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

Gael

No Photo Name: Gael (Surname unknown).
Died: November 17, 2024.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Unspecified abuse and neglect.
Location: Sete Lagoas, Brazil.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Gael died, his mother called a funeral director to remove the body; but when the funeral home sent an employee, they saw the condition of Gael’s body and called police. He was lying in a damp room, on a dirty mattress; he had injuries on his body, was very malnourished and dirty, and had rotten teeth.

Case Status:
Gael’s mother and stepfather were arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Tragic Death of Child with Cerebral Palsy Reveals Shocking Signs of Violence
Criança com paralisia cerebral é encontrada morta e mãe e padrasto são presos em Sete Lagoas
Criança com paralisia cerebral é morta em MG; casal é preso por suspeita de maus-tratos
Casal é preso após criança com paralisia cerebral morrer com sinais de maus-tratos e desnutrição
Criança com paralisia morta em casa vivia em situação ‘lamentável’, diz tia

Selena Kellum

Name: Selena Kellum.
Died: November 15, 2024.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Unspecified abuse and neglect.
Location: Sebring, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Selena was found dead in her mother’s garage, wearing only a diaper. She was extremely malnourished and covered in injuries in multiple stages of healing, and had been tied to the garage door.

Case Status:
Diana Natasha Mack (Adoptive Mother), charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and destroying evidence.

Sources:
Hernando mother remains worried about 12-year-old daughter’s whereabouts after other daughter’s murder
Former DCF employee accused of abusing, killing adopted daughter in Sebring: ‘Horrific crime’
Birth mother of 13-year-old believed to be murdered shares concern for other child adopted by suspect
Woman charged with abuse and first-degree murder of adopted daughter

James Stirling

No Photo Name: James Stirling.
Died: November 3, 2024.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Dehydration.
Location: Clinton Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Frail elder, bedridden.

Details:
James’s son allegedly left him alone in his home. Police found the son attempting to get back into the house and helped him do so, only to find James’s body. Police say James’s son first said he had seen James only the day before, but then claimed he had left his father with another caregiver four days ago (police believe no other caregiver ever existed). After being abandoned, James died from dehydration.

Case Status:
Michael Stirling (Son) is charged as a habitual offender with involuntary manslaughter and vulnerable adult abuse.

Sources:
Man Left His Bedridden Father to Dehydrate to Death – His One Mistake Exposed Him to the Cops
Clinton Township man accused in his father’s dehydration death

Tegan Fredericks

Name: Tegan Fredericks.
Died: October 28, 2024.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Severe pressure sores.
Location: Port Augusta, South Australia, Australia.
Disability: Physical and intellectual disability.

Details:
Medics were called to Tegan’s home, where she lived with her mother, because she had fallen and could not be put back into her chair. They found her in serious condition and rushed her to the hospital, but she died four days later from severe pressure sores. The home where Tegan had been living was “not fit for human habitation”; authorities say they have found “clear indicators of criminal neglect”.

Case Status:
Tegan’s death has been declared “a major crime”. She lived with her mother, who served as a caregiver, but police are still investigating who exactly was responsible for Tegan’s condition. No one has yet been charged.

Sources:
Death of disabled woman being investigated as major crime
Death of 26yo woman who lived with ‘significant’ disabilities in ‘squalid’ conditions declared a major crime
Woman with disability found dead was in home ‘not fit for humans’

Lalita Dubey

No Photo Name: Lalita Dubey.
Died: October 19, 2024.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Malnutrition/dehydration.
Location: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Disability: Disabled elder; bedridden.

Details:
Lalita lived with her son, who cared for her; but when her son left for vacation, he allegedly left her behind. Her other son, who went to her house to check on her when he learned what had happened, found her dead of hunger and thirst. She had been unable to get out of her bed to get water, food, or medication.

Case Status:
Arun (Son) was charged with unintentional murder and violation of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act.

Sources:
Bhopal Shocker: Son Goes Out of City, Leaving Bedridden Mother Locked Inside House, She Dies Due to Hunger and Thirst
Elderly woman dies in Bhopal after son locks her inside home, goes out of city
MP: Man Locks Elderly Mother Inside Room Of House In Nishatpura To Head Outstation, Woman Dies

Noah Whitmire

Name: Noah Jack Whitmire.
Died: October 18, 2024.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Bay City, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; unable to swallow, used feeding tube.

Details:
Emergency services were summoned to Noah’s home by his mother, who said she had woken to find him unresponsive. The four-year-old, who was declared dead on the scene, weighed only ten pounds. An autopsy established that he had died from malnutrition.

