in court
Man charged with murder after Olathe woman found dead in home
Son charged in connection with death of 75-year-old mother in Olathe
Olathe woman died weighing 58 pounds; son refused to take her to doctor: charges
Grisly details revealed in Olathe mistreatment case where son is accused of murder in mom’s death
Kansas man charged in death of mother who weighed 58 lbs
Kansas man charged in death of ‘very emaciated’ 58-pound mom
Update: Kansas man charged in death of mother who weighed 58 lbs

Anita Arias

No Photo Name: Anita Arias.
Died: January 21, 2019.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Dehydration, starvation, hyperglycemia.
Location: Melbourne, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
When Anita’s grandson brought her to the hospital, she was unresponsive. Doctors reported her poor condition and many infected bedsores to police. Investigators described her house, where she had been living with her grandson and his wife, as filthy and cluttered, with evidence of severe neglect. Anita died of dehydration and starvation with severe bedsores and a blood sugar that was as high as the test could measure.

Case status:
Allen Arias (Grandson), charged with aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person.

Source:
Melbourne man arrested after grandmother, 87, died from lack of medication and care, police say
Florida man charged with grandmother’s death; deputies say her bed was filled with maggots
Melbourne man charged after grandmother’s death
Melbourne man arrested after grandmother, 87, died from lack of medication and care, police say
Affidavit for Arrest Warrant (Allen Glenn Arias)

Elvis Dry

Name: Elvis Dry.
Died: January 20, 2019.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Burns, trauma.
Location: Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Diabetes; Amputee; wheelchair user.

Details:
Elvis was a sports fan who was a barefoot kicker for the Kansas High School football team in the 70s. He grew up to become a truck and bus driver who liked to travel. His neighbors remember him as a gentleman with a sense of humor, who “always had a comeback”.

Elvis’s burned body and wheelchair were found when neighbors asked police for a welfare check. He had been stabbed, then set on fire while he was still alive.

Case status:
Denise Lynn Grass (Paid live-in caregiver), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 23 years.

Source:
Several old cases slated for district court in 2023
Alleged murderers seeking relief after McGirt ruling
Accused killer of wheelchair-bound man to be in court
Hearing in Dry murder case postponed
Cherokee County deputies seek suspect in killing of amputee
No arrests made in murder of Tahlequah man, leaving neighbors on edge
Arrest made in murder of Cherokee County veteran, amputee
Disabled Oklahoma Veteran Allegedly Killed by Live-In Caretaker
Live-in caretaker accused of burning, killing veteran amputee in Cherokee County
Friends, Family Say Goodbye To Cherokee County Murder Victim
Family, friends say goodbye to Cherokee County man murdered, set on fire
Woman who burned man alive charged with murder
Woman accused of burning man alive charged with murder

Chet Scharnick

Photo of Chet Scharnick, an older man wearing a Cardinals baseball cap, sporting a wispy white goatee and mustache. Name: Chester Rubin “Chet” Scharnick.
Died: January 18, 2019.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Fresno, California, USA.
Disability: Blind in one eye.

Details:
In his youth, Chet was a baseball player; as an adult he became a professional painter who painted murals in downtown Fresno.

He was found dead, and his step-granddaughter was arrested for his murder. She had previously been renting an apartment from him, but was evicted when she set the building on fire.

Case status:
Katreeva Woolf (Step-granddaughter), charged with murder, burglary, attempted arson, and possession of a stolen car; pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 25 years to life plus one year.

Source:
Clovis, CA woman sentenced for murder of stepgrandfather
84-year-old man murdered at Fresno home was well-known painter with big heart

Julie Burdett

No Photo Name: Julie Burdett.
Died: January 15, 2019.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Pressure ulcers, malnutrition.
Location: Leicester, England, UK.
Disability: “A disease similar to multiple sclerosis”; wheelchair user.

Details:
Julie died from extreme pressure sores. Allegedly, she was not moved or fed properly, and before she died, was left alone in her bedroom for two weeks.

Case Status:
Philip Burdett (Brother), convicted of gross negligence manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years.
Ralph Burdett (Father), convicted of allowing death, sentenced to 2 years, suspended for 2 years.

Sources:
‘Extreme hoarder’ Philip Burdett jailed for gross negligence manslaughter after death of vulnerable sister
Brother of vulnerable woman jailed for gross negligence manslaughter
Julie Burdett: Woman left to die ‘surrounded by filth’ after her father and brother failed to care for her, court told
Immobile woman ‘left to die alone in agony by extreme hoarder father’

Sudesh Gupta

No Photo Name: Sudesh Gupta.
Died: January 9, 2019.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Strangulation.
Location: Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Disability: Paralysis.

