Type: Fatal Neglect – Disability Day of Mourning

Ronald Blankenship

No Photo Name: Ronald Blankenship.
Died: August 20, 2018.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Monticello, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; diabetes, mobility impaired.

Details:
Ronald lived with his sister and nephew, who were supposed to care for him. Instead, they left him neglected in filthy surroundings. Ronald died of severe, untreated bronchopneumonia.

When Ronald was found dead, police also found a young woman with Down syndrome, who had been adopted by one of Ronald’s relatives; she was taken into adult protective services. Three dogs and three cats, also neglected, were taken by animal control; one of the dogs was too sick to survive and had to be euthanized.

Perpetrator: Christie Brown (Sister), Mason Brown (Nephew), and Justin Tatman (Power of Attorney).

Source:
Bond set for three in neglect case | Piatt County Journal-Republican
3 arrested in connection with death of Monticello man

Barbara Lewis-Brown

Name: Barbara Lewis-Brown.
Died: July 22, 2018.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Instead of caring for her, Barbara’s grandchildren left her on the couch. There, she slowly died from a combination of malnutrition, dehydration, and stage 4 pressure sores infected by her filthy environment, having been starved down to a skeletal 108 pounds on her 5’8″ frame.

Barbara was retired from the Louisiana Department of Labor, having worked there for more than thirty years. Her co-workers remember her teaching them their jobs when they were new. She was the “life of the party,” good at encouraging others and brightening their day. She had three children, thirteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Perpetrator: Chastity Lewis (Granddaughter) and Carlnessa Butler (Granddaughter), both charged with manslaughter and cruelty to the infirm.

Source:
New details in Baton Rouge woman’s tragic bedsore death shed light on elderly neglect
Barbara Lewis-Brown’s Obituary on The Advocate
Pair faces manslaughter charge in death of elderly woman
In Memory of Barbara Lewis-Brown — Wilson-Wooddale Funeral Home, Baton Rouge, LA

Mary Smith

Photo of Mary Smith, a heavyset woman with dark-brown skin and shoulder-length hair in ringlets. She is wearing lipstick and a white blouse, and squinting at the camera. Name: Mary Jane Smith.
Died: May 22, 2018.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Dementia, Parkinson’s disease.

Details:
Mary Jane’s daughter took her out of her nursing home and took her home. There, Mary was severely neglected. She didn’t get enough food to eat or adequate medical care, and she developed bedsores. Doctors repeatedly informed Mary’s daughter that she needed care. Finally, Mary was brought to the hospital, weighing only 72 pounds, and died days later.

Mary Jane owned a beauty shop, ran a day care, and worked as a nurse’s aide.

Perpetrator: Gladys Smith (Daughter).

Source:
Denver coroner rules 88-year-old woman’s death a homicide due to neglectful care
88-year-Old Woman’s Death In Denver Declared Homicide
Mary Jane Smith Obituary – Denver, CO

Antoin Hawes Jr.

No Photo Name: Antoin Hawes Jr.
Died: May 13, 2018.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Medical neglect.
Location: Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism, ADHD.

Details:
Antoin’s parents kept him locked in a room with the window boarded up, chained by his ankle. He had to sleep on old couch cushions wrapped in garbage bags and use a bucket for a toilet. There were no lights, no heating, and no air conditioning. When he got sick, they didn’t get him medical help. By the time an ambulance was finally called, he had died of pneumonia.

Perpetrator: Antoin Sylvester Hawes Sr. (Father) and Stephanie Jones Hawes (Mother), both charged with neglect of a disabled adult and felony murder.

Source:
Augusta death investigated, victim kept in room with no windows or bed
Man found dead in Kissingbower Rd. home, parents arrested
Parents arrested in suspicious death of son at Augusta residence
Parents of autistic man found dead indicted on felony murder charges
Richmond County couple indicted on murder charges in disabled son’s death
Shocking Death in Augusta: Parents Kept Autistic Son Locked in Windowless Bedroom!

Cynthia Brunner

No Photo Name: Cynthia Brunner.
Died: February 19, 2018.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Cary, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Diabetes, chronic illness; required caregiver.

Details:
For a month, Cynthia’s son didn’t give her her medication.

When Cynthia fell down the stairs, her son left her on the floor to die, refusing to call for help.

Perpetrator: Eric Paul Brunner (Son), charged with second-degree murder and elder abuse.

Source:
Son charged with murder and abuse of his mother is being held in protective custody
This Man Allegedly Left His Mother to Die Because He Wanted $30,000 From Her Bank Account
Son knew his injured mom would likely die while he ignored her, Wake deputies say
Man accused of letting mom die withheld medicine, sheriff’s investigator says
Cary man left mom to die after falling down stairs, warrants say
Man Allegedly Walked Over Dying Mother to Gain Inheritance

Tial Melvin

No Photo Name: Tial La’Chella Melvin.
Died: February 3, 2018.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, physically and mentally disabled.

Details:
Tial and her sister were both neglected by their adoptive mother. Tial died from starvation and hypothermia, weighing fifty pounds despite being 5’1″ tall.

