Type: Homicide – Disability Day of Mourning

Elliot Perez

No Photo Name: Elliot Perez.
Died: October 19, 2025.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Land O’ Lakes, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Police officers who interviewed Elliot’s mother after his death say that she told them that when Elliot banged his head against the floor, she tried to restrain him; when the child bit and hit her trying to get away, she allegedly strangled him to death.

Case Status:
Justine Mroz (Mother) is charged with second-degree murder.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Elliot Perez
Pasco County mother held without bond, accused of killing 6-year-old son
School teacher calls 911 to report she just killed her child, Florida cops say
Police: Florida woman ‘snapped’ before strangling death of 6-year-old autistic son

Elakkodath Ramani

No Photo Name: Elakkodath Ramani.
Died: October 18, 2025.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Manthadikkavala, Kottayam District, Kerala, India.
Disability: Frail elder; bedridden due to stroke.

Details:
Ramani lived with her husband and two sons, one of whom was also disabled. It was the middle of the night when her husband allegedly strangled her to death and tried to kill his disabled son, but the other son woke up and intervened to stop him, saving his brother. Neighbors called the police, and Ramani’s husband was arrested. Police say his motive had to do with financial difficulty related to caring for his disabled family members.

Case Status:
Soman (Husband) was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Man murders bedridden wife in Kottayam
Man kills bedridden wife, attempts suicide in Kottayam
74-year-old kills bedridden wife in Kottayam

Jaxson Rantala

Name: Jaxson Jay “JJ” Rantala.
Died: October 16, 2025.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
JJ’s mother allegedly stabbed him to death. Medical examiners testified that he would have taken about an hour to die from multiple knife wounds.

Case Status:
Joelene Rodriguez (Mother) is charged with murder.

Sources:
Seattle mother charged with murder in killing of autistic 4-year-old son
Mother who admitted killing autistic 4-year-old son held on $5 million bail
Mother suspected of killing son in Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood, police say
Neighbors hold vigil for 4-year-old allegedly murdered by mother
Washington woman stabbed 4-year-old son in bathtub, police say
Seattle mom confesses to ‘sacrificing’ 4-year-old autistic son ‘to protect her family’: police
Autism Parents Support Group
Court docs detail injuries inflicted on non-verbal child, allegedly by his mom, before death

Yashodabai Patil

Name: Yashodabai Muralidhar Patil.
Died: October 8, 2025.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Nashik, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Frail elder, bedridden.

Details:
Yashoda was allegedly strangled by her son. Police say her son told them he was frustrated at having to care for her, and was angry because she told him to do some of the housework.

Case Status:
Arvind alias Balu Muralidhar Patil (Son) is charged with murder.

Sources:
Frustrated Over Caregiving, Son Strangles 85-Year-Old Bedridden Mother To Death In Nashik
Nashik man kills 86-year-old ailing mother

Ana Gutierrez-Cedano

Name: Ana Gutierrez-Cedano.
Died: October 5, 2025.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: West Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Wheelchair user.

Details:
Ana, her sister, and her autistic son were allegedly attacked by her ex-husband. Ana and her sister died from their wounds; her son survived, but needed emergency surgery for a gunshot wound to the stomach.

Ana is survived by a daughter, who has children of her own and will be taking in her brother, who lost his caregiver when his mother died. The two children who were in the home at the time of the shooting were unhurt.

Case Status:
Santiago Payano-Sanchez (Ex-husband) is charged with two counts of criminal homicide and one count each of attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children and possession of an instrument of crime.

Sources:
West Hempfield Township man charged with shooting two people to death
Lancaster County man accused in double homicide previously threatened to kill wife: PFA
‘She loved deeply’: Family mourn grandmother killed in West Hempfield double homicide
Donate to Help the Payano-Gutierrez Family After a Tragic Loss, organized by Tatyana Dejesus

Unknown Elder Woman

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: October 2, 2025.
Age at death: Elder.
Cause of death: Sharp force trauma.
Location: Ore, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Disability: Blind.

Details:
This elderly woman’s grandson told neighbors that she was dead, but not to tell anyone. Worried, the neighbors waited for her grandson to leave the house and went in to check on her, only to find her dead. They summoned the police, who arrested the grandson.

