Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Homicide followed by completed suicide.
Name: Alfonso Rafael Jr.
Died: October 26, 2015.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Westchester, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.
Details:
Alfonso Jr. was shot by his father in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
Alfonso Rafael (Father), deceased.
Source:
Father and Son Found Shot to Death in Westchester: Police
Name: Emily Jean Kaminski.
Died: October 14, 2015.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Prescription drug overdose.
Location: La Mesa, California, USA.
Disability: Multiple disabilities, including blindness.
Details:
Emily’s grandmother gave her a fatal overdose of prescription drugs, then killed herself.
Case status:
Marshelle Marie Newby (Grandmother), deceased.
Source:
Police: California Grandmother Gave Disabled Teen Fatal Overdose in Murder-Suicide
Name: Kathryn “Katie” Burroughs.
Died: September 22, 2015.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Barrington, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, intellectual disability.
Details:
Katie’s father suffocated her, then committed suicide.
Katie enjoyed attending summer camp.
Case status:
Harry Burroughs (Father), deceased.
Source:
Barrington father, daughter dead in apparent murder-suicide, coroner says
Name: Gurneer Chaddha, also spelled “Gunoor” or “Gurneet”.
Died: September 14, 2015.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Rajouri Garden, West Delhi, India.
Disability: Liver disease, asthma, intellectual disability, from aspiration of amniotic fluid during birth.
Details:
Gurneer’s mother spent a lot of money at private hospitals to try to cure her daughter. She strangled Gurneer before killing herself; in her suicide note, she said that she had killed her daughter because Gurneer’s illness could not be cured.
Case status:
Vidhi Chaddha (Mother), deceased.
Source:
‘Please cremate me along with my daughter’: Heartbroken mother kills her two-year-old girl and herself over child’s serious illness | Daily Mail Online
New Delhi: Woman kills daughter, commits suicide over disease
Delhi woman kills child, self over deadly disease
Name: David Swallow.
Died: September 9, 2015.
Age at death: 49.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Dunston, England, UK.
Disability: Intellectual disability.
Details:
David’s mother burned their house down in a murder-suicide; David was taken to the hospital and died there sixteen days later. His father, who tried to rescue him, was hurt but survived.
Case status:
Audrey Swallow (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Desperate attempt to save disabled man from blaze
‘She’d never have hurt him’ – Coroner’s verdict on fire which killed mother and son
Fatal Dunston house fire started deliberately
Double death fire ‘started by woman who wanted to kill herself’
Double fire death inquest set to be held today
Name: Sze-ming Chan.
Died: September 5, 2015.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Hong Kong, China.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Sze-ming’s father killed him and kept the body in his apartment. About five or six days later, he killed himself and Sze-ming’s eight-year-old brother Sze-ho by filling the apartment with charcoal smoke.
Case status:
Chun-hing Chan (Father), deceased.
Source:
Hong Kong father who killed his sons in murder-suicide ‘saw his fortune disappear after inviting dishonest relative to run his business’
Triple murder-suicide: Hong Kong father took son for breakfast before returning to flat to burn charcoal
Autism Memorial: Sze-ming Chan
Name: Maxwell J. Peterson.
Died: July 21, 2015.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury, blood loss.
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Angelman syndrome.
Details:
Maxwell’s father took him to a park and killed him by slitting his throat and shooting him with a nail gun. Then he killed himself.
Maxwell liked playing basketball.
Case status:
Theodore R. Peterson (Father), deceased.
Source:
Medical examiner: Father of Token Creek homicide victim has died
Son identified, father held in killing at Token Creek County Park
Name: Anne Schmidt.
Died: July 5, 2015.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Vineland, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.
Details:
Police had been called to Anne Schmidt’s home because of a domestic disturbance. When they got there, they found that her son had poured gasoline all over the living room; and when an officer approached, Anne’s son ignited the gasoline. Anne was in a wheelchair and unable to escape the flames; she and her son both died. The police officer who had tried to help her was badly burned, but recovered.
Case status:
Karl Schmidt (Son), deceased.
Source:
Vineland explosion ruled murder-suicide
Officers hailed for ‘heroic efforts’ in Vineland explosion
NRPS officers heroic acts recognized by SIU
Obituary of Anne and Karl Schmidt
Long road ahead for burned police officer
Name: Nicholas Richett.
Died: June 12, 2015.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Melvindale, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Nicholas’s father shot him and then killed himself.
Case status:
John Richett Jr. (Father), deceased.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Nicholas Richett
Statement on the murder of Nicholas Richett
Terminally ill man kills himself and autistic son
Melvindale cops say dad killed autistic son, himself
Nicholas Richett Obituary
Name: Thenmozhi.
Age at death: 18.
Disability: Malaikan (night blindness).
Name: Vasanthi.
Age at death: 16.
Disability: Mental illness; unspecified physical disability.
Name: Vasantha Kumar.
Age at death: 14.
Disability: Unspecified physical disability.
Died: May 27, 2015.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Markandeyapuram, Dindigul, India.
Details:
Sisters Thenmozhi and Vasanthi, and their brother Vasantha, were poisoned by their parents in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
Murugesan (Father), deceased.
Krishnaveni (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Dejected Couple Kill 3 Disabled Wards, Commit Suicide
Couple kill 3 children, hang themselves
Upset Couple Poisons 3 Ailing Kids to Death, Hang Selves
Couple poison to death 3 children, end lives