Category: Type: Fatal Abuse

Fatal abuse.

Karen Gillen

Photo of an older woman with pale skin and brown hair pulled back from her face; she is wearing glasses, which are slipping down her nose, and a bright red sweater.Name: Karen Gillen.
Died: September 23, 2020.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Brain injury; beating.
Location: Waxahachie, Texas, USA.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Karen, a widow who depended on her only son to care for her, was brought to the emergency room dead from a beating, with bruises all over her body, a broken arm, and 21 rib fractures in different stages of healing. Her son had used the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic to neglect and abuse her for six months until she finally died from brain trauma.

Case Status:
Chad Gillen (Son), convicted of murder, sentenced to 70 years.

Sources:
Waxahachie man sentenced to 70 years for beating mother to death
Son Gets 70 Years For Killing His Mother
Karen Gillen Obituary 2020

Cameron Gordon

Photo of a small fair-skinned boy with short blond hair, smiling for the camera, wearing plastic-rimmed glasses and a flannel shirt over a white T-shirt.Name: Cameron Joseph Gordon.
Died: September 6, 2020.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Duluth, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Cameron’s mother went to work, leaving him with her fiancé. When she returned, she found him unresponsive and rushed him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a brain injury, a broken rib, and extensive bruising. Cameron died two days later from his injuries.

Case Status:
Jordan William Carter (Mother’s fiancé), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years.

Sources:
‘Cameron will forever be 3’: Duluth man sentenced to 15 years for boy’s murder
Duluth man found guilty of second-degree murder in 2020 death of then-fiancee’s 3-year-old
Trial begins for Duluth man charged in toddler’s murder
Medical examiner rebuked for delay in Duluth murder trial
Trial in Lakeside boy’s death pushed back to 2023
Duluth Man Charged With Second-Degree Murder in Death of 3-Year-Old
Child advocates speak out after death of Duluth 3-year-old
Trial Involving The Death Of Three Year Old Duluth Boy Delayed By Defense Team Until 2023
Medical evidence awaited in Duluth child death
Autism Memorial: Cameron Gordon

Emrik Osuna

Photo of a smiling boy in a winter hat and coat, holding a chunk of snow in his gloved hands.Name: Emrik Osuna.
Died: September 2, 2020.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Untreated pneumonia worsened by starvation and repeated injury.
Location: Meridian, Idaho, USA.
Disability: ADHD.

Details:
When Emrik’s father and stepmother called 911 to report that Emrik was unconscious, medics found him dead on the floor of his house with bruises covering his body. He had died of pneumonia, which he was unable to fight because he was very malnourished. Police recovered nanny cams from the house, which showed the boy being beaten and forced to do exhausting exercises for long periods of time.

Emrik loved Transformers, ninjas, and dinosaurs.

Case Status:
Monique Osuna (Stepmother), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Erik Osuna (Father), charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
Idaho stepmom gets life sentence for killing 9-year-old boy
Nanny cameras captured abuse of Meridian boy at center of murder case
Emrik Osuna Obituary – Santa Ana, CA
Emrik Osuna: Idaho boy, 9, starved and tortured to death by stepmom, weighed 44 lbs and had trauma to penis
Boy, 9, tortured to death with parents ‘wrapping band around his genitals’

Lola James

Photo of a pale-skinned toddler girl with pale-blond hair in two ribbons. She is smiling, and wearing a pink coat.Name: Lola James.
Died: July 21, 2020.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK.
Disability: ADHD (Suspected).

Details:
Lola’s mother’s boyfriend suspected her of having ADHD and called her “a crazy kid”. She died from a head injury after being severely beaten.

Case Status:
Kyle Bevan (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 28 years to life.
Sinead James (Mother), convicted of causing or allowing death, sentenced to 6 years.

Sources:
Lola James murder: The timeline that led to the death of a two-year-old
Lola James: Mum and her boyfriend jailed over girl’s brutal murder

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

Photo: A boy with short, curly blond hair and fair skin, smiling, holding his thumbs to his ears and wiggling his fingers; he is wearing a blue and white striped shirt.Name: Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
Died: June 16, 2020.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Traumatic brain injury.
Location: Solihull, West Midlands, England, UK.
Disability: Father told neighbors he was autistic or had ADHD.

Details:
Arthur died of a brain injury received while he was at home with his stepmother. His father and stepmother were arrested and charged with murder. Prosecutors say that Arthur was subjected to constant abuse; he was being denied food, made to sleep on the floor, exiled to the apartment hallway, and beaten. Two weeks before his death, a neighbor reports, Arthur’s father came to them and said that if the neighbors heard Arthur saying, “Please don’t kill me,” they should ignore him because Arthur “[had] issues; he suffers from ADHD or autism.”

Case Status:
Emma Tustin (Stepmother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.
Thomas Hughes (Father), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 21 years.

Sources:
Murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes
Autism Memorial: Arthur Labinjo-Hughes
Dad accused of killing son told neighbour to ignore ‘please don’t kill me’ cries
Boy, 6, ‘murdered’ by parents cried ‘no one loves me’ as he begged for mercy
Family sent photos of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes’ injuries to police, court told
What happened to Arthur Labinjo-Hughes?
Sentencing Remarks

India Martin

Temporary grave marker for "Little Miss India Martin, Age 4, March 7, 2016 - May 26, 2020"Name: India Heavenly Lacey Martin.
Died: May 26, 2020.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Abuse.
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired, speech impaired, used feeding tube.

