Age: Teen – Disability Day of Mourning

16-year-old boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: January 31, 2023.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Complications of ulcerative colitis.
Location: Salem Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness.

Details:
This 16-year-old boy was found dead from untreated medical problems after a long history of medical neglect by his family.

Case Status:
Cheryl D’Angola (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse; died while awaiting trial.

Sources:
Woman charged with homicide in son’s death dies at Washtenaw County Jail

14-year-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: December 20, 2022.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This teenage girl’s body was found in her home with her mother. The girl had been strangled. Police say her mother killed her and then attempted suicide.

Case Status:
Her mother (Suspected of murder; hospitalized).

Sources:
Widow Strangles Handicapped Daughter to Death, Attempts Suicide
Bengaluru Woman Strangles Handicapped Daughter, Tries To Die By Suicide

15-year-old boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: October 17, 2022.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Brownsville, Texas, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
This 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named because his parents have not been located, was staying with his aunt and uncle when he was found dead. When authorities saw the marks on his body, his aunt and uncle were arrested and charged with murder.

Case Status:
Julie Alexadria Brewington (Aunt), charged with murder.
Noe Garza (Uncle), charged with murder.
Rebecca Garza (Grandmother), charged with failing to report a felony.

Sources:
Autopsy report reveals cause of death of Brownsville teen with autism
Autism Memorial: 15-year-old boy
Before death, teen with autism was tied to mattress with dog collar, indictment says
Married couple charged in death of autistic teen in Brownsville
CPS, Brownsville police investigating death of teen boy
BPD: Teen with autism found dead, aunt and uncle charged with murder
Police await autopsy results on autistic teen allegedly killed by relatives
Third Person Charged In Connection With Killing Of Autistic Teen – 710am KURV
Police make third arrest in connection to teen’s death
Pareja es acusada por el presunto homicidio por su sobrino en Brownsville
Police made third arrest in case of teenager’s death

Gabrielle Roe

Name: Gabrielle Roe.
Died: July 7, 2022.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Drewsey, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Gabrielle and her mother, who lived in Iowa, disappeared after going on what was supposed to be a camping trip. A search that lasted several days eventually turned up their bodies in their van in Oregon; Gabrielle’s mother had shot her and then killed herself.

Case Status:
Dawna Roe (Mother), deceased.

Sources:
Missing mom, daughter found dead in suspected murder-suicide
Mother, Teen Daughter With Down Syndrome Found Dead In Apparent Murder-Suicide
Idaho Mom and Special Needs Daughter Found Dead in Suspected Murder-Suicide, Police Say

Kadaris Maddox

Name: Kadaris Maddox.
Died: July 6, 2022.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Unspecified.
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Kadaris was found dead in his home and paramedics saw the conditions he had been living in, his mother was arrested.

Kadaris’s grandmother remembers his eyes as “rays of sunshine”. She says Kadaris was “always on the go” and “loved everything”.

Case Status:
Cheyenne Dawn Maddox (Mother), charged with murder, child abuse, neglect, and endangerment of Kadaris, as well as abuse of her other five children.

Sources:
Mother accused of starving son to death talks from jail
Mother accused of starving son to death talks from jail
Clarksville woman charged with murder of 13-year-old son
Woman charged with first-degree murder in death of disabled 13-year-old son
Cheyenne Maddox: Clarksville mother charged with murder for starving 13-yr-old disabled son to death | MEAWW
Mom Faces Murder Case After 13-Year-Old Son with Special Needs Starves to Death
Woman charged with aggravated child abuse in death of disabled 13-year-old son
Clarksville Police Department reports Cheyenne Maddox Indicted For Aggravated Child Abuse
How does DCS handle child abuse reports? Death of Kadaris Maddox raises questions for state agency
Funeral for Kadaris Maddox, organized by Dawn Maddox
‘She killed my grandson’: Grandmother storms out of daughter’s child abuse hearing
Clarksville woman charged with child abuse in death of 13-year-old son | WKRN News 2
Cheyenne Maddox jailed on new Indictments related to child’s death
Grandmother, therapist say disabled child was at risk long before his death in Clarksville

Timothy Ferguson

Name: Timothy Ferguson.
Died: July 6, 2022.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, hypothermia.
Location: Norton Shores, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Autism with speech and motor impairment.

Details:
Timothy died from a combination of starvation and hypothermia. His mother had been feeding him very little, often just bread soaked in hot sauce, and had been forcing him to take ice baths. His mother insisted that he was “faking” his disability.

Case Status:
Shanda Vander Ark (Mother), convicted of murder and first-degree child abuse; sentenced to 50-100 years for child abuse and life without parole for murder.
Paul Ferguson (Brother), pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse, sentenced to 30-100 years.

Sources:
Man who helped mum torture disabled brother to death begs mercy at sentencing
Killer jailed for disabled younger brother’s death after tearful ‘mercy’ plea
Michigan man faces up to 100 years in jail for torturing and starving autistic brother to death
Muskegon Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Starvation Death of Disabled Brother in Michigan
3 things to know before mom is sentenced for torturing son to death
Michigan law clerk is jailed for life for torturing her disabled son
Mum who tortured and starved disabled son expressionless as jailed for life
Michigan woman sentenced to life in prison in starvation death of 15-year-old son – CBS Detroit
‘We know who you are’: Judge and victim’s siblings call out mom who fatally tortured son
MI v. Shanda Vander Ark: Tortured Son Murder Trial
Tortured Son Murder Trial: Shanda Vander Ark Cross-Examination
Testimony begins in trial of Norton Shores mom accused of killing her teen with special needs
Hot sauce, ice baths, motion sensors | What prosecutors accuse a Norton Shores mom of doing to slain son
Michigan mom found guilty of starving her disabled son to death
Michigan woman found guilty of murder and child abuse in starvation death of son
Michigan mother found guilty of murder in starvation death of her disabled 15-year-old son – CBS News
Norton Shores mother heads to trial for murder, child abuse of teenage son
Norton Shores mom accused of torturing, killing son faced ‘similar allegations’ in custody case
Woman charged with homicide, child abuse of teenage son in Norton Shores
43-year-old woman arrested for open murder of teen in Norton Shores
Woman charged with murder, abuse in death of underfed teen
MI Woman Charged After Son Dies, Tortured With Ice Baths and More
A mother charged with the death of her child
Autism Memorial: Timothy Ferguson
‘Sadistic’: Mother charged with abuse, murder of teen

Morgan Moore

Photo of a teenage boy with curly black hair and brown skin, wearing a neon-yellow jacket and gray baseball cap. He has a broad nose and very dark brown eyes, and is smiling slightly. Name: Morgan Moore.
Died: May 10, 2022.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Homicide, complications of neurological disorder.
Location: Montgomery Village, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis, diabetes, Long COVID.

Details:
Medics were called to Morgan’s house, where they found him dead, weighing only 79 pounds. His family told emergency responders that he had not seen a doctor in two years. Police believe Morgan’s health declined over a matter of months; he lost the ability to walk and developed an abscess on his back. He was allegedly made to live in poor conditions, in a filthy house.

One of Morgan’s siblings remembers that they planned to go to Japan together; but instead, Morgan became increasingly isolated; his parents kept him home and “home-schooled” him, and he rarely went anywhere besides the movie theater or the local playground. As a transgender boy, he managed to find an outlet in online interaction, but he never did get to visit Japan. “I just want my brother to be remembered as the artist and the person he was. He was a good person,” Morgan’s sibling says. “I want people who are transphobic and not accepting of their children to accept their kids for who they are and love them no matter what.”

On an online tribute page, a relative writes that Morgan was “a celebrated artist, self taught guitarist, cook, keyboard player, gamer and all around great person.”

Six minor children were removed from the home when Morgan died. None of the children had ever been to school or received vaccinations.

Case Status:
Cynthia Moore (Mother), charged with second-degree murder and neglect of a minor.
Dominique Moore (Father), charged with second-degree murder and neglect of a minor.

Sources:
Remembering Morgan Moore
Maryland Parents Charged With Murder Over Death of Transgender Teenager
Montgomery Co. parents facing murder charges, accused of not addressing ‘emaciated’ teen’s medical needs
17-Year-Old Girl With Health Problems Dies, Didn’t See Doctor For 2 Years, Police Said
Parents accused of murdering disabled child struggled with mental illness and practiced dark religion, grandmother says
Parents Charged With Murder Of 17-Year-Old Daughter In Montgomery County | WFMD-AM
Parents charged with murder, neglect in death of 17-year-old child
Parents charged with murder of daughter in Montgomery County

M. E.

No Photo Name: M. E. (Initials; full name unknown).
Died: May 3, 2022.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; blind, non-verbal.

Details:
This 16-year-old girl, known only by her initials as “ME”, was brought to the hospital in full cardiac arrest, very underweight and poorly cared-for. Police say her mother had been leaving her in the case of minor siblings, and that she had died from medical neglect and malnutrition.

Case Status:
Doraelia Loera Espinoza (Mother), charged with reckless child abuse.

Sources:
EDITORIAL: CYFD absent, again, in gruesome death of disabled child
CYFD investigated mother before daughter’s death
Mother arrested in teenage daughter’s death
BCSO: Teen that died lived in ‘shocking conditions’

Nosipho Mfana

No Photo Name: Nosipho Mfana.
Died: April 30, 2022.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Prosecutors say that Nosipho, who had been adopted at age 13 because her own mother was also intellectually disabled, was sleeping in her home when two men forced open the door and shot her 15 times, killing her. Police became suspicious because the men had used a flashlight to identify and target Nosipho specifically, hurting no one else and stealing nothing; and Nosipho’s father had taken out a large life insurance policy on her. After hearing testimony from one of the alleged hitmen, they believe that Nosipho’s father and his nephew had conspired with two other men to kill her for the insurance payout.

Case Status:
Mboneleli Msila (Adoptive father), charged with conspiracy to commit murder, murder, illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition.
Mbulelo Jack (Adoptive father’s nephew), arrested.
Lungisile Lucas, arrested.
Monde Tshemese, arrested.

Sources:
Plett father ‘masterminded’ hit on disabled daughter for R200 000 life policy
Man arrested for hiring hitman to kill crippled adoptive child
Plett man allegedly arranged hit on disabled adopted daughter

Heather Baynard

Name: Heather Leigh-Anne Baynard.
Died: April 11, 2022.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Gaffney, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Heather arrived at the hospital unresponsive and was soon declared dead. Police who examined her home discovered that she had been kept in filthy conditions; on autopsy, the coroner reported that she had been severely neglected for many months, causing her medical condition to worsen and eventually become fatal.

Heather loved music, especially Mikey Mason and Disney Jr. She liked pretty lights, bright colors, and traveling.

Case Status:
David Eugene Baynard (Father), charged with murder.
Bobbie Jo Baynard (Mother), charged with murder.
Edward Baynard (Brother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Parents, son charged in Upstate girl’s death after she suffered in ‘deplorable conditions,’ warrants say
Family of 14-year-old speaks out after her death, murder charges filed against parents
Girl’s death called ‘horrible,’ ‘worst case’ neglect Upstate officials have ever seen; parents charged
Heather Leigh-Anne Baynard Obituary (2022)