Type: Fatal Neglect – Page 30 – Disability Day of Mourning

James Sootheran

Photo of a middle-aged man in a beige cardigan, sitting in a living chair and reading a book. He has light skin, balding black hair and a beard. Name: James “Anthony” Sootheran.
Died: March 18, 2014.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: South Newington, Oxfordshire, England, UK.
Disability: Mental illness.

Details:
James lived with his elderly mother and a couple who cared for them. He and his mother owned a large property. After James’s mother died, his caregiver and her husband decided that they wanted the family’s money, so they forged a will that entitled them to an inheritance. Realizing that they couldn’t inherit until James was dead, they took advantage of his mental illness and tendency to self-neglect. They locked him in a single filthy room where he starved to death.

Mr. Sootheran was a retired auctioneer’s clerk.

Case status:
Lynda Rickard (Tenant, household member), convicted of murder, sentenced to 28 years to life.
Wayne Rickard (Tenant, household member), convicted of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult, sentenced to 10-and-a-half years.

Source:
Lynda Rickard: Woman who forged millionaire’s will and starved him to death to inherit slice of his estate is jailed for life
Oxfordshire couple starved man to death for windfall, court hears
Husband and wife starved their live-in landlord to death, court hears

Harlan Haynes

Photo: An older man with a full gray beard and hair; he is fair-skinned, balding, wearing tinted glasses. Name: Harlan Haynes.
Died: March 12, 2014 (Body found).
Age at death: 96.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: South Kitsap, Washington, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Harlan was neglected by his daughter; he died of starvation.

Case status:
Renee Roberta Nash (Daughter); pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree manslaughter; sentenced to 2 years in prison.

Source:
Caretaker gets 2 years in prison for father’s death
South Kitsap woman jailed on murder charge in father’s death

Billy Ray Young

Photo of a gravestone partly buried in sandy dirt. It reads "Billy R. Young, October 18, 1961 to March 11, 2014," and is etched with an image of Jesus with hands outstretched. Name: Billy Ray Young.
Died: March 11, 2014.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Belleville, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Physical and mental disability, blindness.

Details:
Billy was allegedly starved to death by his brother and sister-in-law.

Case status:
Richard R. Young (Brother); charged with criminal neglect of a person with a disability.
Elizabeth R. Young (Sister-in-law); convicted of reckless conduct with great bodily harm; sentenced to 1 year.

Source:
Belleville couple charged with neglecting disabled man found dead in home
Couple pleads not guilty in deadly neglect case
Billy Ray Young Obituary (2014) Belleville News-Democrat

Blanche Cowen

No Photo Name: Blanche Effie Cowen.
Died: March 10, 2014.
Age at death: 100.
Cause of death: Starvation, infection.
Location: Rushsylvania, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Elderly disabled.

Details:
Blanche’s daughter was supposed to be caring for her, but instead Blanche was exiled to a filthy trailer behind her daughter’s house. There she stayed with only her developmentally disabled son for company, and he was unable to care for her because of his own disability and health problems. Blanche died of starvation, dehydration, and untreated bedsores. Her son died several months after his mother, from natural causes, at the age of 67.

Case status:
Mary Strawser (Daughter); pled guilty to neglect; sentenced to 18 months, eligible for early release in 30 days.

Source:
Woman pleads guilty in 100-year-old mother’s death

Monique Johnson

No Photo Name: Monique Johnson.
Died: February 12, 2014.
Age at death: 37.
Cause of death: Starvation/dehydration.
Location: Sacramento, California, USA.
Disability: Developmentally disabled; mobility impaired; non-verbal.

Details:
Monique died of severe neglect, dehydration, and starvation, weighing only 37 pounds. Her mother and sister took the money the state gave them to care for her, refusing offers of help.

Case status:
Sheila Johnson (Mother), pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.
Ravetra Jones (Sister), pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and fraud, sentenced to 4 years 8 months.

