Name Unknown. Died: Approx. March 21, 2015. Age at death: 8. Cause of death: Homicide. Location: Amman, Jordan. Disability: Autism.
Details:
This anonymous 8-year-old boy was allegedly murdered by his father, who said he wanted to spare his family the expense and strain of raising an autistic child.
Name: Wendy Blackstone. Died: March 16, 2015. Age at death: 49. Cause of death: Smoke inhalation. Location: Studio City, California, USA. Disability: Deaf, visually impaired.
Details:
Wendy was found in her garage in what seemed to be set up to look like a double suicide with her sister. She and two of her three dogs were found dead of smoke inhalation in a burning garage. Upon investigation, the suicide note that Wendy was supposed to have written was in her sister’s handwriting. Eventually it became clear that her sister had killed Wendy because she was frustrated at having to care for her; she had forged the suicide note, and then lit the fire herself.
Case status:
Jill Blackstone (Sister); pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 8 years.
Name: Rachele Tyburski. Died: March 15, 2015. Age at death: 26. Cause of death: Suffocation. Location: Lakewood, Ohio, USA. Disability: Bipolar disorder.
Details:
Rachele was suffocated to death by her mother; then her sister took her body and dumped it in a field.
She had a four-year-old son.
Case status:
Janet Tyburski (Mother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 19 years to life.
Hannah Tyburski (Sister), pleaded guilty to abuse of a corpse, $750 fine and suspended 90-day jail sentence.
Name: Anthony Joseph “Tony” Tomaselli. Died: March 6, 2015. Age at death: 85. Cause of death: Asphyxia. Location: Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. Disability: Cancer, dementia, heart disease.
Details:
Tony’s two daughters decided to kill him. They say that it was because he didn’t want to go to a nursing home. They fed him sleeping pills and alcohol, but he survived this; so they suffocated him by stuffing a rag down his throat.
Tony was a retired barber who liked to watch Wheel of Fortune and the sunset. He said his prayers every night. His favorite cocktail was vodka and Diet Coke.
Case status:
Mary-Beth Tomaselli (Daughter), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years.
Linda Roberts (Daughter), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 20 years.
Name: Gertrudes “Diana” Hollis. Died: February 22, 2015. Age at death: 74. Cause of death: Fire. Location: Oceanside, California, USA. Disability: Mobility impaired due to car accident.
Details:
Diana burned to death in an arson fire set by her husband.
Case status:
Andrew Hollis (Husband), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Name: Aja Dasa. Died: February 11, 2015. Age at death: 16. Cause of death: Stabbed. Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. Disability: Autism.
Details:
Aja was allegedly stabbed to death by his brother.
He was a fan of Doctor Who and Star Trek and wanted to study electrical and mechanical engineering in college.
Case status:
Amerendra Dasa (Brother), charged with murder, ruled incompetent to stand trial and hospitalized to restore competence. Died in jail in 2017.
Name: Iblah (Ibrahim) Pilo. Died: January 16, 2015. Age at death: 2. Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead. Location: Chimtanda village, Malawi. Disability: Albinism.
Details:
Iblah’s mother was worried that he would be kidnapped and sold for his body parts, but her husband told her to stay with him, saying that he would protect the little boy.
Days later, Iblah’s mother woke in the night to hear him screaming; he was being kidnapped. She was unable to save him.
Iblah’s body was never found, but it is likely that he was indeed sold for his body parts, which are used in ritual magic. Police arrested his father and two other men.
Case status:
Iblah’s father and two others were charged with kidnapping and burglary, but released due to insufficient evidence.
Name: Brenda Davidson. Died: January 6, 2015 (Body found). Age at death: 72. Cause of death: Homicidal violence. Location: Alvor, Portimão, Algarve, Portugal. Disability: Cancer.
Details:
Brenda’s boyfriend killed her and then buried her body; she was found two months later.
Brenda had two dogs, a mutt and a Labrador mix, whom she called “her babies”.
Case status:
Nigel Jackson (Boyfriend), convicted of murder, desecration of a body, larceny, IT and telecommunications fraud, and misuse of a credit card; sentenced to 25 years.
Name: Susan Winters. Died: January 3, 2015. Age at death: 48. Cause of death: Poisoning. Location: Boulder City, Nevada, USA. Disability: Depression.
Details:
Susan’s death from poisoning with painkillers and antifreeze was initially thought to be a suicide. But her husband–a psychiatrist–admitted to poisoning her and trying to stage a suicide.
Susan was a lawyer, and later became a judge. She loved animals, Elvis, reading, and running marathons.
Case status:
Gregory Dennis (Husband), convicted of involuntary manslaughter; sentenced to 3-10 years.
Died: Unknown; mother arrested in 2015. Age at death: All were under 3. Cause of death: Warfarin poisoning. Location: Ekaterinburg, Russia. Disability: Atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome.
Details:
Sasha, Maxim, and Misha died before their brother Ilya was taken to the hospital, gravely sick from warfarin poisoning. Ilya survived, but the attempted murder tipped off police that his siblings’ deaths might not have been accidental. After exhumation and autopsy, it was determined that Maxim and Misha had both died from warfarin poisoning. Their sister Sasha’s autopsy was inconclusive, but like them, she died young and suddenly.
Their mother, when arrested, claimed she had tried to cure her children, but that it was too difficult; so she wanted to kill them and start a new family with healthy children.
Ilya, who recovered from the poisoning, is now living with his father.
Case status:
Elena Kordyukova (Mother), convicted, sentenced to 18 years.