Michael Shearin

No PhotoName: Michael Anton Shearin.
Died: December 20, 2017.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Sepsis, pneumonia, dehydration.
Location: Gaston, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Muscular dystrophy.

Details:
Michael was allegedly neglected by his mother and sister. He died from a septic pressure ulcer, pneumonia, and dehydration.

Case status:
Candie McKay Shearin (Mother), charged with abuse or neglect resulting in death to a vulnerable adult.
Tara Nerys Shearin (Sister), charged with abuse or neglect resulting in death to a vulnerable adult.

Source:
Mom, Daughter Get $50,000 Bond in Disabled Son’s Death
Bond granted to Midlands mother, daughter charged in death of disabled family member
Mother, Daughter Charged in Death of Disabled Man
Disabled man found dead, mother and sister charged, Lexington County sheriff says
Mother, Daughter Charged in Death of Disabled Family Member
LCSD: mother, sister neglected disabled man, caused his death
Bond set at 50K for women accused of neglecting disabled family member

Malu Devi

No PhotoName: Malu Devi.
Died: December 19, 2017.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Chitalwana, Rajasthan, India.
Disability: Mental illness or developmental disability.

Details:
Because of Malu’s disability, her husband was given permission to marry again. Together, Malu and her fellow wife, 22-year-old Dariya, had three children.

Their husband, dissatisfied with his wives, allegedly locked Malu and Dariya in his car and set the car on fire. They burned to death; their children survived.

Case status:
Deepa Ram Prajapati (Husband), arrested.

Source:
Husband accused of murdering his two wives by burning them to death in car
Rajasthan: Man held for burning to death two wives in car, showing it as mishap
Man locks 2 wives in car and sets it afire, says they didn’t keep mother happy
Husband burns his two wives to death in car
Rajasthan Man Locks Wives In Car, Sets It On Fire For Keeping Mother Unhappy
Man in Rajasthan burns two wives to death in car, held
Rajasthan: Running car caches fire, two women burnt alive in Jalore

Jordan Rodriguez

Photo of Jordan Rodriguez, a small boy with light skin and brown eyes. He is smiling. He has a lazy eye. His brown hair is cut very short, and he is wearing a red and white checked shirt.Name: Jordan Rodriguez.
Died: December 19, 2017 (Body found; last seen July 17, 2017; likely died September 22, 2017).
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Homicide, unspecified.
Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Developmentally disabled, nonverbal.

Details:
Although he obviously needed a hospital, Jordan’s mother did not take him to a doctor. After he died, most likely from abuse, Jordan’s mother and her boyfriend buried him in their backyard.

Case status:
Larissa Rodriguez (Mother), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 25 years.
Christopher Rodriguez (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 28 years.

Source:
Mother arrested after body of five-year-old discovered
Cause of death is sought for remains found buried in Cleveland yard
Cleveland police: Charges for murder, felonious assault coming against Larissa Rodriguez
Mom charged with murder after leading police to son’s abused body
Mother charged in death of 5-year-old boy found buried in backyard of Cleveland home
Police: Mother led investigators to child’s remains buried in backyard
Cleveland mother charged in young child’s murder
Larissa Rodriguez Charged With Son’s Death After Remains Found In Backyard
Why? Larissa Rodriguez Cleveland mother arrested after burying disabled son in backyard
Ohio woman charged in son’s death after buried remains found
Resources available for kids with special needs, in light of what happened to Jordan Rodriguez
$1M bond set for Cleveland mother charged with murder in son’s death
Body found in bags in backyard identified as disabled boy
Body found in bags in backyard identified as disabled boy
Woman pleads not guilty in death of son, 5, buried in yard
Boyfriend of mother-of-9 charged with murder after her disabled 5-year-old son was found buried in garden
Man charged in death of 5-year-old in Cleveland
Cleveland police release body cam video of home belonging to mother charged in death of 5-year-old son
Cleveland mom accused of killing, burying 5-year-old in backyard gives birth to 10th child
Couple pleads guilty in death of 5-year-old Cleveland boy
Woman, boyfriend plead guilty in death of her disabled son
Couple pleads guilty in death of 5-year-old Cleveland boy
Judge breaks down while sentencing couple for killing disabled boy
Charity sued in death of abused boy