Details:
Sudesh’s wife told police that masked assailants had killed her husband. However, police say that when they questioned her further, she told them she had been frustrated at the expense of medical treatment and the effort of caring for him and strangled him.

Case status:
Subash Kumari (Wife), charged with murder.

Source:
Murder Mystery solved in Jammu : Wife killed Bed-ridden Husband
Elderly woman strangulates bedridden husband to death: Police
Gandhi Nagar police solved murder case; accused apprehended

George Rusnack

No Photo Name: George Rusnack.
Died: January 9, 2019.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Necrotic pressure ulcers.
Location: Collier County, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia, stroke, mobility impaired.

Details:
George lived with two family friends who served as his caregivers. A home-care agency reported that George was poorly cared for, but when George was finally taken to the hospital, he was too sick to recover. After he died from severe, untreated bedsores, his caregivers came under scrutiny. They are now accused of neglect, allegedly having left him dirty, let pressure sores develop, and denied him his medication while they took money out of his bank account.

Case status:
Ronald Everwine, convicted of aggravated manslaughter with culpable negligence of an elderly or disabled person and exploitation of the elderly for less than $10,000; sentenced to 4 years and due to be released after 1 year.
Jennifer Everwine, charged with aggravated manslaughter with culpable negligence of an elderly or disabled person and exploitation of the elderly for less than $10,000.

Source:
Collier County caretaker couple arrested for negligent death of bedridden man
CCSO: Caretaker couple charged in January death of bedridden Golden Gate Estates man
Caretaker couple arrested for negligent death of bedridden Golden Gate Estates man
Couple charged with neglect in elderly man’s death

Willie Moore

Name: Willie Frank Moore.
Died: January 8, 2019.
Age at death: 60.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
A neighbor had not seen Willie for some time and called the police to check on him. The welfare check triggered a five-hour standoff, after which police found Willie dead.

Neighbors remember him as a kind man who used to help his neighbor move her trash cans.

Case status:
Chivalery Alexander Moore (Son), charged with murder.

Source:
Man shot by deputy during Durham standoff charged in father’s death
WARRANT: Kinston man texted about killing dad, sent photos
Obituary for Willie Frank Moore

Zha-Nae Wilkerson

Name: Zha-Nae Wilkerson, aka Zah-Nae, aka Zah-Nae Rothgeb.
Died: January 3, 2019.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Warwick, Rhode Island, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Zha-Nae lay neglected in a filthy house while her mother left her fifteen-year-old brother, also disabled, to care for her. She was denied her wheelchair because the house was either not accessible or simply too cluttered for the chair to fit, and had to crawl down the hall. She was found face-down in the bathtub, having died from drowning, and her mother was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Later she was also charged with neglecting Zha-Nae’s seven siblings.

Case status:
Michelle Rothgeb (Adoptive mother), pleaded no contest to manslaughter and 8 counts of cruelty or neglect to a child; sentenced to 18 years in prison and 15 years suspended.

Source:
Rothgeb Sentenced to 18 Years For 9-Year-Old’s Death
Woman whose adoptive special needs daughter dies in bathtub changes plea
New charges filed against Warwick woman accused of manslaughter in death of 9-year-old
Warwick woman pleads not guilty in adopted girl’s death
9-year-old RI child’s death due to ‘inaction’ by DCYF, report notes
Child Advocate’s Office to release report on death of Warwick child
Mom charged with manslaughter in death of 9-year-old Warwick girl
Warwick woman charged with manslaughter in death of adoptive daughter
DCYF Director: Neglect, deficiencies contributed to 9-year-old’s death
Warwick girl whose death is under investigation had cerebral palsy, according to uncle
Police arrest guardian in death of 9-year-old Warwick girl
Guardian arrested in death of Warwick girl
DCYF: Child, 9, dies; Police investigating
Mother held on bail at arraignment in death of 9-year-old Warwick girl
Handicapped 9-Year-Old Dies In Filthy Home, Mother Jailed
DCYF head to address questions surrounding death of 9-year-old girl in Warwick
Disabled girl died after mom made 8 adopted kids fend for themselves to beat flu
Mother of 8 adopted children with special needs arrested after one dies
DCYF making changes in light of 9-year-old’s death in Warwick
A year before death of 9-year-old girl in Warwick, DCYF social workers raised red flag
Warning signs missed in home where Warwick girl died
Biological family has ‘questions and concerns’ for DCYF after child’s death
Death of girl prompts changes to RI child welfare agency