Category: Borderline Case

Borderline cases that don’t quite fit the “filicide” definition.

Jonathan Kinman

Photo of a young man with light skin and short, dark-blond hair, wearing a yellow shirt.Name: Jonathan Kinman.
Died: October 14, 2025.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Unknown suspicious death.
Location: Burleson, Texas, USA.
Disability: Russell-Silver Syndrome, autism.

Details:
When Jonathan’s stepfather shared news of his death on Facebook, friends and neighbors grew concerned and requested a welfare check. After some investigation, Jonathan’s body was found buried in the backyard. Neighbors told the police that they had never seen the young man outside the house and did not even know he lived there.

Case Status:
December Marie Mitchell (Mother), charged with tampering/fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse.
Jonathan James Mitchell (Stepfather), charged with tampering/fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Jonathan Kinman
Mom of son buried in North Texas backyard told police he died at a hospital
Neighbors in disbelief after North Texas couple accused of burying son with special needs in Burleson backyard
Burleson couple charged after adult special needs son found buried in backyard
Mom, stepdad accused of burying special-needs son in North Texas backyard
North Texas couple accused of burying son with special needs in Burleson backyard, police say
Their Son with Special Needs Was Found Buried in Yard — and Camera Seemingly Caught Mom Saying, ‘All Me’
Mother, stepfather arrested after police found 26-year-old son buried in backyard
Burleson mom said son died at hospital before his body was found in shallow backyard grave, affidavit reveals

Bryan Vasquez

Photo of a brown-haired, brown-eyed boy with tan skin, wearing a red polo shirt. He is smiling. A school door is in the background.Name: Bryan Vasquez.
Died: August 26, 2025.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma, drowning.
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Traumatic brain injury; mother claimed autism.

Details:
After Bryan went missing, his body was found in a canal, his death the result of drowning and injuries from an alligator attack. Initially treated as an accidental death, Bryan’s death made authorities suspicious when they looked into his mother’s criminal history: After Bryan, as an infant, had suffered a fractured skull and broken legs, she pleaded guilty to cruelty to juveniles by negligence or neglect.

Police say that even though Bryan had a history of leaving home and getting lost, Bryan’s mother made no attempt to secure the window he climbed out through after the first time he climbed out of it, nor the second time; it was the third time he left the house that he became lost and died.

Case Status:
Hilda Vasquez (Mother) is charged with negligent homicide and second-degree cruelty to juveniles.

Sources:
Mother of 12-Year-Old New Orleans Boy Killed By Alligator was Previously Convicted for Abusing Him
Autism Memorial: Bryan Vasquez
Court records reveal new details about New Orleans mom’s alleged role in death of Bryan Vasquez
Mother charged with negligent homicide after autistic son killed in brutal alligator attack
Mother of 12-year-old boy asks for more time to find attorney after arrest
UPDATE: Mom Charged With Homicide After Autistic Son Found Killed by Alligators
Mom of boy, 12, killed by alligator charged with negligent homicide
Mother of autistic boy, 12, killed in alligator attack charged with homicide

Hershall Creachbaum

Photo of a young boy with pale skin and short auburn hair. He is wearing a black shirt. His chin is tilted upward.Name: Hershall Creachbaum.
Died: July 12, 2025 (Body found).
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Unknown.
Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Autism; wheelchair user.

Details:
Hershall’s parents reported him as kidnapped. Shortly thereafter, his body was found–but he had been dead for some time. His parents are accused of dumping his body and reporting him missing; his cause of death is still under investigation because only skeletal remains were found.

Case Status:
Hershall’s death is considered a homicide investigation.
Ashley Noel Johnson (Mother) is charged with obstruction of justice and failure to report a death.
Michael Deshaun Kendrick (mother’s boyfriend) is charged with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

Sources:
Two people now in custody in connection to the death of 7-year-old boy, police say
7-year-old believed to have been dead for weeks before being found; mother among 2 charged
Autistic 7-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After Vanishing With Wheelchair; Person of Interest in Custody
Missing autistic child found dead in Dayton, mother and man arrested, chief says
Coroner’s report gives new details in investigation into 7-year-old’s death
School staff called Children Services ‘multiple times’ before 7-year-old’s death, 911 calls reveal
Defendant in Hershall Creachbaum case files motion to restrict public records access
Hershall Creachbaum Death: 7-year-old to be remembered with memorial at local school

Omana

Photo of an elderly woman with shoulder-length gray hair. She has light-brown skin and a splotch of red dye as a bindi between her eyes. She is wearing a pink shirt. Her expression is confused and a little annoyed, as though the photo was taken without warning.Name: Omana.
Died: May 21, 2025.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Thiruvananthapuram, Vattappara, Kerala, India.
Disability: Injuries from previous abuse; bedridden.

Details:
Omana’s son came home drunk, demanding money. When she refused, he allegedly beat and stomped on her until she died.

Neighbors said that Omana’s son had a history of assaulting his family.

Case Status:
Santosh aka Manikandan (Son) is charged with murder.