Source:
Mom, sister sentenced in case of woman ‘neglected to the point of death’
Sacramento Mother Who Starved Daughter to Death Sentenced
Mother & Daughter Convicted for Death of Disabled Victim
Sacramento Mom Tells CBS13 She Didn’t Starve Disabled Daughter To Death
Mother, sister of woman who starved plead in Sacramento court
Mom, sister sentenced in case of woman ‘neglected to the point of death’
Monique Johnson Obituary

Bridget Charlebois

Name: Bridget Charlebois.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Disability: Quadriplegic.
Died: February 2, 2014.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Details:
Bridget’s abusive boyfriend and caregiver had already been caught once leaving her for twelve hours without food or water.

Bridget was nine months pregnant when she had a medical emergency. Instead of helping her or calling emergency services, her boyfriend let her die. By the time an ambulance was called, Bridget was dead, and it was too late to save her baby boy, Isaiah.

Case status:
Andres Bohn Reyes (Bridget’s fiance), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 6-7 years.

Source:
Glendale caregiver arrested for murder of disabled fiancee, unborn son
Phoenix Man Accused of Murdering His Quadriplegic Fiancée and Their Unborn Child
Memories of Bridget Charlebois
Man arrested in 2014 deaths of quadriplegic fiancée, unborn son
Mother of pregnant woman: ‘He watched my daughter die’
Police: Phoenix caregiver let pregnant, quadriplegic fiancee die
Caregiver arrested for murder in death of disabled fiancee, unborn son
Arizona man charged for ‘killing pregnant quadriplegic fiance’
Maricopa County Man Arrested For Death Of Woman, Full Term Unborn Child
County Attorney: The Cold Case of a Cold-Hearted Lover
The Latest: Prosecutor: Caregiver ‘did absolutely nothing’
Man Charged With Killing Quadriplegic And Pregnant Fiancee
Man Accused of Killing Quadriplegic Pregnant Fiancee and Her Unborn Child

Ayahna Comb

Name: Ayahna Comb.
Died: January 29, 2014.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Malnutrition/dehydration.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Ayana was fatally neglected by her mother. When she died, her mother wrapped her in blankets and put her 15-pound body in the crisper drawer of her refrigerator.

Case status:
Amber Keyes (Mother), pleaded guilty to injury to a child by omission, sentenced to 20-40 years.

Source:
Death of girl found wrapped in blankets in refrigerator ruled a homicide
Mother of girl, 9, found dead in refrigerator sentenced to 40 years

Susan Simonetti

Photo of Susan Simonetti, a woman with curly dark hair and olive-toned skin, smiling for the camera. The photo has a faint watermark or stamp on it. Name: Susan Simonetti.
Died: January 18, 2014.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Neglect-related.
Location: New Britain, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Susan’s brother was under investigation for her death when her mother also died from neglect in similar circumstances.

Case status:
Frank Simonetti (Brother), no charges; charged later for a similar neglect death of his mother, Michaelina Simonetti.

Source:
New Britain Man Charged With Manslaughter In 93-Year-Old Mother’s Death

Aidan Bossingham

Photo of a young boy with light olive-toned skin, wearing a sweatshirt and a Cardinals baseball cap. Name: Aidan Edward Bossingham.
Died: January 12, 2014.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Kenmare, North Dakota, USA.
Disability: Growth hormone deficiency.

Details:
Aidan’s mother refused him treatment for his growth hormone deficiency and starved him until he died.

Case status:
Jessica Lee Jensen (Mother); pled guilty to murder and child neglect; sentenced to 40 years in prison with 15 years suspended.

Source:
North Dakota woman sentenced in child starvation case
N.D. 13-year-old weighed 21 pounds; mom accused in his starvation death

Bruce Simmons

School photo of Bruce Simmons, a young man with pale skin and brown hair gelled into a neat side-parted style. He is wearing a brown flannel shirt. Name: Bruce Simmons.
Died: January 12, 2014.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Kindred, North Dakota, USA.
Disability: Mental illness.

Details:
Bruce’s brother neglected him, letting him starve and freeze to death.

Case status:
Ronald Simmons (Brother), pleaded guilty to one count of endangering a vulnerable person, sentenced to 1 year of parole.

Source:
Plea deal disgusts sister-in-law of brothers in frozen farmhouse case
North Dakota man let mentally ill brother freeze to death: charges