Category: Type: Fatal Abuse

Fatal abuse.

Lalia Hawthorne

Photo of a small child in a red polo shirt. She has fair skin, round brown eyes, and blonde hair in a buzz cut.Name: Lalia Delinar Hawthorne.
Died: October 27, 2015.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Abdominal trauma.
Location: Savannah, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Lalia was beaten to death by her mother’s boyfriend.

Case status:
James Emmanuel Robinson (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault and three counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Supreme Court upholds murder conviction against man who killed 4-year-old
Lalia Hawthorne – Obituary
Savannah man sentenced to life without parole in 2015 murder of four year old girl

Janiya Thomas

Photo of Janiya Thomas, an African-American girl with her hair in a few straggly dreadlocks, wearing a striped shirt.Name: Janiya Thomas.
Died: Last seen June 9, 2014; body found October 18, 2015.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Bradenton, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unnamed bowel/digestive condition, causing incontinence.

Details:
Janiya was last seen by child protective services about a month before her mother, citing Janiya’s medical condition, a digestive problem which had killed Janiya’s father, announced to the state that she had decided to home-school Janiya. In reality, she abused Janiya, locking her in the bathroom for days at a time to punish her.

More than a year later, when her mother publicly beat Janiya’s older brother and child protective services came for Janiya’s four siblings, Janiya was not with them and the children reported that they had not seen Janiya in a long time. Several days later, Janiya’s body was found in a freezer, and her mother was arrested. An autopsy found that Janiya had been starved, suffocated, or drowned.

Janiya was a shy girl who liked hot tortilla chips and baby dolls.

Case status:
Keishanna Thomas (Mother), pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, sentenced to 65 years.

Source:
Mother who hid daughter’s body in freezer gets 65 years
Investigators hope to learn more about presumed death of missing Bradenton girl Janiya Thomas
Autopsy: Janiya Thomas starved, suffocated or drowned
Mother of 11-Year-Old Found Dead in Padlocked Freezer Indicted for Murder; Court Papers Reveal Allegations of Horrific Abuse

Kenneth Mobley Jr.

Gravestone reading Mobley, Edna Mae, 1/24/1926-5/11/1990, beloved mother and grandmother; Kenneth P. Jr, 8/25/1985-10/5/2015, beloved son & grandson.Name: Kenneth Pernell Mobley Jr.
Died: October 5, 2015.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Greenville County, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; dwarfism, “physical abnormalities”.

Details:
Kenneth’s sister beat him and starved him. When she poured hot water over his head, burning him, he drowned.

Case status:
Kendra Mobley (Sister), pleaded guilty to neglect, sentenced to 28 years.
Jamario Alexis Green (Sister’s boyfriend), sentenced to 9 years for failing to report a crime.

Source:
Woman burned, beat her disabled brother, who died weighing 51 pounds
Kenneth Pernell Mobley, Jr (1985 – 2015) – Find A Grave Memorial
Obituary for Kenneth Pernell Mobley, Jr. – MIAMI, FL

La’Marion Jordan

Closeup photo of La'Marion Jordan, a small African-American boy with medium-brown skin and close-cropped black hair.Name: La’Marion Jordan.
Died: September 4, 2015.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Lancaster, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
La’Marion’s adoptive father picked him up and threw him down the hallway, causing a fatal head injury.

Case status:
Robert Jordan (Adoptive father), pleaded guilty to infliction of great bodily injury upon a child, sentenced to 14-20 years.

Source:
Father charged with homicide by child abuse after disabled 5-year-old son dies
Lancaster man pleads guilty in adopted son’s death

Chaitanya Balpande

Photo of Chaitanya Balpande, an adolescent boy wearing a blue polo shirt. He has short black hair and tan skin; there is a spot of red on his forehead.Name: Chaitanya Balpande.
Died: August 5, 2015.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia).

Details:
Chaitanya’s mother abused him, beating him for limping when he walked, starving him, locking him up, and making him exercise for hours at a time. Chaitanya died of injuries received when his mother beat him with a cricket bat.

Case status:
Rakhi Balpande (Mother), convicted of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, sentenced to 10 years.

Source:
Sessions Court in Pune sentences woman to 10 years in prison for murdering her differently-abled son
13-yr-old was beaten to death with cricket bat he considered lucky

Andeng

Blurry photo of a woman in a wheelchair, taken from inside a building, through the window.Name: Andeng (Last name unknown).
Died: July 19, 2015.
Age at death: Adult.
Cause of death: Abuse.
Location: Bulacan, Philippines.
Disability: Mental illness; recent surgery; wheelchair user.

