Age Categories – Page 71 – Disability Day of Mourning

Vanessa Comer

No Photo Name: Vanessa Comer.
Died: July 7, 2018.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Dehydration and malnutrition.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1a.

Details:
Vanessa had been born with a disability, and relied on her father–her sole caregiver–for for food, water, and transportation to the doctor. But Vanessa received no medical care for nine months before her death, and she was often left alone by her father for days at a time, ultimately dying of starvation and dehydration shortly after her father finally brought her to the hospital. At her home, the family dogs were were found alive but badly malnourished.

Case Status:
Richard Comer (Father), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 9 years; charged with animal cruelty.

Source:
Autopsy: 21-year-old woman who died of malnutrition weighed only 36 pounds, father convicted
Phoenix man pleads guilty to manslaughter in malnutrition death of his 21-year-old daughter
Autopsy: 21-year-old woman weighed just 36 pounds at time of death; father charged
Phoenix man accused of starving 21-year-old daughter to death, police
Dad ‘murdered disabled daughter, 21, by refusing her food or water for 3 months’

Janice Garrett

Name: Janice “Jan” Garrett.
Died: July 7, 2018.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Raymond Terrace, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Emphysema.

Details:
Jan died in a house fire started by a firebomb. Police arrested her caregiver and roommate, who was reportedly seen leaving the scene of the fire by neighbors attempting to break in to rescue Jan. Their efforts were in vain; Jan’s body was found after the house fire was extinguished.

Case Status:
Ronald John Reeves (Housemate, carer), charged with murder; died in police custody.

Sources:
Janice Garrett’s death in fire declared domestic murder by NSW coroner
Accused murderer dies before court
Man arrested after woman killed in home explosion

Peggy Pettis

Name: Peggy Pettis.
Died: June 25, 2018.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Painkiller overdose.
Location: Cheney, Washington, USA.
Disability: Unspecified medical issues; back pain; killer claims early dementia.

Details:
Peggy’s husband is charged with poisoning her with drugged ice cream that contained an overdose of painkillers. He had taken out a life insurance policy on her only days previously. Her husband claimed she had early dementia, but the insurance physical found no signs of it.

Peggy was a retired school bus driver who loved gardening.

Case status:
David L. Pettis (Husband), convicted of first-degree murder; sentenced to 25 years.

Source:
‘Only sorry he didn’t get away with it’: Victim’s family speaks at Cheney man’s murder hearing
Trial begins for Cheney-area man accused of murdering his wife with medication-laced ice cream
Cheney man accused of poisoning wife took out $150K policy three days before death
Washington man accused of killing wife with laced ice cream
That’s cold: man accused of murdering his wife with poisoned ice cream pleads not guilty to second round of charges
Cheney man appears in court for alleged killing of wife with laced ice cream
Cheney man who allegedly killed wife with ice cream moves to Oklahoma, pleads not guilty to new murder charge
Murder charge dropped against Cheney man accused of killing wife with deadly ice cream
Peggy PETTIS’s Obituary

Xuan Xuan

No Photo Name: Xuan Xuan
Died: June 25, 2018.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Jiangning, Nanjing, China.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Xuan’s grandfather was annoyed that he had spent so much trying to treat her cerebral palsy. He and her father allegedly put bricks in her backpack, put the backpack on her, and threw her in the river to drown.

Case status:
Her father, surnamed Yang; arrested, confessed to murder.
Yang Mousong (Grandfather); arrested, confessed to murder.

Source:
Father, grandpa admit killing 9-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, China police say
Girl with Learning Difficulties Murdered by Father & Grandfather
Children with cerebral palsy are drowned by their fathers and grandchildren drowning in the media: poverty is not a reason.
Father and grandfather confess to drowning nine-year-old girl with cerebral palsy
Girls with cerebral palsy are being drowned by their dearest relatives.

Je’Hyrah Daniels

Photo of Je'Hyrah Daniels, an African-American toddler with tightly braided hair, wearing a T-shirt printed with "Have Fun". She is looking at the camera with her mouth pursed in fascination, and holding a cell phone. Name: Je’Hyrah Daniels.
Died: June 22, 2018.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Tampa, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Je’Hyrah’s neighbors remember that her mother was often negligent. Je’Hyrah was allowed to walk barefoot near broken glass; she was often left alone at home, and strangers came and went from their apartment. A Child and Family Services case had been opened, but closed for lack of evidence of mistreatment.

Two days after the DCFS decided Je’Hyrah was safe, Je’Hyrah’s mother stole a car from a dealership and used it to drive them to the Hillsborough River. Witnesses told police that she picked up the little girl and walked into the water as Je’Hyrah struggled and screamed for help and then, wen she reached deep water, tossed Je’Hyrah into the river and walked away.

Je’Hyrah was found by divers less than a half-hour after bystanders called the police, but she had already drowned.

Case status:
Shakayla Denson (Mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 17-20 years in prison and 10 years probation.

