Type: Fatal Abuse – Page 12 – Disability Day of Mourning

Sherin Mathews

Name: Sherin Mathews.
Died: October 22, 2017 (Body found); died October 7, 2017.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Choked.
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, failure to thrive.

Details:
Sherin’s adoptive father claimed she had been adopted from India with developmental delays, malnutrition, and an “eating disorder”. When he brought her to the hospital with broken bones, he claimed that she had brittle bones from being malnourished at the orphanage.

Her adoptive father was trying to force her to drink milk at 3 a.m., and choked her to death doing it. He then dumped her body and pretended she had gone missing, before eventually confessing to the killing. The autopsy confirmed that Sherin’s cause of death was “homicidal violence”.

Later, the orphanage came forward and reported that Sherin had not had trouble eating. Her “eating disorder” may have been a fabrication to cover up her murder. She was merely small for her age, a condition called “failure to thrive” which is common in children with difficult backgrounds. The broken bones she had suffered months before her death had nothing to do with malnutrition and everything to do with child abuse.

Case status:
Wesley Mathews (Adoptive father), pleaded guilty to injury to a child by omission, sentenced to 30 years to life.

Source:
Wesley Mathews, Accused of Killing Girl, 3, Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge
Sherin Mathews death: Foster dad pleads guilty to lesser charge
Man gets life sentence in 3-year-old daughter’s death
Capital murder trial set to begin for ‘dad’ who claimed he locked slain tot outside at 3 a.m. for not drinking her milk
Sherin Mathews abandoned in India before alley abandonment that may have led to death
A father reported his 3-year-old missing. Then he told police he’d watched her die.
Texas dad admits disposing of child’s body, affidavit says
Father of Sherin Mathews says he watched as his 3 year old child choked on milk and died
‘Sherin Mathews didn’t have developmental disability’; foster father on suicide watch in jail
Mother Of Girl Who Allegedly Died Drinking Milk Arrested For Leaving Her Alone And Going Out To Dinner
Sherin Mathews Was Being Abused Months Before Her Death, Pediatrician Told Child Protective Services
Autopsy Reveals 3-Year-Old Sherin Mathews Died from ‘Homicidal Violence’
Sherin Mathews Update: Slain AMBER Alert toddler died from ‘homicidal violence’
Sherin Mathews died from ‘homicidal violence,’ autopsy finds
U.S. Adoption Agency Banned from India Following Death of Toddler Sherin
Father charged with murder in death of 3-year-old Indian girl
Texas father charged with murder in death of Indian orphan
Father Charged in Murder of 3-Year-Old Adopted Orphan Sherin Mathews
TX dad charged with capital murder in death of 3-year-old
Who Is Wesley Mathews? Sherin Mathews’ Father Charged With Missing Texas Toddler’s Murder
BREAKING: Death Penalty for Sherin Mathews’ Father? Wesley Mathews Indicted on Capital Murder Charge
Wesley Mathews charged with CAPITAL MURDER in death of adopted toddler, Sherin Mathews
Texas father charged with murder in death of Indian orphan
Sherin Mathews case: Father who claimed girl choked on milk charged with murder
Texas father charged with murder in death of daughter adopted from Indian orphanage
Wesley Mathews Allegedly Used ‘Deadly Weapon’ to Kill Daughter Sherin Mathews
New Texas Law Inspired by Three-year-old Toddler Sherin Mathews’ Death
Bond reduced for Richardson man accused in death of his adopted daughter
In Sherin Mathews’ Death Case, Foster Parents To Be Tried Separately

William Dubois

No Photo Name: William Dubois.
Died: October 14, 2017.
Age at death: 91.
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma.
Location: Sun City West, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
When William died from blunt-force trauma, he had twenty-six broken ribs in different stages of healing. His daughter was arrested on suspicion of beating him to death.

William was a retired accountant who had served in the US Navy during World War II. He lived to see ten great-grandchildren born.

Case status:
Susan Marcinko (Daughter), charged with manslaughter.

Source:
MCSO: Woman arrested in connection to death of her father in Sun City after fight
Find a Grave: William Melvin DuBois
Woman says 91-year-old father attacked her; his autopsy shows 26 broken ribs
Woman arrested in death of 91-year-old father at Sun City West home
Maricopa County Woman Charged In Father’s Death
Daughter charged with the murder of nonagenarian father claims he made sexual advances towards her

Richard Dubuc

No Photo Name: Richard Dubuc.
Died: October 5, 2017.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Richard’s brother repeatedly slammed him against the wall, causing a fatal head injury.

Case status:
Robert Dubuc (Brother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, received a suspended sentence, three years probation, and 240 hours of community service.

Source:
Montreal police arrest 64-year-old man in fatal beating of his brother
Caregiver who killed Alzheimer’s-stricken brother avoids prison

Kayden McGuinness

Name: Kayden McGuinness.
Died: September 17, 2017.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK.
Disability: Autism (Suspected).

Details:
Kayden’s mother had left Kayden in the care of her partner while she went to visit her friends. The man abused Kayden, hitting him in the head repeatedly; Kayden died of a massive head injury.

Kayden’s mother remembers him as “just a wee boy who loved playing and loved life.” He was being evaluated for autism when he died.

Case status:
Liam Whoriskey (Mother’s fiance), convicted of manslaughter and cruelty to a child, sentenced to 15 years, half in prison and half in the community.

Source:
NI Court of Appeal: Applicant’s domestic violence convictions relevant to the death of three-year-old boy
Autism Memorial: Kayden McGuinness
The tragic death of toddler Kayden McGuinness
Liam Whoriskey jailed for killing toddler
Liam Whoriskey jailed over death of little Kayden McGuinness (3) in Derry flat
Man jailed over death of three-year-old in his care
Man jailed for 15 years after three-year-old boy died following severe ‘battering’

Summer Peace

Name: Summer Peace.
Died: September 9, 2017.
Age at death: 5 months.
Cause of death: Abusive head trauma.
Location: Dudley, England, UK.
Disability: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Details:
Summer died because she was shaken by her father, something that she was especially vulnerable to because of her hypermobility. At the time she died, she was also suffering from untreated pneumonia.

Case status:
Philip Peace (Father), convicted of murder, sentence to life with a minimum of 14 years.

Source:
Dudley father who shook baby daughter to death jailed for life for her murder
Life sentence for Dudley man who murdered baby daughter
Dad Philip Peace is accused of shaking baby daughter to death
Dudley baby death trial told of girl’s ‘traumatic injury’
Father could have caused brain injuries to girl in panic after she collapsed, trial told
Man on trial over baby daughter’s death

5-year-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: August 6, 2017.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Fatal abuse.
Location: Jahra, Kuwait.
Disability: Special needs.

Details:
For two months, this five-year-old girl was beaten and burned by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend because they “wanted to get rid of her” and resented her for the attention she needed. She died from a particularly vicious beating, and only then did her mother finally call the police, claiming that her daughter had fallen from a window.

Case status:
Mother and mother’s boyfriend, both convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

Source:
Boyfriend, woman hearing adjourned in disabled girl’s killing
Woman, boyfriend sentenced to death in disabled girl’s murder
Mother, boyfriend sentenced to death for killing special-needs daughter
Kuwaiti mother sentenced to death for murdering her disabled daughter
Kuwaiti mother and boyfriend kill 5-year-old daughter, get death sentence
Kuwait Sentences Mother, Boyfriend to Death for Killing Daughter with Special Needs
Five year old girl murdered by mother and her boyfriend

Pernell Robinson

Name: Pernell Robinson.
Died: July 15, 2017.
Age at death: 49.
Cause of death: Blunt-force trauma.
Location: Daytona beach, Florida, USA.
Disability: Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder.

Details:
Pernell had been subjected to abuse by his caregiver for years. Hospitalized for his injuries, he told police that his caregiver had beaten him, but later retracted his statement and went back to live with her. Eventually, she took out a life insurance policy on him and beat him to death.

Case status:
Diane Reid (Caregiver), convicted of second-degree murder and neglect of a disabled adult, sentenced to life.

