Type: Fatal Neglect – Page 39 – Disability Day of Mourning

Scott Olsen

No Photo Name: Scott Olsen.
Died: December 7, 2003.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Blind and quadriplegic after brain injury.

Details:
Scott’s sister deliberately starved him to death.

Case status:
Kimberly Loebig (Sister); pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter; sentenced to 60 days, freed on time served.

Source:
Sis Charged In Brother Starve Case
GUILTY – PA – Scott Olsen, 29, quadriplegic, starved to death, Glenshaw, 7 Dec 2003

Molly Holt

Photo of Molly Holt, a girl with straight brown hair, cut into bangs and tied back. She is smiling slightly. Name: Molly Holt.
Died: November 10, 2003.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Clarksville, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Mentally challenged/behaviorally challenged.

Details:
Molly’s parents chained her to her bed at night. When the house caught on fire, she burned to death.

Case status:
Teresa Dick (Mother), false imprisonment and manslaughter, 14 years in prison.
Lloyd Holt (Father), negligent homicide and false imprisonment, one year in jail.

Source:
Girl Chained To Bed Dies In Fire
Jury Convicts Ark. Mother in Death of Child Chained to Bed During House Fire

E. A.

No Photo Name: E. A. (Initials; full name unknown.)
Died: August 29, 2003.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Pneumonia and pyelonephritis.
Location: Mortdale, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Physical and intellectual disability; likely osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome.

Details:
EA was born disabled, but his parents did not seek medical attention for him because his father did not believe in modern medicine. EA’s neonatal jaundice and cataracts were only treated once child welfare services became involved. His parents did not respond to his failure to thrive, small size, and weakness, believing that God would heal the child without a doctor’s help. At four years old, he was the size of a fifteen-month-old when he died from infections in his lungs and kidneys.

Case Status:
J. A. (Father), charged with manslaughter, died before trial.
H. A. (Mother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 2 years, suspended for 2 years; released.

Sources:
R v HA
Religious mother admits to son’s death

Eric Bland

No Photo Name: Eric Bland.
Died: February 24, 2003.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Rialto, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Eric’s sister and her boyfriend starved him to death.

Case status:
Delores Johnson (Sister); sentenced to 15 years to life.
Willie Brown (Sister’s boyfriend); sentenced to 18 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Eric Bland
Rialto woman sentenced in kin’s death
Varying Degrees of Disgust
Life with Aspergers: Murdering Disabled People

Christopher Forder

Photo of Christopher Forder, a young boy with olive skin and black hair, smiling. Name: Christopher Forder.
Died: November 22, 2002.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Seabeck, Washington, USA.
Disability: Reactive attachment disorder.

Details:
Christopher died of untreated pneumonia. He had been beaten and starved by his adoptive mother.

Case status:
Kimberly Ann Forder (Adoptive mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Source:
Christopher Forder

Gloria Sam

Name: Gloria Thomas Sam.
Died: May 8, 2002.
Age at death: 9 months.
Cause of death: Infection.
Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Chronic eczema.

Details:
Gloria had eczema, a skin condition that needed treatment; but her father, a homeopath, refused to take her to the doctor. They took the sick little girl with them to India and delayed her treatment because they were jet-lagged. By the time she was finally taken to the hospital, her skin had deteriorated to the point that an infection had taken over her body, and she died three days later.

Case Status:
Thomas Sam (Father), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 6 to 8 years, banned from practicing homeopathy.
Majnu Sam (Mother), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years to 5 years 4 months.

Sources:
Parents put social life before baby
Parents jailed over baby’s death
Baby Gloria’s parents jailed

Brahim Dukes

No Photo Name: Brahim Dukes.
Died: December 29, 2001.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Brahim’s father was jailed for unpaid traffic tickets, he was left with his stepmother, under whose care Brahim starved to death.

Case status:
Audrey McDaniels (Stepmother); convicted of third degree murder; conviction was later reversed due to violation of double jeopardy rule, and she was released.

Source:
COM. v. McDANIELS | 886 A.2d 682 (2005) | a2d68231489
Autism Memorial: Brahim Dukes
Audrey McDaniels v. Winstead, et al.

Amanda Bates

A temporary plaque marking a grave: "Amanda Lois Bates, 1987-2001." Name: Amanda Bates.
Died: February 5, 2001.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Diabetic ketoacidosis, gangrene.
Location: Grand Junction, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Juvenile diabetes.

Details:
Amanda’s juvenile diabetes was left untreated. She died of a combination of diabetic ketoacidosis and a gangrenous infection.

Case status:
Colleen Bates (Mother), pleaded guilty to negligent homicide, given 20 years of probation.
Randy Bates (Father), pleaded guilty to negligent homicide, given 20 years of probation.

Source:
Amanda Bates
Colo. Girl’s Diabetes Death Ruled Homicide
Parents May Be Charged in Girl’s Death | WWRN – World-wide Religious News
No jail for parents in daughter’s death
Faith-healing: No defense against child abuse

Joyce George

Name: Joyce May George.
Died: April 24, 2000.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Pneumonia secondary to malnutrition and pressure sores.
Location: Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Osteoporosis, hyperthyroidism, atrial fibrillation, chronic constipation, depression and mild dementia.

Details:
Joyce was left in place on her bed, allowing large pressure sores to develop and become infected. By the time her son and main caregiver called medics, she was malnourished and dehydrated and her condition was too poor to survive; she died 4 days later in the hospital.

Case Status:
Phillip George (Son), found guilty of manslaughter by criminal negligence, sentenced to 2-3 years.

Sources:
R v George [2004] NSWCCA 247 (19 August 2004)

Tausha Lanham

A photo of Tausha Lanham, a toddler with pale skin and fine ginger hair. Name: Tausha Lee Lanham.
Died: April 19, 1998.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Burgettstown, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Prematurity, developmental delays.

Details:
Tausha’s mother kept her restrained and starved her to death. She was seven years old, but weighed less than twelve pounds, when she died.

Case status:
Michelle Tharp (Mother), first-degree murder, death sentence.

Source:
Under a rock, near some water
Michelle Tharp’s attorneys say she should not face death for starving daughter
Michelle Tharp | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers