Type: Homicide – Disability Day of Mourning

Helen Witter

Name: Helen Kay Witter.
Died: January 17, 2025.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Lombard, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Helen died from a gunshot; police say her husband called 911, admitting to having shot his wife, and was arrested. Her husband’s lawyer is arguing that Helen’s husband shot her because her dementia made her irritable.

As a young woman, Helen was a business secretary; then she became a homemaker to raise her four children. She is survived by seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Case Status:
Charles Witter (Husband), charged with murder.

Sources:
Lombard man accused of murdering wife says he ‘went nuts’
Helen Witter Obituary (1944 – 2025) – Evansville, IL
81-year-old husband accused of shooting his wife to death in their bed

Jayden Dixon

No Photo Name: Jayden Dixon.
Died: January 5, 2025.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Meridian, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Jayden wasn’t seen outside for several days and his trailer was eerily quiet, his neighbors grew worried. One of them approached Jayden’s mother, who argued with the neighbor. The trailer park manager saw them and called the police because Jayden’s mother appeared intoxicated. Police responding to the disturbance found Jayden’s body in the trailer; he had been suffocated, and their three dogs were also dead.

Jayden was good friends with a neighbor’s child; both were autistic, so they understood each other very well. Jayden was known for giving hugs to his friends.

Case Status:
Meagan Dixon (Mother), charged with murder, child abuse resulting in great bodily injury, and three counts related to cruelty toward animals.

Sources:
Homicide investigation at Lovey’s Landing in Sutter County: New details emerge
Meridian mother accused of killing 11-year-old son
Police Say Calif. Mom Was Causing Disturbance. Then They Found Boy, 11, and 3 Dogs Dead
No plea is entered in death of child, 11

Kul Acharya

black and white photo of an older southeast asian man wearing glasses and traditional headwear Name: Kul Prasad Acharya.
Died: December 23, 2024.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi, Khotang, Province 1, Nepal.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
Neighbors grew worried about Kul and his son, 22-year-old Prabin Acharya, and called the police to check on them. Police found their bodies in the home; both had been fatally bludgeoned, and Kul’s other son was missing. After a brief time on the run, the surviving son turned himself in. Police say that he confessed to killing his father and brother because his father had depression, his brother had become addicted to drugs and wasn’t doing well at school, and he believed they were better off dead.

Mr. Acharya was head of the Khotang District Post Office.

Case Status:
Milan Acharya (Son) is charged with murder.

Sources:
Milan Acharya surrenders and confesses he killed father and brother
Balkot double murder suspect surrenders to police
Curb Rising Homicides

Princeton Jones

Name: Princeton Nicholas Jones.
Died: November 30, 2024.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Compton, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Princeton was staying with his grandfather when his father allegedly fatally shot him.

A bright, funny boy, Princeton was very close to his mother.

Case Status:
Nicholas Jones (Father), charged with murder and child abuse resulting in death.

Sources:
West Rancho Dominguez father pleads not guilty in son’s shooting death
Father arrested after his 9-year-old son shot and killed in Compton
Father Arrested In Shooting Death Of Autistic Boy, 9
Father Arrested in Fatal Shooting of 9-Year-Old Autistic Son in Compton

Joyce Gaskins

a middle-aged dark skinned Black woman looks to the right, appearing to be mid-conversation Name: Joyce Elizabeth Gaskins.
Died: November 15, 2024.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Unspecified mental illness.

Details:
Joyce’s neighbor found her dead in her bedroom and called the police. Her son was arrested on suspicion of strangling her and then putting some of her mental health medication in her mouth to try to pass it off as an overdose.

Joyce was a devout Christian who liked sewing, debate, and watching horror and mystery movies. She was the oldest of seven children and had five children of her own.

Case Status:
Ajay Wiggins (Son) was charged with murder. He has been hospitalized for a psychological evaluation and treatment.

Sources:
Joyce Elizabeth Gaskins – View Obituary & Service Information
FOX45: Police say son tried to stage overdose in mother’s death on Druid Hill Avenue
Baltimore man charged with murder of his mother, police say – CBS Baltimore
Baltimore man charged with first-degree murder of his 64-year-old mother in West Baltimore

Phyllis Walburn

Name: Phyllis Walburn.
Died: October 31, 2024.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Oxygen disconnected.
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Bedridden, chronic illness.

Details:
Phyllis’s son allegedly removed her oxygen tube and dumped large amounts of water on her. Police responded to the home and found Phyllis unconscious, with bruises on her neck. She was taken to the hospital, where she spent a week in a coma before dying. Police say that Phyllis’s son confessed to his actions, saying that she “needed to die”.