Source:
Mom accepts 20 years in prison in child’s Hillsborough River drowning
Autism Memorial: Je’Hyrah Daniels
Mother Murders Autistic Daughter By Drowning Her in a River
Neighbor: Mother ‘didn’t care’ about daughter tossed into Hillsborough River
Witnesses: Girl struggled, screamed as mother dragged her into Hillsborough River
Child protective investigation found no concerns about 4-year-old days before her death in Hillsborough River
Report: Mother upset daughter had disability
Shakayla Denson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Girl dead after mother seen throwing her into Hillsborough River, Tampa police chief says
Mom charged with murder after tossing child in river
Shakayla Denson throws Je’Hyrah Daniels four year old autistic daughter to her Tampa river drowning death
True Crime: Mom arrested after throwing 4-year-old autistic daughter into a river
Twisted mum ‘hurled her four-year-old daughter from bridge into river’
Girl dies after ‘mum throws 4-year-old daughter into river’ in Florida
Girl, 4, who was ‘drowned in a river by mother’ was nonverbal autistic
Report: Girl dragged to death in river non-verbal, ‘fixated on water’
Mother Sought Help for Autism Before Murder of Her Daughter
Mom who ‘drowned 4yo daughter’ had just been cleared of child abuse
Tampa Police Investigate Drowning Death of Girl in River
Wednesday’s letters: Girl’s drowning death is one of two tragedies
Police Release Timeline in the Drowning of the 4-Year-Old Autistic Girl
mother stated that victim was ‘pure’ and was with her grandmother,”
Mom sang ‘It’s Raining, It’s Pouring’ as she threw autistic daughter into river, killing her: Court
Mom pleads not guilty in river drowning death
Mother who ‘drowned screaming daughter, 4, in river’ unfit for murder trial

An Jung Ja

No Photo Name: An Jung Ja.
Died: June 21, 2018.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Chiang Mai, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
An’s son allegedly stabbed her to death with a kitchen knife–then tried to frame his wife for the murder.

An had escaped from North Korea and ran several businesses in South Korea before moving to Thailand.

Case status:
Brian Lee (Son), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Source:
Expat arrested for stabbing mother-in-law to death in Chiang Mai
Kiwi expat arrested for ‘masterminding’ mother’s death, after first blaming wife
NZ Korean man arrested for ‘masterminding’ elderly mother’s death – after first blaming wife

Ms. Hayat

No Photo Name: Ms. Hayat (Hayat Bibi*).
Died: June 19, 2018.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Karachi, Pakistan.
Disability: Physically disabled.

Details:
Hayat Bibi was shot by her husband, who then committed suicide.

She was the mother of four children.

_{*”Bibi” is a respectful title for women in Southeast Asia. We apologize for initially assuming it was Ms. Hayat’s family name. –Ed.}

Case status:
Haji Mumtaz (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Man commits suicide after killing disabled wife
Old man kills wife, himself in Surjani Town

Srijana and Vishnuvardhan Reddy

Name: Srijana Reddy.
Name: Vishnuvardhan Reddy.

Died: June 15, 2018.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Srijana and her twin brother Vishnuvardhan were allegedly strangled by their uncle, who reportedly committed the crime because he wanted to relieve his sister’s “trauma” at raising two intellectually disabled children. Police say they caught the twins’ uncle, along with his roommate and a taxi driver, trying to move the bodies.

Case Status:
Mallikarjuna Reddy (Uncle), arrested.
Venkatrami Reddy (Uncle’s friend), arrested.
Vivek Reddy (Taxi driver), arrested.

Sources:
Man kills sister’s mentally challenged kids in Hyderabad, wanted to relieve her from suffering
Hyderabad Twins With Mental Disability, Killed Allegedly By Uncle
Man kills mentally disabled nephews to ”relieve sister from hardship’
Hyd horror: Twins with mental illness allegedly killed by uncle to ‘rid sister of worry’

Bertha McGill

Photo of Bertha McGill, a middle-aged African-American woman with her hair cut quite short. She is wearing a leopard-print shirt and dangle earrings. Name: Bertha Marie McGill.
Died: June 15, 2018.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Smoke inhalation.
Location: Jasper, Texas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Bertha’s grandson set their house on fire with her inside. She died from smoke inhalation days after the fire.

Bertha was a retired kindergarten and elementary school teacher.

Case status:
Cedric Ramon McGill, Jr. (Grandson), pleaded guilty to arson and murder, sentenced to 20-40 years.

Source:
McGill pleads guilty and is sentenced for 2018 house fire that killed his grandmother
McGill pleads guilty and is sentenced for 2018 house fire that killed his grandmother
Jasper man charged with capital murder after grandmother dies following house fire
Grandson charged with arson in fire that severely injured Bertha McGill
Cedric McGill now charged with capital murder in house fire death of grandmother – KJAS.COM: Local News
Jasper woman injured in house fire dies; arson investigation still ongoing

Sharon McCleary

Sepia portrait photo of Sharon McCleary as a young woman. She has fair skin and hair cut in a bob; she is wearing old-fashioned glasses and a black sleeveless top. Name: Sharon Lynn McCleary.
Died: June 13, 2018.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Trenton, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Blind.

Details:
Sharon lived with her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend, and another daughter was visiting. Her daughter’s boyfriend was under investigation for the murder of Maegan Motter (age 27, unrelated) when police came to knock on her door. The man took her and her daughters hostage. A standoff between him and SWAT ensued; he was eventually persuaded to release Sharon’s daughters. However, he fatally shot Sharon, and when the police tried to get in he attempted suicide and was arrested.

Sharon was a religious woman who loved game shows.

Case status:
James Edward Geran (Daughter’s boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Double murder charge for man accused of killing girlfriend’s mom
Sheriff: Double murder suspect in standoff will face several charges
Sharon Lynn McCLEARY’s Obituary on Dayton Daily News
Court docs: Middletown man told girlfriend about first homicide
‘I do not want this monster to get out’: Families emotional as Middletown man sentenced to life for killing 2 women
Middletown murder victim’s sister: ‘She couldn’t defend herself if she wanted to’
Life in prison for man who murdered two women in Butler County
She was blind and couldn’t feed herself. Her daughter’s boyfriend shot her in the head.