Type: Fatal Neglect – Disability Day of Mourning

Donna Featherstone

Name: Donna Featherstone.
Died: January 25, 2019.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Pleasant Grove, Utah, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Donna’s son left her in place on her couch; she died from pneumonia, influenza, and sepsis due to infected pressure sores.

She and her husband had worked as owners and administrators of a nursing home. Her cousin remembers her infectious smile and bubbly personality; getting a hug from her was, she says, “like a huge pillow just enveloping you.” Her hobby was researching her family’s genealogy.

Perpetrator: Mackey Featherstone (Son), charged with aggravated abuse of an elder adult.

Source:
Police: Pleasant Grove man arrested after leaving mother in deplorable conditions
Donna Jeanne Featherstone – View Obituary & Service Information
Pleasant Grove woman dies after living two weeks in ‘horrendous’ conditions

Sharon McManness

No Photo Name: Sharon McManness.
Died: January 23, 2019.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Olanthe, Kansas, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Sharon’s son moved in to care for her, but then moved back out even though she had severe dementia. She needed more care than he provided, and was eventually found dead. She was malnourished and dehydrated, weighed only 58 pounds, and most likely died from an infection caused by her severe bedsores.

Perpetrator: Raymond McManness (Son), charged with first-degree murder and mistreatment of a dependent adult.

Source:
New Kansas elder abuse law used to charge son with Olathe mom’s murder
Olathe man accused of killing his mother appears in court
Man charged with murder after Olathe woman found dead in home
Son charged in connection with death of 75-year-old mother in Olathe
Olathe woman died weighing 58 pounds; son refused to take her to doctor: charges
Grisly details revealed in Olathe mistreatment case where son is accused of murder in mom’s death
Kansas man charged in death of mother who weighed 58 lbs
Kansas man charged in death of ‘very emaciated’ 58-pound mom
Update: Kansas man charged in death of mother who weighed 58 lbs

Anita Arias

No Photo Name: Anita Arias.
Died: January 21, 2019.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Melbourne, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
Anita lived with her grandson and his wife. The house was cluttered and dirty, and they had many pet reptiles.

Anita’s grandson, nominally her caregiver, neglected her while using her pension for his own expenses. She died of dehydration and starvation with severe bedsores and a blood sugar that was as high as the test could measure.

Perpetrator: Allen Arias (Grandson), charged with aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person.

Source:
Florida man charged with grandmother’s death; deputies say her bed was filled with maggots
Melbourne man charged after grandmother’s death
Melbourne man arrested after grandmother, 87, died from lack of medication and care, police say
Affidavit for Arrest Warrant (Allen Glenn Arias)

Delanie Manning

No Photo Name: Delanie Manning.
Died: December 19, 2018.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness; bedbound.

Details:
Delanie’s husband neglected her. In the six months she had had to stay in bed, he had moved her only three times. She developed severe pressure sores and lost more than a third of her body weight. When she died from neglect, she weighed 90 pounds and had a broken femur and multiple pressure sores.

Perpetrator: Gilberto Alcocer (Husband), charged with abuse of a vulnerable adult.

Source:
Man charged with neglect in death of bedridden wife
Lincoln man charged with abuse after bedridden wife found with skin peeling, bone exposed
Nebraska Man Charged With Abuse After Bedridden Wife Dies

Cyra Harrison

Photo of Cyra Harrison, a teenage girl with brown hair tied up in a ribbon, smiling at the camera and wearing two blue first-place ribbons pinned to her hoodie. Name: Cyra Shantell Marie Harrison.
Died: November 23, 2018.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Elizabeth, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Cyra died from neglect after being forced to live in terrible conditions by her mother and two housemates.

The first-place ribbons she is wearing in her picture may be bowling ribbons, a sport Cyra enjoyed.

Perpetrator: Karen Johnson Harrison (Mother); Marilyn Sue Maricle, and Glen E. Maricle (Housemates); all charged with second degree murder, conspiracy to commit second degree murder, cruelty to the infirmed, and cruelty to a juvenile.

