Type: Fatal Neglect – Page 34 – Disability Day of Mourning

Taariq Cross

Name: Taariq Cross.
Died: July 11, 2012.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Hit by car.
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Taariq was left unsupervised and was fatally hit by a car. He had often been left to fend for himself, and just days previously had nearly been hit by a car while unsupervised.

Case status:
Latasha Kendrick (Mother). Not charged.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Taariq Cross
Innocents lost: Taariq Cross, 7
FHP: Autistic boy run over, killed
Taariq Cross: Family wants answers after autistic boy’s tragic death
Petition: Kendrick should face criminal charges for death of Autistic 7yr old son

Alayah-Rose Savarese

Name: Alayah-Rose Savarese .
Died: June 25, 2012.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Ruptured stomach.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Alayah died from a ruptured stomach. Her case was known to social services, and there had been multiple complaints of neglect and reports of bruises on Alayah’s body.

Case status:
Nicole Diggs (Mother) and Oscar Thomas (mother’s boyfriend); charged with neglect, but the charges were dropped. They later inherited $2.1 million that had been placed in trust for Alayah’s care.

Source:
Alayah-Rose Savarese

James Thompson

No Photo
Name: James Thompson.
Died: June 12, 2012.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Starvation, medical neglect.
Location: The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability.

Details:
James was starved to death by his niece. He died with a fractured arm and leg, weighing less than half of the 142 pounds he had weighed two years earlier.

Case status:
Naisia Norman (Niece), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 2-6 years in prison.

Source:
Inmate Lookup » NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
Prosecutors: Woman let uncle starve
Autism Memorial: James Thompson
Niece Accused of Starving Autistic Uncle Worked as Home Health Aide
Bronx Woman Held in the Death of Her Uncle
AUtism Memorial: James Thompson

Russell Fox

Name: Russell Wayne Fox.
Died: March 4, 2012.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Suwannee County, Florida, USA.
Disability: ADHD, developmental delay, cystic fibrosis.

Details:
Russell was denied medical care and not fed enough. He died at the age of 8 from complications of cystic fibrosis. Medical neglect was a contributing factor.

Russell “enjoyed playing outside and watching Spongebob Squarepants.”

Case status:
Lesa Rose Fox (Adoptive mother), not charged. In 2018, she was sentenced to 2 years for a presumably unrelated aggravated assault.

Source:
Russell Wayne Fox
Russell Fox, 8

Michael Elkins

Photo of Michael Elkins, a young man with brown hair and a short beard; he is wearing a black hoodie with the hood up. Name: Michael Elkins.
Died: January 4, 2012.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, malnutrition, sepsis.
Location: Waynetown, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Spinal cord injury, quadriplegia.

Details:
Michael fell off his bike and broke his neck when he was 13 years old. When he was 21, his mother was arrested for neglecting his care and he spent a year away from her. But he was returned to her custody, and at age 25, he died of pneumonia, malnutrition, and blood poisoning from infected bedsores.

Michael watched cartoons with his small nieces and nephews. He liked to go camping.

Case status:
Tammy S. Elkins (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in death, sentenced to 6 years of house arrest.

Source:
Michael Elkins Obituary
Woman faces felony neglect charge
Elkins pleads guilty to neglect
Elkins sentenced in neglect case

Arville Rhodes

No Photo Name: Arville Rhodes.
Died: November 22, 2011.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Head injury, pneumonia, malnutrition.
Location: New Tazewell, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Mental and physical disabilities “from childhood”.

Details:
Arville was beaten and neglected by his nephew and his nephew’s wife. He died of pneumonia, starvation, head injuries, and untreated bedsores.

Case status:
Johnny Monday Rhodes (Nephew), charged with first-degree murder, physical abuse and gross neglect of an impaired adult; convicted of unspecified charges, sentenced to 10 years.
Sharon Marie Smith (Nephew’s wife), convicted of impaired adult abuse, neglect, and reckless homicide; sentenced to 7-25 years.

Source:
Caretakers for New Tazewell man charged with his murder
Claiborne County couple indicted in death of uncle
Son says his mother is innocent of killing a handicapped man

Cora Sam

No Photo Name: Cora Sam.
Died: October 10, 2011.
Age at death: 60.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA.
Disability: Cerebral malformation; likely stroke.

Details:
Cora died of malnutrition and blood poisoning from infected bedsores, weighing 66 pounds.

Case status:
Amy Sam Ho (Sister), found guilty of second-degree murder and dependent adult abuse resulting in death; sentenced to 15 years; conviction overturned due to ineffective defense counsel, with possibility of new trial.

Source:
Woman’s murder and elder abuse conviction reversed in death of her sister in Montebello
Woman, 62, Sentenced To 15 Years For Neglect Of Disabled Sister That Ended In Sibling’s Death
Montebello woman sentenced for abuse, murder of disabled sister
Woman Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison For Murdering Sister
Officials identify Montebello woman whose death is under investigation

Matthew Degner

No Photo Name: Matthew Degner.
Died: September 8, 2011.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Matthew was neglected by his mother. He died of pneumonia.

Case status:
Lydia Price (Mother), charged with neglect, cruelty to animals; sentenced to probation and forbidden from owning animals.

Source:
Woman Gets Probation in Berwyn Squalor Death
What went wrong in disabled Berwyn teen Matthew Degner’s death?
WATCH: Boy Found Dead Outside Squalid Home With More Than 200 Animals
Disabled teen found dead at suburban Chicago home, mother charged
Dead teen Matthew Degner lived with over 100 animals in squalid conditions, authorities say
Boy, 14, found dead in squalid bungalow housing more than 200 animals riddled with disease

Barbara Rabins

No Photo
Name: Barbara Rabins.
Died: August 18, 2011.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Dehydration, choking.
Location: Ross, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability, stroke.

Details:
Barbara’s caregivers neglected her and stole her trust fund money. When she died, she was underweight, dehydrated, and covered in bedsores.

Case status:
John Tedesco and Tina Tedesco, friends of the family, charged with third-degree murder; initially pled guilty, but revoked the plea; convicted of third-degree murder, sentenced to 15 1/4 – 30 1/2 years in prison.

Source:
Defendants in fatal elder neglect case: ‘We did the best we could’
Ross Twp. couple gets state prison time for fatal neglect
Sleeping juror claim doesn’t save man from prison for neglect death of disabled woman

Alejandra Molina

No Photo Name: Alejandra Molina.
Died: August 1, 2011.
Age at death: 7 months.
Cause of death: Heat stroke, dehydration.
Location: Columbus, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Prematurity, special dietary needs.

Details:
Alejandra was neglected by her mother. Born premature and needing extra calories to grow, she was supposed to be fed every few hours, but instead, her mother left her alone for sixteen hours in a hot room. She died of dehydration and heat stroke, five pounds underweight and covered with insect bites.

Case status:
Jessica Shah (Mother), found guilty of first-degree murder, sentenced to life; sentence overturned because of inappropriate jury instructions; granted new trial; found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, sentenced to 7-10 years.

Source:
Mother gets new sentence in infant death case in which bugs fed on chld’s body.
Columbus mom whose dead baby was eaten by bugs gets reduced sentence
A mother was sentenced to life for killing her baby. Then her conviction was thrown out.
S16A1083. SHAH v. THE STATE.
Columbus pediatrician: 7-month-old baby died slowly; 9 lbs. at death