Bruce Clayton

Photo of Bruce Clayton, a middle-aged man with thinning light-brown hair and fair skin, wearing glasses. He is wearing a flannel shirt, and frowning at the camera.Name: Bruce I. Clayton.
Died: December 18, 2017.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, bedsores.
Location: Huntingburg, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Bruce was neglected by his caregivers. He died of malnutrition and severe pressure sores.

Case status:
Selena Aguilar, pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, sentenced to 6-12 years in prison and 3 years probation.
Latasha Rodriguez (power of attorney representative), convicted of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, sentenced to 4 years 11 months.

Source:
Charges refiled in neglect death of Dubois Co. man
Charges refiled in man’s death
Bruce I. Clayton – View Obituary & Service Information
Two Huntingburg Woman Arrested In Death Of 70-Year-Old Man
Two area women arrested for neglect of a Huntingburg Man
Two women arrested for 70-year-old’s death

Irene Strandt

No PhotoName: Irene Strandt.
Died: December 17, 2017.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Infection.
Location: Everett, Washington, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Irene, who had advanced dementia, had outlived all of her children but one–the son she lived with. When she fell and broke her hip, he left her on the floor for five days with her ankles tied with a purple sweater. When she was finally taken to the hospital, she was in bad shape, and died of an infection seventeen days later.

Case status:
Kenneth Strandt (Son), charged with first-degree manslaughter. Case could not be brought to trial because Kenneth was not able to care for himself; charges dismissed.

Source:
Manslaughter charges dismissed in 2017 elder abuse case
Man charged with manslaughter in binding death of mother, 81
Neglected elderly woman discovered at home in filth dies
‘Infectious Complications’ Of Elder Abuse Killed Everett Woman

Logan Christy

Gravestone reading, Logan R. Christy, Dec. 12, 2017.Name: Logan Christy.
Died: December 12, 2017.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Winchester, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Logan’s parents locked him in his room, neglected and did not feed him. He died of pneumonia complicated by malnourishment and neglect.

Case status:
Albert Christy (Father), pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, sentenced to 2-5 years.
Patsy Christy (Mother), pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, sentenced to 2-5 years.

Source:
Patsy Christy: Possibility of Shock Parole
Logan Christy
He weighed 61 pounds at death. Was Kentucky 20-year-old starved over Down syndrome?
Winchester Couple Charged With Death Of Their Special Needs Son
Parents charged with murder in son’s death | Winchester Sun
Couple charged in death of special needs son
Parents starve disabled adult son to death after government benefits end: Cops
Parents accused of murdering disabled son waive preliminary hearing
Police: Couple starved son with Down Syndrome
Parents charged in death of adult son with Down syndrome enter not guilty plea
Agenda, Clark County Fiscal Court, January 10, 2018
Kentucky couple sentenced in connection to death of son with special needs
Kentucky parents sentenced 5 years after special needs son malnourished to death

Luke and Aubrey Dawson

Photo of Luke and Bree Dawson, two small children. Bree is a girl with blond hair and fair skin; Luke has dark hair and fair skin. They are wearing Christmas-themed gingerbread cookie sweaters and have their arms around each other.Name: Luke Dawson.
Age at death: 9.
Disability: Anxiety.

Name: Aubrey “Bree” Dawson.
Age at death: 5.
Disability: None; killer believed she would inherit depression.

Died: December 9, 2017.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: North Richland Hills, Texas, USA.

Details:
Luke was an adventurous boy who liked sports and played basketball, baseball, and soccer.

