Category: Type: Fatal Neglect

Medical neglect, lack of care, failure to provide necessities of life.

James Parham

Photo of a man sitting in a wheelchair. He is wearing a white T-shirt printed with a logao and a worn beige baseball cap. He has light skin, fuzzy gray hair, and a sparse mustache and beard. One of his eyes is pointed off to the side, and his hands are thin and bent with contractures.Name: James “Little Jimmie” Parham.
Died: February 13, 2023.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Unspecified neglect.
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
James, called Little Jimmie, died from alleged neglect while in the care of his father and nephew.

Jimmie was a car enthusiast who enjoyed going to car shows.

Case Status:
James Parham Sr. (Father), charged with first-degree murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in serious physical harm.
Austin Parham (Nephew), charged with first-degree murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in serious physical harm.

Sources:
Father, nephew charged with killing disabled man last February in Montgomery County – ClarksvilleNow.com
James Parham – ClarksvilleNow.com

16-year-old boy

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: January 31, 2023.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Complications of ulcerative colitis.
Location: Salem Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness.

Details:
This 16-year-old boy was found dead from untreated medical problems after a long history of medical neglect by his family.

Case Status:
Cheryl D’Angola (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse; died while awaiting trial.

Sources:
Woman charged with homicide in son’s death dies at Washtenaw County Jail

Cora Laszkiewicz

No PhotoName: Cora Laszkiewicz.
Died: January 4, 2023.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Cora died of malnutrition under the care of her mother.

Case Status:
Amy Laszkiewicz (Mother), charged with recklessly subjecting an at-risk individual to abuse causing death.

Sources:
Mother charged in malnutrition death of autistic daughter
Mother allegedly allowed her daughter with “severe autism” to starve herself to death
Pewaukee woman charged in death of malnourished autistic adult daughter
Autism Memorial: Cora Laszkiewicz

Jessie Pickle

Photo of a smiling boy with fair skin and short brown hair, dressed in a brown coat over a red flannel shirt, pointing toward the camera. He is smiling, mouth open.Name: Jessie Pickle.
Died: December 26, 2022.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Untreated infection.
Location: Athens, Texas, USA.
Disability: Autism, fetal alcohol syndrome.

Details:
Jessie died from an untreated infection while in the care of his stepmother. Videos provided to the police by his father, who spent long periods away at work and monitored his children with video cameras, show Jessie’s stepmother responding to his obvious illness by locking him in his room for the night; in the morning, she found Jessie dead.

Case Status:
Shonna Pickle (Stepmother), charged with injury to a child.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Jessie Pickle
Athens woman arrested in death of 10-year-old autistic non-verbal stepson
Affidavit: Athens woman’s abuse, neglect led to death of child

67-year-old Woman

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: December 4, 2022.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Dehydration.
Location: Puente de Vallecas, Madrid, Spain.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis, COPD, Alzheimer’s.

Details:
When she fell and could not get up, this woman’s husband allegedly left her on the floor, without caring for her or calling for help, for five days. When she died, he called emergency services, who found her in filthy conditions. Her husband had been reported for domestic abuse twice before.

Case Status:
Her husband, arrested; charged with murder and sexist hate-crime/domestic violence.

Sources:
Man in Madrid detained for homicide after leaving wife to die on floor after a fall
Detenido en Madrid un hombre que dejó agonizar hasta la muerte durante cinco días a su mujer, enferma de esclerosis múltiple
Deja morir durante cinco días a su esposa con esclerosis tras caerse en su casa en Madrid
Detenido un hombre por dejar morir durante cinco días a su esposa con esclerosis múltiple tras caerse en su vivienda en Puente de Vallecas

Milagros Martin

No PhotoName: Milagros Nazareth Martín.
Died: November 28, 2022 (Body found).
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Respiratory infection.
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Disability: Prematurity, developmental delay, bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Details:
Milagros’s body was found encased in concrete, in a box her mother had been using as a nightstand. Her mother was arrested. An autopsy determined that Milagros had died from a respiratory infection, and police suspect that it was lack of proper care that caused her death.

Case Status:
Vanesa Mansilla (Mother), charged with negligent homicide.

Sources:
Argentinian Woman Arrested After Missing, Disabled Daughter Found In Cement Nightstand
Argentina mom allegedly put dead girl in concrete block
Body of girl, 5, found in concrete block used as bedside table by mother in Buenos Aires
La autopsia a la niña hallada en una caja de madera determinó que murió por una infección

Madelin Day

Photo of a pale-skinned girl with curly blond hair, lying in a big yellow head-support pillow, fists bunched up next to her face. She has strabismus in one eye. She is smiling.Name: Madelin Anika Day.
Died: November 16, 2022.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Cocaine overdose.
Location: Mattoon, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; mobility impaired.

Details:
Madelin died from a cocaine overdose while in the care of her mother and her boyfriend. It is unknown whether she got into the cocaine on her own, or whether it was deliberately administered.

Madeline liked being outdoors, floating in the pool or soaking up the sun. She had a collection of stuffed animals, and loved her grandma’s dog Milo. Her favorite color was blue.

Case Status:
Taylor West (Mother), charged with first-degree murder and drug-induced homicide.
Maverick Bowman (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with first-degree murder and drug-induced homicide.

Sources:
Police: Disabled child dies of cocaine overdose; two individuals arrested
Two Mattoon people arrested for drug-induced homicide, murder of child
Two arrested in connection with 4-year-old’s cocaine overdose death, police say
Madelin Day Obituary (2017 – 2022)

Eda Karr

No PhotoName: Eda Lyn Karr.
Died: October 18, 2022.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Unspecified neglect.
Location: Stevensville, Montana, USA.
Disability: Parkinson’s disease.

Details:
Eda’s son took his mother out of her nursing home, neglected her until she died, and then hid her body while he continued to collect her retirement checks.

Case Status:
Ronan Sterling-Shanahan, aka Justin Whitfield (Son), convicted of negligent homicide and tampering with evidence, sentenced to 30 years.

Sources:
Stevi man sentenced to 30 years in mother’s death

Joshua Djuric

No PhotoName: Joshua Djuric.
Died: September 26, 2022.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Yagoona, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Joshua’s body was found in his home. He had not been taken to the doctor despite his declining health, and his mother said she had given him only bread and soft drinks to eat. Joshua had been kept in the house, with the windows covered, and had not been allowed to attend school.

Case Status:
Keti Jovanovska (Mother), charged with manslaughter.

Sources:
Yagoona mother charged with manslaughter after death of her autistic son
Mom who killed her starving autistic teen son by feeding him just bread and soft drinks charged | MEAWW
Mother charged with manslaughter after son starved to death
Autism Memorial: Joshua Djuric

Unnamed Baby Girl

No PhotoUnnamed Baby Girl.
Died: September 6, 2022.
Age at death: 1 day.
Cause of death: Abandonment.
Location: Mandya, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Unspecified congenital disability.

Details:
This baby girl, never named, was abandoned by her parents. A pack of wild dogs found her and dragged her onto the grounds of a hospital, where staff rescued her; but she died of her injuries not long after. It is believed that she was abandoned because of her visible disability, because she was born a girl, or both.

Case Status:
Unsolved. Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage and searching for her parents.

Sources:
Karnataka: Abandoned newborn girl dies after being partially eaten by stray dogs in hospital premises; probe on