Sources:
Drunk man beats and kicks his bedridden mother to death in Thiruvananthapuram
Man kills mother over property and financial dispute in Thiruvananthapuram
Drunk man stomps and kills 85-year-old mother in Kerala

Thomas Clubb

Photo of a middle-aged man in glasses and a black baseball cap printed with a logo. He has light skin and a scruffy, short mustache.Name: Thomas Clubb.
Died: March 21, 2025 (Body found; died circa 2019).
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Unspecified.
Location: Salem, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegic, dementia.

Details:
Thomas’s body was found in a trash can about five years after his death. His nephew, who had been his caregiver, is accused of locking him in the garage for a day or more at a time, dirty and unable to eat or drink anything. When Thomas died, his nephew allegedly hid his body and continued receiving Thomas’s veterans’ benefits, which he spent on himself.

Case Status:
Brian Ditch (Nephew), charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, theft of government property, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Sources:
Missouri man charged with stealing $650K from deceased uncle
Missouri man hid Army veteran uncle’s death for years so he could steal VA disability checks totaling $650,000
Missouri Man Kept Disabled Veteran Uncle in Garage, Then Hid His Death for Years to Collect Benefits

Kinsley James

Photo of a smiling toddler wearing a pink sweater. She has light-brown skin and her dark hair is pulled back into braids.Name: “Princess” Kinsley Armani James.
Died: May 20, 2024.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Darlington County, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Kinsley’s mother left her with relatives who were supposed to watch her; but they allegedly left her alone, and she left the house, fell into a creek, and drowned. At their bail hearing, Kinsley’s mother told the judge that her relatives had been so inattentive that 45 minutes passed before they even realized the toddler was gone.

Kinsley was a big fan of Cocomelon and loved anything that made music.

Case Status:
Christian Deon James (Uncle), charged with homicide by child abuse.
Nashanti McCollugh (Family member), charged with homicide by child abuse.

Sources:
2 charged in Darlington Co. drowning of nonverbal, autistic 3-year-old child
Caretakers charged after child was left unattended, drowned in nearby creek
‘My child was innocent’: Darlington Co. mom of 3-year-old who drowned demands justice
Autism Memorial: Kinsley James
Princess Kinsley James Obituary | May 20, 2024 | Florence, SC

Ronnie Campbell Sr.

Black and white photo of an African-american man with a chinstrap and mustache, his hair cut short. He is smiling for the camera.Name: Ronnie Credle Campbell Sr.
Died: February 9, 2024.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Leg amputee.

Details:
Upon seeing him approach the house where his son lived, Ronnie’s son charged him and stabbed him and his grandmother to death. When he was arrested, he immediately made a full confession.

Ronnie was known as “Fu-fu” to his family. They remember him as loyal and free-spirited, with a good sense of humor.

Case Status:
Ronnie Nyamekye Campbell (Son) was found not guilty of second-degree murder by reason of insanity and hospitalized indefinitely.

Sources:
Man found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2024 double homicide in Norfolk, ordered to state hospital
Commonwealth v. Ronnie N. Campbell
Norfolk police arrest suspect in deadly ‘domestic-related’ double stabbing
Ronnie Credle Campbell – Metropolitan Funeral

Nicholas Wallwork

No PhotoName: Nicholas James Wallwork.
Died: December 27, 2023.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Heroin overdose.
Location: Taylorsville, Utah, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Medics found Nicholas on the floor, not breathing, and could not revive him. Nicholas’s niece allegedly poisoned him with heroin; police say she told them that she was trying to “ease the pain”.

Case Status:
Kimberly Wallwork (Niece), charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Sources:
Woman accused of killing uncle who had dementia in Taylorsville
Utah woman admits to giving uncle multiple doses of heroin before his death, police say

Ethan Ruiz

No PhotoName: Ethan Ortiz Ruiz.
Died: October 14, 2023.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Sanford, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Ethan went missing and was found later that day drowned in a pond; he was rushed to the hospital, but could not be resuscitated. At first this was thought to be an unforeseeable accident, since young children, especially those who are autistic, often love water and do not understand the danger of drowning. However, when police investigated, they found that Ethan’s parents had known that he was completely capable of leaving the house unsupervised. He had been lost three times before he died, and no precautions had been taken to prevent it from happening again. His parents were under the influence of marijuana when Ethan left the house for the final time.

Case Status:
Barbara Ruiz (Mother), charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Lester Ortiz (Father), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Ethan Ruiz
Toddler wanders from apartment and drowns in pond, Florida cops say. Parents charged
Police: Parents facing charges after 3-year-old found in Sanford pond dies
Florida Parents Arrested After 3-Year-Old Toddler with Autism Drowns in Pond
Autistic toddler drowns while weed-smoking parents were inside apartment

Connie Smith

No PhotoName: Connie Smith.
Died: August 13, 2023.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Connie was fatally shot in her own home. Police say her son, who lived with her, confessed to killing her.

Case Status:
Shane Smith (Son), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Update: Oklahoma City man charged with first-degree murder in mother’s shooting death
Man arrested after shooting, killing elderly mother in NW OKC, police say
OKC man booked for murder of elder mother
Man Arrested, Accused Of Shooting Mother To Death In NW Oklahoma City