Source:
2 defendants in neglect death case reject offers of life sentences
3 accused in Elizabeth woman’s neglect death to be arraigned next week
Arrests made after special needs patient died, found in deplorable living conditions
Sheriff: Extreme neglect leads to death of special needs person
Mom, couple charged in death of Elizabeth special-needs patient
Arrests made after special needs patient died, found in deplorable living conditions
Elizabeth woman who died from alleged neglect identified
Police release identity of woman killed
Authorities ID special-needs woman believed slain by neglect
Prosecutor intends to seek bond increase in ‘heinous’ neglect death case
Cyra Harrison Obituary
Court dates set for 2 in case of Elizabeth woman’s neglect death
Rapides grand jury indicts three in the murder of woman with cerebral palsy
Arraignment set for three charged with murder of woman with cerebral palsy
3 accused in Elizabeth woman’s neglect death plead not guilty

Emily Hampshire

Name: Emily Ikue-Rose Hampshire.
Died: November 3, 2018.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Medical neglect.
Location: Alton, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Type I diabetes.

Details:
When Emily was diagnosed with diabetes, her mother concealed the diagnosis and neglected to treat her. Emily died of diabetic ketoacidosis, and her mother only called the paramedics after her heart stopped.

Emily was an outgoing girl who “never met a stranger”. She was a cheerleader, a dancer, a singer, and an actor. She played volleyball and competed in local beauty contests and talent shows. At school, she was a good student who focused on reading and writing.

Perpetrator: Amber L. Hampshire (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Source:
Teenager’s Death Is a Reminder of How Critical It Is for Parents to Support Chronically Ill Kids
Alton teen died after mother concealed her diabetes, charges allege — ‘totally treatable’ and ‘heartbreaking’, says prosecutor
Mother charged with involuntary manslaughter in death of diabetic teen
Emily Ikue-Rose Hampshire of Alton Obituary
Emily Hampshire Fundraiser
Teen died after mother concealed diabetes, charges claim
Mother Allegedly Hid Daughter’s Diabetes Diagnosis, Leading to the Girl’s Death
Mother Charged With Manslaughter After Daughter Dies From Lack of Diabetes Treatment
Mother charged with involuntary manslaughter for daughter’s death after concealing girl’s diabetes
A Woman Was Arrested For Allegedly Not Treating Her Daughter’s Diabetes And Letting Her Die
Girl that Died from Diabetes Saw a Chiropractor Instead of a Doctor

Linda Sweat

No Photo Name: Linda Sweat.
Died: October 23, 2018.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Mansfield, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; disabled elder, “bedridden”.

Details:
Linda’s daughter starved her to death.

Perpetrator: Jennifer Sweat (Daughter), charged with murder, manslaughter, and failure to provide for an incapacitated person.

Source:
Woman whose mother starved to death charged with murder
Mansfield woman indicted for murder after her mother starves to death
Mansfield woman arrested in suspicious death of 77-year-old mother
Woman accused of starving her mom ‘lied from the beginning,’ detective says
Woman held on $500,000 cash bond in connection with mother’s death

Ecie Gabrielsen

Name: Ecie Gabrielsen.
Died: September 29, 2018.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Citrus Springs, Florida, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Ecie loved kids and her family. She had five grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren, and she would often go out to dinner with them and tell them stories of when she was a girl in Kentucky coal country.

Ecie’s grandson, who had moved in to help her out, gradually separated her from her family; then he neglected her until she died. He buried her in a shallow grave, told family he had put her in a nursing home, and tried to flee to Mexico. He and his girlfriend were arrested at the border.

Perpetrator: Arthur Miller (Grandson/Adoptive son), charged with neglect and gross abuse of a human body; Vivian Gutierrez (Grandson’s girlfriend), charged with neglect.

Source:
Family remembers Ecie Gabrielsen as loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother
Florida man allegedly neglected grandmother to point of death, buried her, tried to flee country
Family of Citrus Springs woman neglected until death speak out
Man allegedly neglected grandmother to point of death, buried her, tried to flee country
Deputies: Man neglected grandmother until she died, tried to flee U.S.

Jalen Goldsborough

Photo of a boy lying in bed, covered with a blanket. He has dark-brown eyes, brown skin, and dark hair. His hands are balled into fists. Name: Jalen Goldsborough.
Died: September 2, 2018.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Hopewell, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Shaken baby syndrome; required 24-hour care.

Details:
Jalen was abused by his father when he was a baby. He survived and his father went to prison, but Jalen was left with severe disabilities.

At 13, Jalen was found starved to death. His mother and her boyfriend were arrested.

Perpetrator: Amy FaJohn (Mother), charged with first-degree murder and child neglect; Anthony Saunders (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with child neglect.

Source:
Medical Examiner: Murdered Hopewell teen with special needs starved to death
2 charged in death of Hopewell 13-year-old
Murdered Hopewell teen was victim of severe abuse as infant
Mother charged with murder in death of severely disabled 13-year-old

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