Source:
Disgusting Woman TORTURED a DISABLED!!! Man To Death for NO REASON!!!
Daytona caregiver gets life for killing man for insurance payout
Daytona woman found guilty of killing disabled man for insurance money
Police: Disabled man’s death ‘suspicious’
Police: Death of Daytona Beach man, 49, ruled homicide
Daytona man’s death a homicide; police offer $5,000 reward
Caretaker responsible for mid-July death of Daytona Beach man, police say
Caregiver charged in murder of Daytona Beach man

Micah and Olivia Gee

Photo of Olivia and Micah Gee, two African-American toddlers. Olivia is wearing a pink sweater and has her hair tied back in a headband with a big purple flower on it. Micah is wearing a striped blue-and-green shirt, and has his arms around his sister. Name: Micah Gee.
Age at death: 3.

Name: Olivia Gee.
Age at death: 2.

Died: July 10, 2017.
Cause of death: Internal bleeding from blunt trauma.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Severe asthma.

Details:
When Olivia and Micah were found dead in their beds on the same night, they were thought to have died of asthma attacks. But on autopsy, it became clear that the brother and sister had been beaten to death.

Case status:
Jade Spencer (Mother), charged with six counts of first-degree manslaughter, six counts of second-degree manslaughter, and assault.

Source:
Bronx Mother Indicted on Manslaughter, Assault Charges in Deaths of Her Two Toddlers in 2017
Mother Charged With Manslaughter In 2017 Deaths Of 2 Bronx Toddlers
Siblings, ages 2 and 3, die after breathing trouble
Seeking answers to toddlers’ death
Investigation Continues Into Deaths Of Bronx Toddler Siblings
Bronx Toddlers’ Deaths Are Ruled Homicides
Deaths of toddler siblings ruled homicides
Deaths of young siblings in the Bronx ruled homicides
Bronx toddlers bled to death after savage beating
Medical Examiner Says Blunt Force Trauma Killed Young Bronx Siblings
Beaten Bronx Toddlers Died of Internal Bleeding, NYPD Says
Bronx Toddlers Were Beaten to Death, Medical Examiner Says
Toddler Siblings From The Bronx Were Beaten To Death

Angelina Costello

Name: Angelina Costello.
Died: July 6, 2017.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Injury, malnutrition.
Location: Ogden, Utah, USA.
Disability: Premature, medically fragile.

Details:
Angelina died from starvation, burns, and blunt trauma. She had been abused by her parents for essentially her entire life. Her parents believed that because she was born premature, she was “cursed”, and that her disability meant she brought bad luck to the family.

Case Status:
Brenda Emile (Mother), pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Miller Eric Costello (Father), pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Sources:
‘Dehumanized and tortured by monsters’: Judge berates parents for horrific killing of toddler
The Awful Abuse 3-Year-Old Angelina Costello Suffered Before She Died — And How Her Mother Tried To Cover Up Her Wounds
Detective: On family videos, Angelina Costello ‘looks like a skeleton’
Costello pleads guilty in daughter’s starvation, beating death
Mother charged in brutal abuse death of 3-year-old can’t withdraw guilty plea, judge says

Brandon Strauss

Photo of Brandon Strauss. He is a teenage boy with fair skin. He is wearing a striped polo shirt and his hair is hidden under his bulky helmet. He is leaning on something off to the right of the picture. Name: Brandon Strauss.
Died: February 20, 2017.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Polymicrobial gram negative sepsis, drug intoxication and medical neglect.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, epilepsy, autism.

Details:
Brandon was badly burned in the shower over 12% of his body. His parents say that while his father was washing him, he had a seizure in the shower and accidentally turned on the hot water, causing second- and third-degree burns. Brandon’s parents covered the burns with ointment and bandages; but they did not seek medical attention.

As several days passed and the burns began to look worse, Brandon’s parents put off taking him to the emergency room–until one morning they found him dead. On autopsy, he was found to have dangerous levels of medication in his body.

Case status:
Yolanda Strauss (Adoptive mother), charged with murder and abuse of a vulnerable person, charges dropped.
Ross Strauss (Adoptive father), charged with murder and abuse of a vulnerable person, charges dropped.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Brandon Strauss
Murder charges against Las Vegas couple dismissed
Las Vegas couple charged with murdering their special needs son, 21
Couple charged with murder in death of their special needs son
Pair face murder charges in Vegas man’s Feb dying – Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas couple are charged with murdering their 21-year-old adopted special needs son who was found with lethal levels of medication in his system
Las Vegas couple face murder charge in death of special-needs son
Pair face murder charges in Las Vegas man’s February death
Las Vegas couple suspected in death of their special-needs son indicted