Category: Death Type

Melony Granados

No PhotoName: Melony Granados.
Died: January 23, 2025.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Tempe, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Myoclonic atonic epilepsy, intellectual disability.

Details:
Medics responded to Melony’s house to find her unresponsive, covered in bruises and sores. Her grandmother told the doctors that Melony had fallen down the stairs. Melony was taken to the hospital but died the next morning.

Further investigation revealed a makeshift cage made from a bunk bed. Police say her family admitted to keeping Melony in the cage, which was extremely dirty.

Case Status:
Virginia Lujan (Grandmother), charged with felony child abuse.
Jami Hodges (Mother), charged with felony child abuse.

Sources:
Grandmother Charged In Disabled Teen’s Death After 13-Year-Old Was Kept In A Cage
Mother, grandmother arrested in connection to death of 13-year-old girl
Teen with mental age of toddler dies after being forced to live in cage
Grandmother Charged In Disabled Teen’s Death After 13-Year-Old Was Kept In A Cage
Tempe 13-year-old dead after being found in cage; grandmother suspected in death
Police probe caged Tempe teen’s death

Helen Witter

Photo of a middle-aged woman with pale skin and rosy cheeks, smiling for the camera. She is wearing a light-blue flowered blouse, and she has shoulder-length brown hair. Name: Helen Kay Witter.
Died: January 17, 2025.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Lombard, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Helen died from a gunshot; police say her husband called 911, admitting to having shot his wife, and was arrested. Her husband’s lawyer is arguing that Helen’s husband shot her because her dementia made her irritable.

As a young woman, Helen was a business secretary; then she became a homemaker to raise her four children. She is survived by seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Case Status:
Charles Witter (Husband), charged with murder.

Sources:
Lombard man accused of murdering wife says he ‘went nuts’
Helen Witter Obituary (1944 – 2025) – Evansville, IL
81-year-old husband accused of shooting his wife to death in their bed

Anupriya Kumar

No PhotoName: Anupriya Kumar.
Died: January 6, 2025.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Poisoned.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Anupriya’s parents fatally poisoned her and her two-year-old brother, Priyansh; then they died by suicide. Authorities believe that the killings had to do with their father’s recent failed business venture and Anupriya’s autism.

Case Status:
Anup Kumar (Father) and Rakhi Kumar (Mother) are deceased.

Sources:
Family found dead in Bengaluru: police suspect land dispute and daughter’s disability as reasons
Techie, wife and minor children found dead at home in Bengaluru
Bengaluru Techie, Wife Kill Their Children, Then Die By Suicide
Did daughter’s health, non-starter venture in UP led Bengaluru couple to murder-suicide pact
Bengaluru techie and wife poison two kids before committing suicide

Diane Glaski

No PhotoName: Diane Glaski.
Died: January 6, 2025.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Unspecified.
Location: Boynton Beach, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; nursing home resident.

Details:
Diane was killed by her husband in a homicide-suicide.

Case Status:
Richard Glaski (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Murder-Suicide In West Boynton Nursing Home, PBSO Investigating
Murder-Suicide Under Investigation at Boynton Beach Assisted Living Facility
Diane Glaski – View Obituary & Service Information

Jayden Dixon

No PhotoName: Jayden Dixon.
Died: January 5, 2025.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Meridian, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Jayden wasn’t seen outside for several days and his trailer was eerily quiet, his neighbors grew worried. One of them approached Jayden’s mother, who argued with the neighbor. The trailer park manager saw them and called the police because Jayden’s mother appeared intoxicated. Police responding to the disturbance found Jayden’s body in the trailer; he had been suffocated, and their three dogs were also dead.

Jayden was good friends with a neighbor’s child; both were autistic, so they understood each other very well. Jayden was known for giving hugs to his friends.

Case Status:
Meagan Dixon (Mother), charged with murder, child abuse resulting in great bodily injury, and three counts related to cruelty toward animals.

Sources:
Homicide investigation at Lovey’s Landing in Sutter County: New details emerge
Meridian mother accused of killing 11-year-old son
Police Say Calif. Mom Was Causing Disturbance. Then They Found Boy, 11, and 3 Dogs Dead
No plea is entered in death of child, 11

Caterina Whitten

Photo of a young woman wearing a pink dress. She has light skin and brown hair, which is held back by a white headband. Her eyes are small and the eyelids closed. Her expression is neutral.Name: Caterina Whitten.
Died: January 3, 2025.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Unspecified neglect.
Location: Lowell, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Fraser syndrome; blind, autism.