Bree wanted to be a NICU nurse like her mother. She liked learning about neonatal medicine and playing with her toy kitchen.

Luke and Bree were both shot to death by their father, who decided to end their lives before he committed suicide because he believed they would inherit his mental illness.

Case status:
Christopher Dawson (Father), deceased.

Source:
Dad kills his two kids ‘because he feared they would get his depression’
Surgeon shot dead children then himself ‘fearing they would inherit depression’
Surgeon battling depression kills himself and his two kids
Surgeon battling depression kills himself and his two kids, 5 and 9
Aubrey Dawson’s Obituary
Luke Dawson’s Obituary
Christopher Chad Dawson’s Obituary

Noe Valencia-Hernandez

No PhotoName: Noe Valencia-Hernandez.
Died: December 8, 2017.
Age at death: Adult.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Radium Springs, New Mexico, USA.
Disability: Schizophrenia.

Details:
Noe’s brother and sister-in-law allegedly kept him in an unheated shed in their backyard. One night, with the temperature below freezing, they found him dead from hypothermia.

Case Status:
Cecelia Hernandez (Sister-in-law), charged with abuse of a resident resulting in death; hung jury, mistrial. New trial likely.

Source:
Jury deadlocks in case of woman allegedly locking up disabled relative

Kendall Chick

Photo of Kendall Chick, a toddler girl wearing an orange dress. Her pale skin is washed out by sunlight, and she is wearing a hair ribbon with a black flower in her wispy blonde hair. She is smiling.Name: Kendall Chick.
Died: December 8, 2017.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Head and abdominal trauma.
Location: Wicasset, Maine, USA.
Disability: Developmental delay, prenatal drug exposure.

Details:
Kendall was abused by her grandmother, who was taking care of her after her parents lost custody. She died of a traumatic injury to her abdomen and blunt force head trauma.

Case status:
Shawna Gatto (Grandfather’s fiance), convicted of murder, sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Source:
Carer who tortured disabled girl, 4, to death fails in bid to be freed from jail
Kendall Chick’s caseworker had license revoked
How Maine child welfare officials assess the handling of the Kendall Chick case
Defense in murder trial points to grandfather as suspect in 4-year-old’s death
Kendall Chick’s short life began with neglect and ended with abuse. She left hardly a trace.
Kendall Chick died from child abuse, Maine’s medical examiner says
Judge to deliver verdict in murder trial of Maine woman accused of killing 4-year-old
Monster carer battered girl, 4, to death after months of ‘revolting and brutal’ abuse while tot’s mum battled addiction
Woman convicted of murder in abuse case that spurred state to reform its child protection system

Fabiola Cosme-Feliciano

Photo of Fabiola Cosme-Feliciano, a young woman with dark hair and light skin. She has an arm behind her head in a glamour-shot pose.Name: Fabiola Cosme-Feliciano.
Died: December 4, 2017.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Diabetic shock.
Location: Kissimmee, Florida, USA.
Disability: Type I diabetes.

Details:
Fabiola’s boyfriend carried out a drive-by shooting with her in the car. The next day, when she went into diabetic shock, he left her alone to die instead of calling for help or giving her her medication.

She had been a cheerleader and a weight-lifter in high school. She liked fashion, social media, and taking selfies, and was a writer who had had a poem published in an anthology.

Case status:
Yeshua Ramirez (Boyfriend), pleaded no contest to attempted murder and culpable negligence, sentenced to 7 years.

Source:
Man who left diabetic woman to die gets 7 years in prison
As family mourns teen’s diabetes death, new charges for boyfriend cops say ‘did nothing’ to help
‘Drug dealer’, 19, charged in girlfriend’s diabetes death
Man arrested for homicide after letting girlfriend die
Florida Man Jailed For Girlfriend’s Diabetic Death
Fabiola Cosme Feliciano Obituary – Kissimmee, FL
Man who failed to get sick girlfriend care arrested on manslaughter charge, deputies say