Case Status:
Jessica M. Burke (Mother) is charged with first-degree child abuse.

Sources:
Hearing set for Bay City woman accused of starving child to death
Boy, 4, weighed only 10 pounds. Mother charged with starving him to death.
Noah Jack Whitmire Obituary October 18, 2024

Tylim Hatchett

Name: Tylim Hatchett.
Died: September 18, 2024.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, deafblind.

Details:
Police found Tylim dead on the floor of his apartment. He weighed only 59 pounds, though he had been recorded as weighing 90 pounds only six months earlier. Tylim had been left alone much of the time leading up to his death by starvation. His mother and caregiver falsified their records to claim they were caring for Tylim when they were nowhere near him.

Case Status:
Sherrilynn Hawkins (Mother) pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, neglect of a care-dependent person, and theft by deception; sentenced to 25-50 years.
Vernon Hatchett (Father) is at large. He is charged with manslaughter.
Loretta Harris (Caregiver) pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person and theft by deception.

Sources:
A Montco woman who let her special-needs son waste away in her apartment sentenced to decades in prison
Blind 21-year-old weighing 59 pounds died of neglect, PA cops say. Mom convicted
Mom pleads guilty to murder after son dies from prolonged neglect: DA
Montco mother who neglected her severely disabled son sentenced in his 2024 death
Son, 21, Had Special Needs and Was Neglected by His Mother. He Died Weighing 59 lbs.
Woman pleads guilty to endangering the welfare of a wheelchair-bound Dresher man with cerebral palsy who died under her care. Glenside father still wanted by authorities
Deaf, Blind 21-Year-Old Was Only 59 Pounds at the Time of His Death – Parents Placed Under Arrest
Montgomery County DA hopes reward lead to arrest of father charged in disabled son’s death
Montgomery County DA’s Office offers $5K reward for father charged with neglecting son who died of starvation
Mother, father and caregiver charged after Pennsylvania 21-year-old with cerebral palsy dies of starvation
Parents, caregiver charged in ‘horrible’ starvation death of man with cerebral palsy
Parents accused of starving 21-year-old son with cerebral palsy to death
Parents, caretaker accused of neglect in death of Pennsylvania man with cerebral palsy
Parents Charged with Murder in Son’s Starvation Death
Police: Parents charged after MontCo man with cerebral palsy starved to death
‘Severely emaciated’ 21-year-old was starved to death by parents, caregiver: Police
3 charged after man with cerebral palsy starves to death in Montgomery County
Young man in Montco left for dead by parents in case of ‘depravity’, district attorney says

Jimmy Cardwell

No Photo Name: Jimmy Lamar Cardwell.
Died: August 28, 2024.
Age at death: 71.
Cause of death: Sepsis, osteomyelitis.
Location: Rockledge, Florida, USA.
Disability: Hemiparesis after stroke.

Details:
Paramedics responded to Jimmy’s house to find him thin, filthy, and with multiple infected wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors tried to save his life with emergency surgery, but died later that day. Police say his son admitted to bathing him only every few months and not seeking help for his father’s medical conditions, including the pressure sores that eventually became infected and killed him.

Case Status:
Alton Cardwell (Son), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Brevard County man charged with manslaughter of his father, deputies say
Rockledge Man Arrested for Aggravated Manslaughter of Disabled Father
Son accused in death of elderly father, found smelling of rotting flesh

Consuelo Gonzalez

No Photo Name: Consuelo Gonzalez.
Died: August 21, 2024.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Infected bedsores, untreated broken hip, dehydration/malnutrition.
Location: Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Consuelo was found at her home, having been badly neglected. She had severe, infected bedsores and a broken hip that had gone untreated for a long time. She was taken to the hospital, but died a day later.

Case Status:
Salvador Gonzalez Rivera (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Bond denied for Charleston man accused of murder after his mother was found bedridden, malnourished
Charleston man charged with murder after bedridden mother dies at hospital
Son’s charges upgraded to murder after bedridden woman dies at Charleston hospital

Max Oilouch

Name: Max Oilouch.
Died: May 28, 2024.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Burlington, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; used feeding tube.

Details:
Max died from starvation. He had used a feeding tube, and needed his mother to help him eat.

Case Status:
Khlimolene Oilouch (Mother), charged with second-degree murder and neglect.

Sources:
Burlington mom accused of starving disabled adult son to death appears in court
Max Oilouch Obituary | May 28, 2024 | Burlington, NC