Age Categories – Page 73 – Disability Day of Mourning

Wilson Ross

No Photo Name: Wilson Ross.
Died: May 21, 2018.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Summerville, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Wilson’s son, who had moved in to help him and his wife, allegedly stabbed him to death.

Case status:
Charles Ross (Son), charged with murder.

Source:
Summerville father’s stabbing death by son stuns neighbors
911 call released in fatal Summerville stabbing; son accused of stabbing father
Man Gives Shocking Confession During 911 Call

No Photo Name: Bernadette Green.
Died: May 18, 2018.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire, England, UK.
Disability: Mobility impaired due to fall; frail elder.

Details:
Bernadette’s son severely neglected her before killing her by smothering her.

Case status:
Stephen Green (Son), convicted of murder, sentenced to 14 years to life.

Source:
Preston murder trial Day 2: Mum showed signs of severe neglect
Murder accused son queried post-mortem
Ex-police officer murdered ‘burden’ mum
Preston pensioner Bernadette Green was found with neglected rotting skin injuries, murder jury told

Heaven Watkins

Photo of Heaven Watkins, a small girl with brown skin and black hair pulled back under a silver crown. She is wearing a coral-colored dress and a sash that says "Birthday Girl". Her face is scrunched up in a wide smile. Name: Heaven Watkins.
Died: May 18, 2018.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Internal injuries from blunt-force trauma.
Location: Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, autism.

Details:
Born a micropreemie at 1.7 pounds, Heaven survived a brain hemorrhage and hydrocephalus and had to spend three-and-a-half months in the NICU.

Heaven had two sisters. Her favorite colors were purple and pink. She was autistic and had cerebral palsy. She was outgoing and had fun with the neighborhood kids. She liked to play tag and to draw on the ground. One of her classmates, a girl named Claire, liked to run her fingers through Heaven’s hair. She was outspoken and “didn’t hide anything from anyone.”

She lived with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, both of whom were abusive. She was once brought into the hospital with burns to her hand that required skin grafts, and her teachers were worried that she had been sexually abused; but the child abuse allegations at that time were ruled unfounded. Heaven usually wore a jacket to hide her bruises. She was put on a bread-and-water diet and made to stand against a wall for hours.

Heaven died of blunt-force trauma, having been severely beaten in the head and torso to the point that her gut ruptured. Doctors who examined her body found she had bleeding on the brain, as well as a dozen or more healed rib fractures and several new ones.

After Heaven was found dead, her two sisters were removed from the home and are now living with their aunt. Her neighbors held a vigil for her, releasing pink, purple, and white balloons into the sky in her honor.

Case status:
Latoya Smith (Mother), pleaded guilty to felony homicide and child abuse, sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Demont James Harris (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to felony homicide and two counts of child abuse/neglect, sentenced to 60 years in prison with 35 years suspended.

Source:
In Minnesota’s rush to reunite children with abusive parents, hundreds of kids are hurt again
Heaven Watkins: Prison for mom who fatally beat special needs daughter’s stomach open
Couple arrested for the death of a child in Norfolk
Two more children taken from Norfolk home after 11-year-old’s death
Norfolk couple faces judge after 11-year-old dies
Medical Examiner: cause of Norfolk 11-year-old’s death was blunt force trauma
Mom, boyfriend beat slain disabled girl so severely that her stomach split open: Report
Mother, fiancé charged in death of 11-year-old autistic child, caused abdomen to split
Ocean View neighbors gather for vigil of an 11-year-old girl, Heaven
Neighborhood holds vigil for 11-year-old girl killed in Ocean View
Bond denied for man charged in Norfolk child’s death
Disabled 11-year-old girl was forced to stand for hours, beaten until she died, prosecutor says
Murdered disabled girl who had stomach beat open was forced to stand for hours on end, fed only bread & water: Prosecutor
Brian K. Payne: Learning from Heaven’s time on earth
Prosecutors DROP murder charges against mom & boyfriend accused of beating disabled girl’s stomach open
New charges suggest two didn’t intend to kill 11-year-old Norfolk girl
Charges amended for mother and boyfriend charged in fatal Ocean View child abuse case
Family of 11-year-old victim speaks out as they plan memorial services to honor the child
Heaven’s Story: Mom pleads guilty in 11-year-old daughter’s death

9-month-old baby

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: May 18, 2018.
Age at death: 9 months.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Kalwa, Thane, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This 9-month-old baby’s mother allegedly murdered them and threw their body into the creek.