She was known as “Mama” by her community, who said she was a quiet, harmless woman.

Case Status:
Toheeb Ahmed (Grandson) was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Carpenter, 27, Allegedly Hacks Blind Grandmother to Death in Ondo
Ondo Carpenter Hacks Blind Grandmother to Death

Evan O’Connor

Name: Evan O’Connor.
Died: September 29, 2025.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Drumgowna, County Louth, Ireland.
Disability: Autism.

Other victims: Mark and Louise O’Connor, Evan’s parents.

Details:
Evan’s brother allegedly stabbed him and his parents to death.

When he was a child, Evan’s parents helped set up a special-education school, which he attended until graduation. Evan loved going to theme parks, was a Thomas the Tank Engine fan, and could often be seen wearing colorful shirts and odd socks.

Case Status:
Robert O’Connor (Brother) is charged with murder.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Evan O’Connor
Desperate dad and son tried to flee as killer wiped out family
Louth: Mother, father and autistic son suffered violent deaths, gardaí say
Parents and Son Fatally Stabbed in Their Home Weeks After Celebrating 33rd Wedding Anniversary, Suspect Arrested
Man ‘murdered his parents and disabled brother in violent family tragedy’
Man expected to appear in court in relation to deaths of Louth couple and son
County Louth: Vigil held for murdered parents and brother
County Louth: ‘I’m hurting, we all are’ says son of O’Connor family at funeral
County Louth: Man charged with murder of parents and brother in Drumgowna

Dennis Recker

No Photo Name: Dennis Recker.
Died: September 12, 2025.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Frail elder; nursing home resident.

Details:
Dennis was fatally shot at a nursing home. His wife is charged with the crime.

Case Status:
Hariett Kay Recker (Wife) is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Sources:
Woman arrested following fatal shooting at Beaufort Co. assisted living facility
82-year-old woman charged with murder after shooting on Hilton Head Island
Elderly woman arrested, charged with murder in Hilton Head Island shooting
Hilton Head Island Murder: Woman Charged
Deputies charge 82-year-old after husband killed at Hilton Head assisted living facility

Rebeca Paiz

Name: Rebeca Paiz.
Died: September 9, 2025.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Gas inhalation.
Location: Breña Alta, Canary Islands, Spain.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Rebeca survived living in an abusive institution, but she died while living with her mother–who had sued the institution and brought her home, only to allegedly poison her with toxic gas. The two were found after the mother’s own suicide attempt; Rebeca could not be revived.

Case Status:
Eugenia Paiz (mother) is charged with murder.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Rebeca Paiz
Provisional prison for murder for the mother accused of killing her autistic daughter in the Canary Islands
Woman dies after allegedly being forced to inhale toxic gases
A Canary Islands court investigates a mother for killing her daughter and trying to take her own life afterwards
Investigan si una mujer mató a su hija discapacitada y luego intentó suicidarse en La Palma
Ingresa en prisión por asesinato la madre que supuestamente mató a su hija con gas
Investigan a una mujer por matar presuntamente a su hija discapacitada al hacerle inhalar gases tóxicos en La Palma
Un año de tortura para Rebeca en el “psiquiátrico de los horrores”
Investigan a una mujer por matar presuntamente a su hija discapacitada al hacerle inhalar gases tóxicos en La Palma

Anu Kumar

Name: Anu Kumar.
Died: August 19, 2025.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Cobram, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.

Details:
Anu’s husband allegedly killed her. Her two children were in the home at the time, but escaped physically unhurt.

Anu is remembered as a polite, sweet woman and a devoted mother who lived an isolated life in Australia. She had moved from her childhood home in Bangalore to join her husband in Australia.

Case Status:
Prem Kumar (Husband), charged with murder.

Sources:
Prem Kumar charged with murder of estranged wife Anu as their two children played in backyard
‘I am Sikh warrior’: Indian-origin man in Australia forces children to record video, after murdering their mother next room
“Brainwashed”: Family violence murder accused Prem Kumar converted to Islam after moving to Australia
‘She didn’t know anyone’: Anu’s isolated Australian life before alleged murder