Type: Fatal Neglect – Page 2 – Disability Day of Mourning

Arthur Stanton

No Photo Name: Arthur Kenneth Stanton.
Died: December 28, 2023.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Negligent care.
Location: Watkinsville, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified/care-dependent.

Details:
Arthur was found in poor condition in his home, where he had been left in filth, uncared-for. He was taken to the hospital, but died the next day.

Case Status:
Daivid Allen Stanton (Son), charged with felony murder, reckless conduct, and neglect of a disabled or elderly person.
Sandra Dee Bass (Housemate), charged with neglect of a disabled or elderly person.

Sources:
Second suspect charged in Oconee Co death
Son arrested in connection to death of father found in ‘extreme medical distress,’ Ga. deputies say
Oconee County man arrested for neglect, murder of 63-year-old father
Man arrested for the murder of his father

Deonte Atwell

Name: Deonte Atwell.
Died: December 25, 2023.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida, hydrocephalus.

Details:
On Christmas day, paramedics responded to Deonte’s home to find him unresponsive; he was declared dead at the hospital. His tiny body weighed only seven pounds, and police who searched the home say they found more than two hundred unopened bottles of the formula Deonte was supposed to get. Deonte’s parents are also charged with neglecting his siblings, ages nine and sixteen.

Case Status:
Michelle Doe (Mother), charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.
Tyreck Irvin (Brother), charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.
James Graham (Grandfather), charged with aggravated manslaughter, child neglect and failure to report child abuse.
Mirlande Ameda (professional caregiver), charged with third-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and child neglect.
Cassandre Lassegue (nurse), charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.

Sources:
Disabled boy, 7, found starved to death on Christmas as food remained unopened
Disabled Florida boy, 7, found starved to death on Christmas – while food remained unopened
Disabled boy, 7, starved to death in horror abuse as mom and family arrested
5 arrested for starving disabled 7-year-old to death in Florida: BSAO
Mom, brother, grandfather and caregivers are charged with starving 7-year-old disabled boy to death
South Florida mother accused of starving her 7-year-old child to death is denied bond
5 adults charged with starving 7-year-old disabled boy to death in Fort Lauderdale
Murder Charges Following Starvation Death Of Disabled Ft Lauderdale Boy
No bail for mom accused of ‘willful torture’ in starvation death of 7-year-old underweight disabled boy

Eli Riggan

Name: Eli Ezekiel Riggan.
Died: November 25, 2023.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Pressure sores, sepsis, kidney failure.
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; mobility impaired.

Details:
Emergency services were summoned to Eli’s home on a call for an unresponsive child, but they found him dead. An autopsy report showed that he had been neglected; the medical examiner found multiple pressure sores that had become septic, causing kidney failure and killing Eli.

Case Status:
Ariel Lea Horn (Mother), charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.
Charles Jackson McClellan Jr. (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.

Sources:
Tucson mom, boyfriend arrested in death of disabled boy, 11
Police: Special needs boy dies from neglect in Tucson
Media Release: Child Abuse Homicide Arrest – 900 Block of E. Limberlost Dr.
Gofundme: 11 year old Eli Riggan’s Funeral Expenses

Elizabeth Clay

Name: Elizabeth Derozan Clay.
Died: November 24, 2023.
Age at death: 93.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Vidalia, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Elizabeth, who could not be safely left alone, was allegedly left alone in her home by her son. She tried to use the stove and burned herself severely with cooking oil; five days later she died from second- and third-degree burns.

Case Status:
Junior Derozan (Son), charged with abuse, cruelty to the infirm, abuse and neglect, and negligent homicide.

Sources:
Caregiver’s charges upgraded to negligent homicide after elderly burn patient dies
Elizabeth Derozan Clay

18-month-old boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: November 22, 2023.
Age at death: 18 months.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Horton, Alabama, USA.
Disability: Multiple congenital conditions.

Details:
Since he was three months old, this child had been living with foster parents. He did well there until he was taken to a children’s hospital for tests, where he was diagnosed with “multiple congenital conditions”. His foster parents, who had been asked to take him to a follow-up appointment in a month’s time, did not appear for the appointment or return phone calls.

Two months later, they appeared at the hospital, carrying the child’s body. In those two months, he had lost a third of his body weight and ultimately died from malnutrition. His foster parents stand accused of deliberately denying him medical care and nourishment, resulting in his death from willful abuse.

Case Status:
Mason Grimes (Foster parent), charged with capital murder of a child under 15, intentional murder, felony murder, and aggravated child abuse.
Brooklyn Grimes (Foster parent), charged with capital murder of a child under 15, intentional murder, murder, and aggravated child abuse.

Sources:
Blount County foster parents charged with capital murder of emaciated 18-month-old: ‘This child deserved to be loved’
2 charged with abuse, murder of 18-month-old foster child in Blount County
Court documents reveal severe neglect and abuse led to child’s death under couple’s care

Logan Halstead

Name: Logan Halstead.
Died: October 29, 2023.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Medical neglect.
Location: Headland, Alabama, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida.