Case status:
Yashoda Cheddar (Mother), charged with murder.

Source:
Woman arrested for murder of disabled child

Pearlie Williams

Name: Pearlie Lee Williams.
Died: May 17, 2018.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Pearlie’s daughter and granddaughter drained his bank account, but allegedly neglected him. By the time he was hospitalized, his health had been so badly compromised that he later died.

Case status:
Patricia Williams (Granddaughter), convicted of domestic abuse and involuntary manslaughter; 3-year suspended sentence.
Samantha Williams (Daughter), convicted of domestic abuse and involuntary manslaughter; 3-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Mom and daughter charged with death of elderly grandfather
Mr. Pearlie Lee Williams, Jr. – View Obituary & Service Information

Antoin Hawes Jr.

No Photo Name: Antoin Hawes Jr.
Died: May 13, 2018.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism, ADHD.

Details:
Antoin’s parents kept him locked in a room with the window boarded up, chained by his ankle. He had to sleep on old couch cushions wrapped in garbage bags and use a bucket for a toilet. There were no lights, no heating, and no air conditioning. When he got sick, they didn’t get him medical help. By the time an ambulance was finally called, he had died of pneumonia.

Case status:
Antoin Sylvester Hawes Sr. (Father), charged with neglect of a disabled adult and felony murder.
Stephanie Jones Hawes (Mother), charged with neglect of a disabled adult and felony murder, died before trial.

Source:
Hawes released on $75,000 bond in death of his disabled son
Augusta death investigated, victim kept in room with no windows or bed
Man found dead in Kissingbower Rd. home, parents arrested
Parents arrested in suspicious death of son at Augusta residence
Parents of autistic man found dead indicted on felony murder charges
Richmond County couple indicted on murder charges in disabled son’s death
Shocking Death in Augusta: Parents Kept Autistic Son Locked in Windowless Bedroom!
Autism Memorial: Antoin Hawes Jr.

66-year-old man

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: May 13, 2018.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Garden Grove, California, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness; wheelchair user.

Details:
This 66-year-old man was shot to death by his stepfather in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
His 85-year-old stepfather, deceased.

Source:
85-Year-Old Man Shoots, Kills Wheelchair-Bound Stepson
Police investigate murder-suicide of elderly man and stepson in Garden Grove

Shefali Samanta

No Photo Name: Shefali Samanta.
Died: May 11, 2018.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Disability: Mental illness/developmental disability.

Details:
Shefali returned home to find that her mother was furious that she had left the house at night. Her mother allegedly doused her in gasoline, set her on fire, and let her burn to death.

Case status:
Anjali Samanta (Mother), charged with murder.

Source:
Day Before Mother’s Day, Woman Sets Her Special Needs Daughter Ablaze
West Bengal: Woman unable to bear mentally-challenged’ daughter’s ‘weird’ activities burns her to death

Taye, Rylan, Arye, and Kadyn Cockman

Name: Taye Cockman.
Age at death: 13.

Name: Rylan Cockman.
Age at death: 12.

Name: Arye Cockman.
Age at death: 10.

Name: Kadyn Cockman.
Age at death: 8.

Died: May 11, 2018.
Cause of death: Multiple homicide.
Location: Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Disability: Autism; Rylan also had chronic pain.

Non-disabled victims: Cynda Miles, age 58; Katrina Miles, age 35.

Details:
Arye, Kadyn, Rylan, and Taye were all killed by their grandfather in a mass murder-suicide. Their mother and grandmother were murdered in the same event.

The family lived on a farm, where the four children were home-schooled, and were working on making the farm self-sustaining. They grew vegetables and even built their own dam.

The four children all kept journals, and Taye, the oldest, was becoming an accomplished writer. All the children were working on learning to swim.

Case status:
Peter Miles (Grandfather), deceased.