Phyllis was a country music fan who loved cooking for her family.

Case Status:
Chad Walburn (Son), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Son ‘murdered his bedridden mom by ripping out oxygen tube’
Son wanted bedridden mother to die so he yanked oxygen tube and doused her with water: Cops
Erie man faces 1st-degree murder after police say he admits to removing mom’s oxygen
Coroner rules Erie woman’s death a homicide after a week in a coma
Phyllis Elaine Walburn Obituary 2024
Erie woman dies week after son accused of removing her oxygen, dumping water on her

Malka Semenduyeva

Name: Malka Semenduyeva.
Died: October 25, 2024.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
Police responded to a 911 call to find Malka and her son with multiple stab wounds. Malka was dead; her son, who was badly wounded, was able to tell the police that his brother had stabbed them both.

“I think we just lost an angel,” said one of Malka’s neighbors, who remembers her as one of the kindest women she had ever met.

Malka’s wounded son is expected to recover.

Case Status:
Vadim Semenduyev (Son), charged with murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.

Sources:
Brooklyn man nabbed in stabbing death of 72-year-old deaf mom
Deaf woman fatally stabbed by relative in Brooklyn was ‘an angel,’ neighbor says

7-day-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: October 10, 2024.
Age at death: 7 days.
Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Location: Cheongju-si, South Korea.
Disability: Congenital disorder of the arms.

Details:
In the hospital where she was born, and only a week after her birth, this baby girl was found dead from suffocation with her face down. Her parents said they had put her to bed face-up, but woken to discover her face-down. Since she was too young to have rolled over by herself, investigators were suspicious.

The baby’s parents were initially charged with manslaughter, but police say that evidence found on the parents’ phones proves that they had deliberately planned to kill the child, upgrading the charge to murder. They also say that the couple complained to their gynecologist that they should have had a prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound, and that the gynecologist responded by telling them where the care home had no CCTV cameras and offered to issue the infant’s death certificate.

Case Status:
Her parents and their gynecologist are all charged with murder.

Sources:
In connection with the mysterious death of a one-week-old disabled infant at a postpartum care center
Infants in postpartum care center died. Mother in her 30s arrested
Cheongju disabled child murder case
A biological mother in her 30s accused of killing a baby born with an arm disability has been arrested

Nuraina Rosli

Name: Nuraina Humaira Rosli.
Died: August 17, 2024.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Neck injuries.
Location: Sungai Siput, Malaysia.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
Nuraina, a Primary Four student, went outside to play and was reported missing. The next day, her body was found in a nearby swamp, and a post-mortem determined she had been raped and killed.

Nuraina was one of the Orang Asli, the indigenous population of Peninsular Malaysia.

Case Status:
A 17-year-old boy (close relative, unspecified) has been charged with murder.

Sources:
Teen charged with murder of disabled 10-year-old girl
Teen charged with murder of disabled girl [WATCH]
Missing 10-year-old found dead in Pos Kuala Mu swamp
Teen charged with murder of 10-year-old Orang Asli girl Nuraina Humaira
Ministry to provide support, counselling to Nuraina Humaira’s family, says Nancy

Arshad Shaikh

Name: Arshad Shaikh.
Died: August 5, 2024.
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned, stabbed.
Location: Pydhonie, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Deaf, physically disabled.

Details:
Arshad’s friends allegedly murdered him with a hammer and broken beer bottles, then tried to cart his body away in a suitcase and abandon the suitcase on an express train; but railway police saw them and suspected foul play. Checking the suitcase, they found Arshad’s body inside.

After further investigation, authorities now suspect that Arshad’s wife had been having an affair with one of his friends, and that she, the two friends, and a third man planned and carried out the murder.

Case Status:
Ruksana Shaikh (Wife), arrested on suspicion of tampering with evidence.
Jay Chawda, charged with murder.
Shivjeet Singh, charged with murder.
Jagpalpreeth Singh, suspected of conspiracy to murder.

Sources:
Pydhonie deaf-and-mute murder case: Silent Witnesses, 300-Page Charge Sheet Prepared by Police Without a Word Spoken
Mumbai deaf-mute murder: Victim’s wife deleted WhatsApp chats
Mumbai: NRI mastermind behind deaf-mute murder plot revealed
Suitcase murder: Wife of deaf-mute deceased arrested
Deaf-mute murder case: Victim’s wife arrested in Mumbai
Pydhonie Murder Case: Disabled Wife Arrested In Husband’s Brutal Killing By Speech-Impaired Friends Amid Affair Revelation
How a heavy bag helped railway cop detect murder of deaf-mute Kalyan man