Perpetrator: Bertha Brewington Melvin (Adoptive mother), charged with first-degree murder and two counts of domestic abuse, neglect, and exploitation of disabled or elderly adults; died before trial.

Source:
Fayetteville woman charged with murdering disabled daughter
Fayetteville mom charged with starving disabled daughter to death :
Fayetteville mom charged with murder, neglect of disabled daughter
Fayetteville woman starved her mentally disabled daughter to death, police say
N. Carolina mom charged in daughter’s malnourishment death
Mom charged with starving disabled daughter to death
Fayetteville mom charged with starving daughter to death
Disabled Fayetteville woman died weighing 50 lbs, autopsy says
Mom starves mentally disabled 55-pound adult daughter to death: Police
Fayetteville woman dies after being charged with killing disabled daughter

William Kidd II

Portrait photo of William Kidd. He is a heavyset teenage boy with fair skin and short brown hair. He has his mouth open. Name: William Gratsie Kidd II.
Died: January 27, 2018.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Neglect (?).
Location: Elkin, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
William loved horses and was good at communicating with them. He also enjoyed music, his four-wheeler, and going to church and school. His favorite food was Kentucky Fried Chicken. He liked shoes and flyswatters, and was mostly non-verbal except for a few signs. He used to ride his tricycle through the school hallways.

William died in a house fire. Detectives determined that the house was “her actions during the fire directly caused the death of her son”, but did not specify further. The house was a cluttered fire hazard, a “hoarding situation” that endangered William’s life.

Perpetrator: Maria Deneane Kidd (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter, child abuse, and insurance fraud.

Source:
Obituary for William Kidd, II
Mom Tried Saving Son in Deadly Surry Co. House Fire: Officials
Mom Charged in Elkin House Fire That Killed Son With Autism
NC woman faces charges in fire death of son with autism
Mount Airy News, Mount Airy NC
Mom charged after 13-year-old son dies in house fire in Surry County
Surry County mother charged in autistic son’s death in house fire
Mother remembers boy killed in Elkin fire
Elkin faculty, students remember student lost in weekend house fire

Paola Manchisi

Name: Paola Manchisi.
Died: January 6, 2018.
Age at death: 31.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Polignano a Mare, Italy.
Disability: Unspecified; possibly mental illness.

Details:
Paola died of starvation at the age of 31, weighing only 30 kilograms. She was found in a filthy, cluttered house, where she had been kept isolated by her parents since she was a teenager.

Perpetrator: Her parents, both being investigated for neglect of a disabled person resulting in death.

Source:
Parents of dead disabled woman probe
Bari, a disabled 31-year-old dies of starvation: parents accused
Bari, 31enne disabile muore di stenti. Dito puntato sui genitori
Polignano, disabile muore di stentiGenitori indagati per abbandono
Trentunenne muore di stenti nel Barese. I genitori indagati per abbandono
La terribile morte di Paola a 31 anni a Polignano e la ricerca di una motivazione che non c’è
Bari. Disabile morta di stenti, il parroco: bussavo, non hanno mai risposto
La brutta storia di Paola Manchisi
PAOLA MANCHISI/ Disabile morta di stenti a Polignano: fratello Lorenzo, “usciva normalmente” (Pomeriggio 5)
Chi l’ha Visto – Misteri – Perché nessuno è riuscito a salvare Paola, segregata e morta di stenti in casa?

Airi Kakimoto

No Photo Name: Airi Kakimoto.
Died: December 23, 2017 (Body found; died December 18, 2017).
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan.
Disability: Mental illness, either schizophrenia or “integration disorder”.

Details:
When she was sixteen or seventeen years old, Airi was diagnosed with a mental illness. Within a year, her parents were using a room in their house to serve as a jail for their daughter. It was unheated and bare, and contained only two mats, a makeshift toilet, and a tube connected to a water tank outside. Airi stayed in this room for fifteen or more years. She was denied clothing and fed only once a day. Too thin to keep herself warm, she died of hypothermia, weighing 19 kilograms (42 pounds).

Perpetrator: Yasutaka Kakimoto (Father) and Yukari Kakimoto (Mother), both arrested and charged with illegally disposing of a body.

Source:
Parents of dead woman admit confining her for 15 years
Parents arrested after daughter kept in tiny cell for 17 years dies：The Asahi Shimbun
Parents of dead Osaka woman reportedly admit confining her for 15 years
Parents knew their locked-up daughter was in dire state: police：The Asahi Shimbun
Japanese couple who confined their daughter rearrested over her freezing death
Couple hit with fresh arrest warrant over death of daughter kept in tiny room for 15 years

Johnny McFadden

No Photo Name: Johnny McFadden.
Died: December 23, 2017.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified severe disability.

Details:
Johnny was neglected by his mother and stepfather. When he died his body showed evidence of malnutrition and severe bedsores.

Perpetrator: Carlissa Malone (Mother) and Roger Malone (Stepfather).

Source:
Couple jailed on neglect charge in disabled man’s death