Source:
‘Such lovely people’: Community in shock at WA murder-suicide
Inside remote farmhouse seven people shot dead in Osmington, Australia
PICTURED: The family who live at the ‘mass murder-suicide farmhouse’
Margaret River Tragedy: 7 Dead In Suspected Murder-Suicide In Western Australia
Mum and four ‘autistic’ kids among seven dead in Australia ‘mass-murder suicide’
Four autistic children and their mother among seven found dead in Australia
Police continue probe into WA murders
Grandfather suspected of murder-suicide in Australia family massacre
Tributes for family in Margaret River suspected murder-sucide
‘We are devastated’: Grandparents, mother and four children killed in murder-suicide in Australia
Who is Peter Miles, what happened in Osmington and how is the granfather linked to the murder-suicide shooting?
Grandparents, mom and kids shot dead in Australia murder-suicide
Western Australian police say seven shooting deaths were murder-suicide
Grandad kills wife, daughter and FOUR autistic grandkids, then himself
Cops investigating whether gun owning grandfather was behind murder of 7
Tributes for family murdered in rural WA
Who were the family killed in the Margaret River mass shooting?
Three guns found at scene of murder-suicide belonged to grandfather
Mom and 4 Children With Autism Among 7 Victims of Australian Murder-Suicide — and Grandfather Is Suspect
The grandfather suspected of shooting seven family members
Pictured: Mum and Four Children Killed In ‘Murder Mass Suicide’
Osmington massacre suspect is four dead autistic children grandfather
‘He didn’t snap, he planned this’
The mystery of the Miles family and a murder-suicide that shocked the world
Osmington murder-suicide suspect, grandfather Peter Miles, sounded vague’ day before worst mass shooting in Australia for 22 years
Peter Miles: Margaret River grandfather had ‘sense of failure’
‘Sense of failure’ led to WA farm murders
Bloodshed in Australia: Grandfather suspected of gunning down his wife, daughter, and four autistic grandchildren
Grandad ‘planned the mass-shooting of my four children,’ devastated dad says
Margaret River, WA shooting: Father of murdered children speaks out
Dad Whose 4 Children with Autism Died in Murder-Suicide Says Kids’ Grandfather Planned Attack
My family was ripped apart by violence – and the killer was not a ‘good bloke’
Father of children killed in suspected murder-suicide claims grandfather planned the deadly shooting
Grandfather Suspected of Killing 6 Relatives Battled Depression After Son’s Suicide, Friend Says
Margaret River Massacre, Peter Miles, Katrina Miles
Australian feminists deny mental health crisis behind Margaret River murder-suicide
Margaret River community calls for support after mass murder
Margaret River shooting: Katrina Miles’ friends, community want better mental health

Christopher Bosselman

Photo of a small boy sitting on the ground, leaning toward the camera and smiling. He has fair skin and short blond hair, and is wearing a blue and white striped shirt. Name: Christopher Kenneth “CK” Bosselman.
Died: May 3, 2018.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Heat stroke.
Location: Waterford, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Christopher, who went by CK, had to live in filthy conditions at home. He was five years old when his mother locked him in her car on a warm day. CK died of heat stroke, and his mother reported him missing. Initially assumed to be an accident, CK’s death raised suspicion when police reportedly searched his mother’s phone and found she had been making searches on hot-car deaths before her son died.

From CK’s obituary:
“CK loved Paw Patrol, especially the character Rubble. He loved coloring and singing. Some of his favorite songs were “Heaven is a place on earth” (Belinda Carlisle), ‘Bad at love’ (Halsey), ‘Your love’ (The Outfield), and ‘No one’ (Alicia Keys). He loved Starbucks Frappuccinos, Oreos and ice cream.”

Case status:
Whitney Bosselman (Mother), pled guilty to injury to a minor, sentenced to 8 years, sentence suspended, and 3 years of probation.

Source:

Waterford mother receives suspended sentence in death of 5-year-old son
Waterford Police: Mother arrested in connection to death of 5-year-old son found in hot car
PD: 5-year-old boy found dead inside car in Waterford
Warrant: Mom Made ‘Concerning’ Phone Searches Before Son Died
Police: Waterford child who died in mother’s car lived in deplorable conditions
Police: Mom made ‘concerning Google searches’ before autistic son’s hot car death
Waterford Police Charge Mother of 5-Year-Old Boy With Autism Who Died In Hot Car
Christopher Kenneth Bosselman Obituary – Uncasville, CT
Autism Memorial: Christopher Bosselman