Category: Type: Fatal Abuse

Fatal abuse.

Johny Thomas

Photo of a middle-aged Indian man with short curly black hair, trimmed mustache and beard, and brown skin; he is wearing a white dress shirt.Name: Johny Thomas.
Died: March 12, 2025.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma, broken ribs.
Location: Perumbavoor, Kerala, India.
Disability: Tuberculosis.

Details:
Johny’s son allegedly came home drunk and started beating Johny’s wife. Police say that Johny’s son, when questioned, confessed to turning on Johny and beating him to death. Bedridden with tuberculosis, Johny was vulnerable to injury and unable to defend himself effectively.

Case Status:
Meljo Johny (Son), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Perumbavoor man arrested for stomping bedridden father to death

Benjamin Murphy

Photo of a fair-skinned, brown-haired teenage boy wearing a straw cowboy hat with a paper hatband that says, "Ben". He is smiling, looking up and to the left and holding something out; his T-shirt is blue.Name: Benjamin David Murphy.
Died: March 6, 2025.
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Abuse, medical neglect.
Location: Scappoose, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Autism, wheelchair user.

Details:
Benjamin’s death was reported to the police three days after the fact. Upon investigating, police arrested his mother and sibling; court documents stated that his death was “in the course of or as a result of intentional torture” and “by neglect and maltreatment consisting of neglect of medically necessary services,” but did not elaborate further.

Case Status:
Katherine Raina (Mother), charged with first-degree murder, murder by abuse, criminally negligent homicide, criminal mistreatment, and abuse of a corpse.
Hillary Murphy (Sibling), charged with first-degree murder, murder by abuse, criminally negligent homicide, criminal mistreatment, and abuse of a corpse.

Sources:
Mother and daughter arrested in Scappoose for murder and abuse of family member
Scappoose duo faces murder charges after man’s death of ‘neglect and maltreatment’
Mom, sibling accused of murdering family member in Scappoose denied bail

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

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:
Accused child killer granted bond and released
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

Gael

No PhotoName: Gael (Surname unknown).
Died: November 17, 2024.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Unspecified abuse and neglect.
Location: Sete Lagoas, Brazil.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Gael died, his mother called a funeral director to remove the body; but when the funeral home sent an employee, they saw the condition of Gael’s body and called police. He was lying in a damp room, on a dirty mattress; he had injuries on his body, was very malnourished and dirty, and had rotten teeth.

Case Status:
Gael’s mother and stepfather were arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Tragic Death of Child with Cerebral Palsy Reveals Shocking Signs of Violence
​Criança com paralisia cerebral é encontrada morta e mãe e padrasto são presos em Sete Lagoas
Criança com paralisia cerebral é morta em MG; casal é preso por suspeita de maus-tratos
Casal é preso após criança com paralisia cerebral morrer com sinais de maus-tratos e desnutrição
Criança com paralisia morta em casa vivia em situação ‘lamentável’, diz tia

Selena Kellum

Photo of a young girl sitting in a car. She has light-brown skin, and her brown hair is done in two braids. She is wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt. She is smiling broadly, showing gaps between her teeth, and her eyes are squinted almost shut.Name: Selena Kellum.
Died: November 15, 2024.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Unspecified abuse and neglect.
Location: Sebring, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Selena was found dead in her mother’s garage, wearing only a diaper. She was extremely malnourished and covered in injuries in multiple stages of healing, and had been tied to the garage door.

Case Status:
Diana Natasha Mack (Adoptive Mother), charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and destroying evidence.

Sources:
Hernando mother remains worried about 12-year-old daughter’s whereabouts after other daughter’s murder
Former DCF employee accused of abusing, killing adopted daughter in Sebring: ‘Horrific crime’
Birth mother of 13-year-old believed to be murdered shares concern for other child adopted by suspect
Woman charged with abuse and first-degree murder of adopted daughter

Esther Nakakande

No PhotoName: Esther Nakakande.
Died: November 9, 2024.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Starvation, torture.
Location: Mairye Village, Wakiso District, Central Region, Uganda.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
When one of Esther’s relatives came to visit her, he was horrified to find her dead. Esther’s relatives found that her body was covered in wounds, and she was emaciated. They believe her father and stepmother, who have been arrested, tortured Esther and did not feed her enough in the four months she stayed with them before she died.

Case Status:
Elemiya Kibirige (Father), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Justine Zalwango (Stepmother), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Wakiso Couple Netted for Starving Disabled Daughter to Death
Couple Held Over Death of Disabled Girl

Carmel McDougall

Photo of an older woman in a lacy white dress, wearing a corsage of red roses on her wriest. She is smiling. Her skin is brown, and her short black hair is curly. There are balloons in the background.Name: Carmel McDougall.
Died: September 18, 2024.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Brain trauma.
Location: Roosevelt, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Carmel died from head injuries sustained after a fall. According to video recordings from their home security system, the fall happened because Carmel’s son put her in a headlock and swung her around, causing her to lose her balance; police say he was “frustrated with [her] declining health”. Videos from two weeks before show her daughter “constrict[ing] her mother’s ability to move and breathe”.

Carmel was born in Jamaica and had lived in Canada before moving to New York. Her passion for cooking invigorated her career as a hospital dietician. Along with her own four children, she fed and cared for many children in her community. She was a devoted Christian who spent much of her time after retirement doing volunteer work for the Most Holy Rosary Church.

Case Status:
Michael Rainford McDougall (Son), charged with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree endangerment of a vulnerable person, and criminally negligent homicide.
Nichole McDougall Mullings (Daughter), charged with first-degree endangerment of a vulnerable person.

Sources:
LI Son Charged After Abuse Of Mother Leads To Her Death: DA
Roosevelt siblings indicted in elder abuse case, mother dead.
Obituary of Carmel McDougall

Elijah Hale

Photo of a small boy with light-brown skin and brown eyes. He is grinning. He is wearing a red coat with a fuzzy black hood.Name: Elijah Anthony Hale.
Died: September 5, 2024.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Hot water burns.
Location: Walkertown, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Elijah suffered severe burns, believed to have been inflicted when he was put into a bathtub full of scalding hot water. Elijah’s stepfather was arrested for child abuse, and Elijah was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with third-degree burns. He lived for 46 days before dying from his injuries.

Elijah loved animals and loved his family. An active, energetic child, he spent his days singing, running, and playing ball.

Case Status:
James Wilford Huff (Stepfather), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Prosecutors to seek death penalty against man charged with killing 5-year-old autistic stepson
Autism Memorial: Elijah Hale
Stepfather charged with first-degree murder in death of 5-year-old autistic boy in Walkertown
Autistic boy, 4, dies after being severely burned in bathtub
Walkertown man charged with murder after death of child, Forsyth County deputies say

Uma

No PhotoName: Uma.
Died: May 11, 2024.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Poorandampalayam, Tamil Nadu, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Uma’s husband, who had just been out to pay a bill, was angry that his wife had written down their phone number instead of their account number for him. So he went to a bar, got drunk, and allegedly went home and pushed his wife to the ground. As she fell she hit her head severely, and her intoxicated husband did not notice how badly she was hurt. In the morning he got up and found his wife dead.

Case Status:
Dharmaraj (Husband), charged with murder.

Sources:
Man murders disabled wife over family dispute, arrested
Labourer arrested for murdering wife