Details:
When Logan’s parents moved out, the new tenants who moved in were horrified to discover Logan’s body hidden in an old freezer in the backyard. Over a week earlier, Logan’s father had called police, allegedly confessing to putting the young man’s body there. The police simply looked in the freezer and did not find the body, but did arrest Logan’s father because he hadn’t shown up to court for a domestic violence charge. Only when the new tenants started emptying the freezer was Logan found. Initially arrested just for corpse abuse, Logan’s parents were eventually charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors say they “recklessly and consciously disregarded the treatment of Logan which resulted in his death.”

Case Status:
Michael Halstead (Father), charged with reckless manslaughter and corpse abuse; died before trial.
Karen Halstead (Mother), charged with reckless manslaughter and corpse abuse.

Sources:
Alabama Man, Awaiting Trial for Death of 19-Year-Old Special Needs Son, Found Dead at Home
Investigator believes couple concealed son’s death to continue receiving government benefits
New homeowners discover body of dead special needs teen in a freezer; parents now charged
Parents of disabled Alabama teen found in backyard freezer charged in his death
Couple charged after son’s decomposed body found in broken freezer

Brandon Storie

Name: Brandon Storie.
Died: October 18, 2023.
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Unspecified neglect.
Location: Cortland, New York, USA.
Disability: Muscular dystrophy, schizophrenia.

Details:
Brandon was found dead in his bedroom in a filthy house, and his death ruled a homicide following an autopsy. His father and brothers, who served as caregivers, were charged in the case. In court, Brandon’s caregivers said that he did not want them to keep him or his room clean, that his health had been declining over the course of the last two years, and that he had become unable to shower or keep himself clean and eventually unable to leave his bed. A social worker who offered to help was turned down, and the family refused to call emergency services until Brandon died.

Brandon loved working on computers and playing with RC cars.

Case Status:
David H. Storie (Father), charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of an incompetent/physically disabled person; pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Michael S. Storie (Brother), pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of an incompetent/physically disabled person, sentenced to 1 year probation.
and Nicholas A. Storie (Brother), pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of an incompetent/physically disabled person, sentenced to 1 year probation.

Sources:
County Court: Brothers receive probation in connection to death of family member
Father pleads guilty in case involving death of disabled son
Suspicious Death Ruled a Homicide in Cortland – Three Arrested and Charged
Obituary of Brandon Storie
Father, brothers accused of allowing disabled Cortland man to die through extreme neglect
Individual accused of manslaughter released
Central NY father charged with causing son’s death; 2 siblings also arrested

Ethan Ruiz

No Photo Name: Ethan Ortiz Ruiz.
Died: October 14, 2023.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Sanford, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Ethan went missing and was found later that day drowned in a pond; he was rushed to the hospital, but could not be resuscitated. At first this was thought to be an unforeseeable accident, since young children, especially those who are autistic, often love water and do not understand the danger of drowning. However, when police investigated, they found that Ethan’s parents had known that he was completely capable of leaving the house unsupervised. He had been lost three times before he died, and no precautions had been taken to prevent it from happening again. His parents were under the influence of marijuana when Ethan left the house for the final time.

Case Status:
Barbara Ruiz (Mother), charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Lester Ortiz (Father), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Ethan Ruiz
Toddler wanders from apartment and drowns in pond, Florida cops say. Parents charged
Police: Parents facing charges after 3-year-old found in Sanford pond dies
Florida Parents Arrested After 3-Year-Old Toddler with Autism Drowns in Pond
Autistic toddler drowns while weed-smoking parents were inside apartment

Michael Parks Jr.

No Photo Name: Michael Steven Parks Jr.
Died: September 17, 2023.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Michael, who lived with his mother, went to bed one night and died in his sleep. At autopsy, examiners took note of his extremely low body mass index and declared that he had died from malnutrition due to neglect.

Case Status:
Pamela Parks (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter and neglect of a disabled adult in a domestic setting causing serious injury.

Sources:
A Winston-Salem woman faces a manslaughter charge after her disabled son’s death in 2023
Autopsy reveals a man died from malnutrition in his mother’s care
Disabled man found dead inside Triad home, woman charged with involuntary manslaughter, officials say
Autopsy reveals Winston-Salem man with Down syndrome died of malnutrition; mother charged with manslaughter

Martha Rutledge

No Photo Name: Martha Rutledge.
Died: August 14, 2023.
Age at death: 99.
Cause of death: Starvation, untended bedsores.
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Martha was found dead at home. Her body was very thin, and she was covered in multiple severe bedsores. Her daughters, with whom she lived, are accused of not providing any medical care to their mother. Martha also had a lot of alcohol and THC in her system when she died; unable to move from her bed, she would not have been able to ingest these on her own. She had not seen a doctor in ten years.

Case Status:
Martha Carroll Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.
and Nancy Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.

Sources:
Rock Hill sisters granted bond for mother’s death whose body has ‘chronic open wound’
Police: Rock Hill woman died from lack of medical care, 2 daughters charged
Martha Rutledge Obituary (2023) – Rock Hill, SC – The Herald