Type: Fatal Abuse – Disability Day of Mourning

Lawanda Mitchell

No Photo Name: Lawanda Mitchell.
Died: March 13, 2024.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Assault.
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
In response to a welfare check, police responded to Lawanda’s home and found her in critical condition. She had been assaulted two days before, allegedly by her son, who was arrested. Lawanda died from her injuries some weeks after the assault.

Case Status:
Barron Wallace (Son), charged with injury to an Elderly and/or Disabled Person; charges upgraded to murder after Lawanda’s death.

Sources:
Man faces murder charge in mom’s death weeks after he assaulted her, Dallas police say
Man faces murder charge in Dallas woman’s death, weeks after alleged assault, police say
Dallas Man Barron Wallace Charged with Murder Following Victim’s Death Weeks After Assault
Dallas woman dies weeks after violent assault, suspect arrested

Geanna Bradley

Name: Geanna Bradley.
Died: January 18, 2024.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Starvation, blunt trauma, pneumonia.
Location: Wahiawa, Hawaii, USA.
Disability: ADHD; foster parents suspected schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Details:
Gianna was found dead in her home, the victim of a suspicious death that investigators soon realized had come from repeated abuse. She had died from multiple blunt force injuries, starvation, and pneumonia.

Case Status:
Brandy Blas (Foster mother), charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, second-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.
Thomas Blas (Foster father), charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, second-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.

Sources:
Legal Guardians Accused Of ‘Prolonged Abuse’ In 10-Year-Old’s Death
Birth father of Geanna Bradley shares his final memories of his daughter

Karter Holloway

Name: Karter Holloway.
Died: January 1, 2024.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Traumatic brain injury.
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Medics were called to Karter’s house, where they found him seriously injured, covered head to toe in bruises. He died from a brain hemorrhage in the hospital the next day. His father was arrested on suspicion of having beaten him severely.

Case Status:
Amir Hines (Father), charged with murder and felony intentional child abuse.

Sources:
Funeral held for non-verbal 5-year-old Karter Holloway, beaten to death
Raleigh father charged with murder in 5-year-old son’s death, family said boy was ‘beaten all over’
Dad allegedly beat 5-year-old nonverbal son to death, leaving boy bruised from ‘head to toe’
N.C. father accused of fatally beating 5-year-old autistic son, causing brain hemorrhage
Karter Holloway ( bop bop ), organized by Kennedy Holloway

Nicholas Wallwork

No Photo Name: 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

Damari Carter

Name: Damari Carter.
Died: December 7, 2023 (Missing, presumed dead).
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Nonspeaking; suspected learning disability.

Details:
Neighbors heard Damari screaming; then his mother’s boyfriend was seen dragging a trash bag out of their apartment. Eventually, police asked his mother what had happened, and she said that her boyfriend had beaten Damari, killing him, and then put him in a trash can. Police are still searching for Damari’s body.

Case Status:
Dominique Bailey (Mother), charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.
Kevin Spencer, charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.

Sources:
Mom Claimed 4-Year-Old Was Hit by a Car; Now She & Boyfriend Are Accused of Murdering Him
Police do not believe they will find 4-year-old Damari Carter’s body
‘Damari Was My Heart’: Dad of Pa. Boy, 4, Speaks Out After Boy’s Mom & Her Boyfriend Are Charged with Murder (Exclusive)
Boy’s body remains missing after mom, boyfriend are charged in his murder
West Philadelphia detectives searching dumpsters for body of missing 4-year-old Damari Carter: police sources – CBS Philadelphia

Nur Sani

No Photo Name: Nur Fatin Mohd Sani.
Died: November 20, 2023.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Abuse-related injuries.
Location: Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
When her father died, Nur moved in with her sister. After about a year, her sister claimed she had simply found her dead; but medical examiners sounded the alarm when they saw her battered body. Prosecutors say Nur’s sister physically abused her, causing injuries that eventually proved fatal.

Case Status:
Nur Syuhaidah Mohd Sani (Sister), charged with murder.

Sources:
Pharmacy assistant charged with causing death of disabled sister
Pharmacy assistant charged with murder of disabled sister
36yo M’sian Woman Charged For Allegedly Murdering OKU Sister

Parambuliyil Thankamani

Name: Parambuliyil Thankamani.
Died: August 7, 2023.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Blunt head and neck injury.
Location: Maniyarankudy, Kerala, India.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Parambuliyil was brought to the hospital with injuries to her head and neck, and lived for a week before dying from her wounds. Police say her son, angry that she wouldn’t eat the food he was trying to feed her, slammed her head against her cot and hit her with the glass he was holding, and that he later confessed to doing so after being questioned.

Case Status:
Sanjeev (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Idukki man held for murdering 80-year-old bedridden mother

Jermiyah Puskac

Photo of a boy with pale skin and short-cropped brown hair, wearing a bulky black jacket and holding up his hand to the camera. Name: Jermiyah Puskac.
Died: April 29, 2023.
Age at death: 17 months.
Cause of death: Head and neck trauma.
Location: Ocala, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Jermiyah’s mother allegedly caused a skull fracture and neck injury, and then did not call an ambulance until a day after the injury happened. Jermiyah spent two days in the hospital before he died. He had bruises and other injuries consistent with child abuse.

Case Status:
Puskac Summerfield (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Marion County mother charged with murder in death of her 17-month-old son
Central Florida mother charged in infant’s death
Central Florida woman accused of killing her 17-month-old son, deputies say
‘I’ll just have another one’: Mother who gave shifting stories about toddler son’s death now facing murder charges
Autism Memorial: Jermiyah Puskac

5-year-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: April 27, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Surat, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This 5-year-old girl died from her injuries after her mother, who came home to hear her crying, allegedly became infuriated and beat her severely.

Case Status:
Bilkisbanu (Mother), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Surat: Shocking revelation in the murder of a 5-year-old disabled girl
A mother killed her 5-year-old disabled daughter in Surat
Shocking Twist in Surat Murder Case of 5-Year-Old Disabled Girl

Bijay Pradhan

A seated man with brown skin, black hair, and a mustache; he is wearing a collared shirt with blue, red, and white stripes. His expression is neutral. Name: Bijay Pradhan.
Died: February 18, 2023.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Patharapunja Village, Odisha, India.
Disability: Physical disability.

Details:
Bijay wanted to be married; so his uncle arranged a marriage for him. But his stepmother did not want him married because she thought he would inherit all the family’s property, and she did not want a “divyang” (Hindu: a disabled person, lit., “one with a divine body part”) to inherit. She recruited his father and stepbrothers, and together they allegedly beat him and starved him for months. Neighbors found Bijay, rescued him, and rushed him to the hospital; but even after he was transferred for advanced treatment, his injuries proved fatal, and he died.

Bijay was an autorickshaw driver.

Case Status:
Bijay’s stepmother, father, and stepbrothers are under investigation by police, suspected of murder.

Sources:
Stepmother, father allegedly murder physically-challenged son in Nayagarh district
Stepmother, Father Beat Divyang Youth To Death For Expressing Desire To Marry | Odisha
Divyang man beaten to death by stepmother, father for ‘wanting’ to marry
Odisha woman kills stepson for property