Details:
Andeng’s sister was videotaped by a passer-by, slapping and berating her on the street as she sat in a wheelchair. Days later, she was dead, and police say that abuse played a significant role in her death.

Case status:
Her sister, under investigation.

Source:
Wheelchair user suffers vicious assault at the hands of older sister, police say

Quincey Pollard

Plaque reading: "William Garland Pollard. 17 Jan 2014 - 11 Jul 2015."Name: William “Quincey” Pollard.
Died: July 11, 2015.
Age at death: 17 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Lakewood Ranch, Florida, USA.
Disability: Developmental delay, leukemia (Claimed).

Details:
After Quincey died from blunt-force head trauma, his father, accused of murder, explained the bruises on his body by claiming that Quincey was clumsy and developmentally delayed and had leukemia.

Case status:
Richard Williams (Father), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to life.

Source:
Man faces up to life in prison for murder in toddler’s death
Inmate Population Information Detail
Jury hears toddler’s mother describe the last morning before his death
Was Quincey Pollard killed? Or was he just clumsy?

L’Naya White

Photo of L'Naya White, a baby with her mouth open and eyes squeezed shut in laughter. She has fair skin. She is wearing a green and blue top.Name: L’Naya White.
Died: June 26, 2015.
Age at death: 6 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
L’Naya was raped and beaten by her mother’s boyfriend and died of a head injury caused by shaken baby syndrome. However, during trial her killer argued that he had merely left her on the couch, which was dangerous because of her frailty due to her “serious disability”, and she had fallen off and hit her head on the floor. Eventually he was allowed to admit to being negligent, plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter, and receive a sentence of only 4 years in prison.

Case status:
Kristopher Houchin (Mother’s boyfriend), initially charged with rape, child abuse, and murder. Pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter; sentenced to 10 years consisting of 4 years in prison and a 6-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Rapid City man sentenced after admitting he’s responsible for the death of a six month old girl
Candlelight Vigil For L’Naya LovePolice Discover Shocking Reason Behind 6-Month-Old Baby’s DeathBaby’s Violent Death Hits Deep In Rapid City CommunityRapid City Man Sentenced In Death Of 6-Month-Old GirlMonsters Among Us: Kristopher Houchin charged with the rape and murder of 6-month-old L’Naya Love WhiteRapid City man charged with murder of 6-month-old girlObituary for L’Naya Love White – Rapid City, SD
Kristopher Houchin Charged With The Rape And Murder Of 6-month-old Girl
Rapid City man sentenced to prison for baby’s death
Baby’s Violent Death Hits Deep In Rapid City Community

Jacklyn Nguyen

Photo of a girl with short, straight black hair and fair skin, sitting in a red plastic chair; she is wearing a polka-dirt shirt and blue shorts.Name: Jacklyn Nguyen.
Died: June 13, 2015.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Los Banos, California, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, possibly autism.

Details:
Jacklyn’s mother sent her to stay with a chiropractor who promised to cure her autism. Coroner’s findings suggest that the chiropractor beat her severely. She died from her injuries.

Case status:
Vincent Hoai Do, convicted of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse causing death, sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Jacklyn Nguyen
Patterson man housing children with autism found guilty in toddler’s death
Murder charge in death of disabled 2-year-old
Patterson man says 2-year-old girl fell. Pathologist said that’s not how she died.
Patterson man sentenced in death of toddler with developmental disability

Gracie Buss

Photo of Gracie Buss, a small girl with fair skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair. She is smiling.Name: Gracie Buss.
Died: June 3, 2015.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Waterloo, Iowa, USA.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
When her boyfriend beat little Gracie Buss to death, Gracie’s mother told the police that Gracie’s seizures had made her fall down the stairs.

Case status:
Chad Little (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life.
Kristi Buss (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglecting a dependent person, child neglect resulting in serious injury and involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 25 years.

Source:
Iowa crime: Waterloo woman pleads guilty in 4-year-old daughter’s death
No bond reduction for mom held in child death case
Waterloo man charged with death of 4-year-old girl
What happened to Gracie Buss?
Gracie Buss’s family searching for answers one month later
Defense begins in child death trial