Details:
Born prematurely at 26 weeks and addicted to cocaine, India survived a difficult start in life only to be found dead at age four, stuffed in a dresser drawer. Police say her body showed signs of trauma and strangulation.

Case status:
Jackleen Mullen (Mother), convicted of homicide by child abuse and aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse; sentenced to 22 to 30 years.
Audrevious Williams (Mother’s boyfriend, charged with homicide by child abuse or neglect.

Source:
SC mom gets 30 years in prison in death of disabled daughter found in a dresser drawer
Rock Hill mother gets 30 years for killing daughter who was disabled
SC mom told police child found dead in dresser was in Union County, NC, detective says
Trial begins for York County mother charged in death of 4-year-old girl found stuffed in a drawer
Mom, boyfriend charged after disabled 4-year-old found dead in dresser drawer
Bond Denied For Mother, Boyfriend Charged After Child Found Dead, Police Say

Abigail Humes

Photo of a toddler girl with dark-brown eyes and brown skin, wearing an interested expression and a shirt with a pink bow.Name: Abigail Gabriella Humes.
Died: May 10, 2020.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Blunt-force trauma.
Location: Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Abigail died from internal injuries, and her autopsy showed broken ribs.

Abigail’s nickname was “Cake” or “Cupcake”. She was a fan of Disney’s Doc McStuffins and P.J. Masks. She liked to play with her younger sister Mary.

Case status:
Immanuel Humes (Father), charged with murder and child abuse.
Jasmin Stevensen (mother), charged with neglect of a minor.

Source:
Maryland man charged with the murder of his 6-year-old disabled daughter
Upper Marlboro man charged with the murder of his 6-year-old disabled daughter
Maryland man fatally abused disabled daughter, 6, who suffered broken ribs before death, arrested with wife
Dad ‘killed disabled daughter, 6, after repeatedly physically abusing her’
Abigail Gabriella Humes – View Obituary & Service Information

8-year-old girl

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: May 7, 2020.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Internal bleeding due to blunt force injury.
Location: Delhi, India.
Disability: Blind.

Details:
This 8-year-old girl was staying with caregivers when a neighbor called police, saying that her caregivers often beat the girl, and that they had heard her crying over the phone, promising to work harder on her schoolwork. The girl was found unconscious in the home, brought to the hospital, and declared dead on arrival. Her caregivers were arrested.

Case Status:
Khaleed Mohd (Caregiver, relative), charged with murder.
Reena Mohd (Caregiver), charged with murder.

Sources:
Blind couple beats 8-year-old blind girl to death; court frames murder charges – The Kashmir Monitor
Delhi: Court frames murder charges against couple for ‘beating minor blind girl to death’
Blind Couple Charged By Delhi Court For Beating 8-Year-Old Blind Girl To Death – Sentinelassam

Gladys Ambert

Drawing of Gladys Ambert, a young woman with tan skin and curly black hair in two ponytails; she is wearing a pink T-shirt.Name: Gladys Ambert.
Died: April 7, 2020.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Positional asphyxia.
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA.
Disability: Deaf, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability.

Details:
Gladys’s mother abandoned her when she was two years old, but her grandmother took her in and lovingly raised her. At 26 years old, Gladys went to stay with younger relatives–an aunt and two cousins. According to police, her aunt and cousins beat her, tied her up, and kept her in filthy conditions until she died from abuse and neglect and they discarded her body and tried to pretend she had run away from home. Gladys’s body was found on her 27th birthday, and an autopsy concluded that she had suffocated while being restrained, her body compressed too much for her to breathe.

Case status:
Nellie Ambert (Aunt), charged with first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter, aggravated abuse of a disabled person, neglect, and abuse of a disabled person.
Jasmine Ambert (Cousin), charged with neglect and abuse of a disabled person; and Christian Matias (Cousin), charged with fabricating evidence and providing false information to an officer investigating a missing person.

Source:
‘Sheer horror’: 3 relatives arrested in death of woman, 27, who had cerebral palsy, mental capacity of 5-year-old
‘These were disgusting crimes:’ Woman with severe disabilities was abused prior to murder, detectives say
Florida authorities: 3 charged in death of disabled relative
3 family members arrested in connection with death of deaf woman who had cerebral palsy
Disabled woman beaten, forced to defecate on herself by relatives before she was killed and dumped in the woods
Mom And Her Kids Allegedly Beat And Murdered Disabled Relative — Then ‘Discarded Her Like A Piece Of Trash’

Vanita Nowell

No PhotoName: Vanita Nowell.
Died: March 8, 2020.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: TBI, fractured ribs and spine.
Location: Peckham, London, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Vanita’s son beat her so severely she died from her injuries, which included dozens of fractures and bleeding into her brain. He claimed her injuries were due to falls related to her dementia, but was convicted of murder.

Case Status:
Steffon Hewitt (Son), convicted of murder.

Sources:
Man who said mother’s rib and spine fractures were from dementia-related falls guilty of murder
Murderer claimed mother’s fatal injuries were due to her dementia