Type: Fatal Abuse – Page 16 – Disability Day of Mourning

Andeng

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

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

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 Love Police Discover Shocking Reason Behind 6-Month-Old Baby’s Death Baby’s Violent Death Hits Deep In Rapid City Community Rapid City Man Sentenced In Death Of 6-Month-Old Girl Monsters Among Us: Kristopher Houchin charged with the rape and murder of 6-month-old L’Naya Love White Rapid City man charged with murder of 6-month-old girl Obituary 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

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

Aiden Archer

Photo of Aidan Archer, a toddler with blue eyes and blond hair. Name: Aiden Archer.
Died: June 1, 2015
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Aiden was beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend.

Case status:
Maurice Snyder (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded no contest to second-degree reckless homicide and three counts of physical abuse of a child, sentenced to 24 years.
Megan Scott (Mother), charged with failure to act to prevent bodily harm to a child; died before trial.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Aidan Archer
Maurice Snyder Jr. now faces homicide charge in death of three-year-old Aiden Archer
Charged: Two accused in connection with death of three-year-old Aiden Archer
Vigil honors life of 3-year-old Milwaukee boy
Maurice Snyder sentenced to 24 years in prison for murder of 3-year-old Aiden Archer

Leon Jayet-Cole

Photo of a toddler with white-blond hair and pink skin; he is wearing an orange T-shirt and smiling for the camera. Name: Leon Jayet-Cole.
Died: May 28, 2015.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Head injury due to blunt-force trauma.
Location: Papanui, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Leon was a “beautiful, happy-spirited kid” who made his family laugh with the quirky things he said. He had learned to speak and learned to read when he was four, and at five years old was enrolled in school. His obituary calls him the “chief mischief maker of his brothers and sisters Lucas, Nadia, Anabelle, Fabian, and Liam; Giane, Daniel and James.” He loved pillow-fighting and riding his tricycle. He had to have his toast cut just right, or he wouldn’t eat it. His favorite movie was Frozen.

He hadn’t spoken until he was four, but then he started speaking, reading, and doing math all at once. Leon was a bookworm who would start reading the moment he woke. When they saw how fast he was learning, his family began calling him “Superman”. He loved school, which he attended for half-days, and Dr. Seuss was his favorite author. He had a brother who was also autistic.

Leon’s stepfather allegedly beat him to the point that he suffered a severe head injury; despite the head injury, no one sought medical care for him right away. Leon survived on life support in the hospital for two days before he died. His organs were transplanted and have saved the lives of five people.

Leon may have been abused regularly for some time; he and his older brother had both been treated for head injuries at the hospital, but they had all been written off as accidental.

Case Status:
James Stedman Roberts (Stepfather), charged with murder, committed suicide while out on bail.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Leon Jayet-Cole
Coroner: Agencies missed red flags before autistic Christchurch boy Leon Jayet-Cole’s death
Stepfather hit 5-year-old ‘four times a week’, but mum saw nothing
Police could have done more to stop violent stepfather
Christchurch schoolboy Leon Jayet-Cole hospitalised with head injury months before death
Concerns raised with CYF before Leon Jayet-Cole’s death
File shows tragedy of Leon Jayet-Cole unfolding
Funeral for man accused of killing autistic boy
Leon Jayet-Cole, the little New Zealand boy whose gravestone has his murderer’s name on it
Man accused of killing child found dead
Man accused of murdering autistic boy found dead
Warning signs in CYF reports before Leon Jayet-Cole’s alleged murder
Inquest into death of Leon Jayet-Cole, 5, hears from step-dad who died awaiting murder trial
Mother accepts dead husband killed autistic son

Malachi Golden

Photo of a toddler in a sling-style stroller. He is chewing on a raw carrot, and wearing a bulky helmet. Name: Malachi De’Andre Golden.
Died: May 11, 2015.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: High Shoals, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Chromosomal disorder, epilepsy, developmental delays.

Details:
Malachi was physically abused by his stepfather and mother over an extended period of time. He was also starved and neglected, his seizure medication was withheld, and he was denied medical care. His mother kept him in a small closet, without food and water. Malachi died from starvation, weighing 19 pounds; his mother also said that his stepfather had strangled him.

Two years after Malachi died, courthouse staff took up a collection to get Malachi a proper headstone.

Case status:
Thomas Cheeks (Stepfather), convicted of first-degree murder and child abuse; sentenced to life without parole.
Tiffany Cheeks (Mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse, sentenced to 19 years.

Source:
North Carolina Supreme Court upholds murder charge in starvation death of 4-year-old child
New report: Child strangled to death
Stepdad offered plea deal in boy’s death
Abuse charges for accused child killer
Court clerks raise money to buy grave marker for boy who starved to death
Mother served murder papers in disabled boy’s death
Gaston County mother could get life in prison for 4-year-old son’s death
GASTON CO. MOM CHARGED IN SON’S MURDER: 19 more years in prison for Gaston County mother in 4-year-old son’s death

Angel Goodwin

Photo of a boy with tan skin and scruffy black hair, grinning at the camera. Name: Angel Goodwin.
Died: May 5, 2015.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy; multiple disabilities.

Details:
Angel, who had severe disabilities, was abused by his grandmother and her boyfriends. Angel’s grandmother put him in a tub full of water and left him there for more than three hours. Unable to keep his head out of the water, Angel drowned.

Case status:
Onesia Najera (Grandmother), pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death, sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Source:
Wheat Ridge police investigating the death of a 10-year-old
Grandmother charged in death of 10-year-old in Wheat Ridge
Woman gets 20 years in prison for grandson’s drowning death
Grandmother sentenced in drowning death of boy with cerebral palsy
Jefferson County woman who drowned developmentally-disabled grandson sentenced to 20 years

Gary Blanton III

Photo of Gary Blanton III. He has fair skin and light brown hair. He is smiling for the camera. Name: Gary Blanton III.
Died: April 18, 2015.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Fractured skull.
Location: Chattaroy, Washington, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, possible autism.

Details:
Gary died from a fractured skull while in the custody of his aunt, who had custody of him after his parents died. Authorities discovered that his caseworker had been falsifying health-and-wellness visit reports.

Gary was a rambunctious child who ran up and down the hallways and even climbed into the washing machine.

Case status:
Cynthia Rose Khaleel (Aunt); charged with second-degree murder, acquitted.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Gary Blanton III
Jury acquits Chattaroy woman of killing 5-year-old nephew
Chattaroy woman arrested for five-year-old nephew’s death
Obituary
‘Everyone failed him’: Boy’s aunt accused of murder, DSHS accused of ‘critical errors’