Details:
Caterina was found dead in a filthy home.

One of six adopted siblings, Caterina was born in Russia. As a child, she loved swimming and playing on her swing set. Her five siblings, who had also allegedly been neglected, were rescued when her father was arrested after Caterina’s death.

Case Status:
David Whitten (adoptive father), charged with negligent homicide and six counts of endangering the welfare of an incompetent person.

Sources:
Arkansas police arrest 72-year-old man for negligent homicide in disabled daughter’s death
Lowell man accused of negligent homicide, endangering welfare
Lowell man faces negligent homicide charge after death of disabled daughter
‘A really sad story’: Neighbors react to tragic death of Lowell woman
Horrifying way disabled woman died in Ozarks house of horrors she shared with ‘dad’ and 5 handicapped siblings

Jijesh Vijayan

Photo of a man wearing a white striped shirt. He has brown skin and dark-brown eyes; his hair is dark-brown, and he has a mustache and some beard stubble. His expression is neutral.Name: Jijesh Vijayan.
Died: December 27, 2024.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Poisoned.
Location: Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
Disability: Intellectual disability, bedridden.

Details:
Jijesh’s neighbors found him and his father in critical condition. They were rushed to the hospital, but both died from poisoning. Authorities believe that Jijesh’s father poisoned him and then ingested some of the poison himself.

Case Status:
Manichirakkal NM Vijayan (Father) is deceased.

Sources:
Wayanad DCC treasurer, son die after ingesting poison
Bathery DySP to lead special team formed to probe Wayanad DCC treasurer, son’s death

Addison Carr

Photo of a chubby young girl lying on an orange pillow, red hair gathered into a bun. She has pale skin, and is dressed in a pink nightie and covered with a pink-and-white blanket. Her eyes are half-closed and her mouth open. One of her hands lies across the pillow, fingers curled into a loose fist.Name: Addison Rebecca Carr.
Died: December 26, 2024.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Greenville, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Perinatal hypoxia; feeding tube, limited mobility.

Details:
Addison’s mother’s boyfriend was babysitting when she suffered what an arrest warrant called “non-accidental trauma.” Addison was taken to the hospital, where she died four days later from her injuries.

Addison’s mother mourns the loss of her smile, remembering that “she was just a sweetheart and a joy to be around.”

Case Status:
Tyler David Ternberg (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with homicide by child abuse.

Sources:
Mother’s boyfriend accused of killing 4-year-old with special needs: ‘She was my entire world’
Simpsonville man in custody, accused of causing death of four-year-old with special needs
SC man charged in death of 4-year-old with special needs, deputies say
Sobbing mom confronts boyfriend ‘for murdering her disabled daughter’
Mom rages at boyfriend accused of shaking and beating disabled daughter to death

Kul Acharya

black and white photo of an older southeast asian man wearing glasses and traditional headwearName: Kul Prasad Acharya.
Died: December 23, 2024.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi, Khotang, Province 1, Nepal.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
Neighbors grew worried about Kul and his son, 22-year-old Prabin Acharya, and called the police to check on them. Police found their bodies in the home; both had been fatally bludgeoned, and Kul’s other son was missing. After a brief time on the run, the surviving son turned himself in. Police say that he confessed to killing his father and brother because his father had depression, his brother had become addicted to drugs and wasn’t doing well at school, and he believed they were better off dead.

Mr. Acharya was head of the Khotang District Post Office.

Case Status:
Milan Acharya (Son) is charged with murder.

Sources:
Milan Acharya surrenders and confesses he killed father and brother
Balkot double murder suspect surrenders to police
Curb Rising Homicides

Princeton Jones

Photo of an African American boy with light-brown skin, his dark-brown hair in tight curls. He is wearing a blue dress shirt and smiling for the camera.Name: Princeton Nicholas Jones.
Died: November 30, 2024.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Compton, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Princeton was staying with his grandfather when his father allegedly fatally shot him.

A bright, funny boy, Princeton was very close to his mother.

Case Status:
Nicholas Jones (Father), charged with murder and child abuse resulting in death.

Sources:
West Rancho Dominguez father pleads not guilty in son’s shooting death
Father arrested after his 9-year-old son shot and killed in Compton
Father Arrested In Shooting Death Of Autistic Boy, 9
Father Arrested in Fatal Shooting of 9-Year-Old Autistic Son in Compton