Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Medical neglect, lack of care, failure to provide necessities of life.
Name: Hannah Davenport.
Died: January 29, 2005.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Malnutrition/dehydration.
Location: Anderson, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Ectopic anus.
Details:
Hannah’s mother starved her to death.
Case status:
Karen Davenport (Mother), found guilty of second degree involuntary manslaughter, fined $5000.
Source:
Hannah Renee Davenport
Name: Karen Elizabeth Dreager.
Died: August 31, 2004.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Karen was neglected by her family. She died of starvation, weighing 50 pounds, down from 200 pounds, covered in severe and untreated bedsores.
Case status:
Debra McMahon (Adoptive sister), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years.
Paul McMahon (Brother-in-law), sentenced to 6 years.
Kimberly McMahon (Niece), charged with first-degree murder.
Source:
History of euthanasia in Canada
The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities:
Murder charges for family in Oak Ridge starvation case
Family charged in starvation of kin
Woman Starved to Death
Family Charged in Starving Disabled Woman
Name: Davontae Marcel Williams.
Died: July 26, 2004.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Arlington, Texas, USA.
Disability: Developmental disabilities due to prematurity.
Details:
Davontae was neglected by his mother and her girlfriend. Weakened by malnutrition, he died of pneumonia.
Case status:
Marcella Williams (Mother), pled guilty to murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Lisa Ann Coleman (Mother’s girlfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to death.
Source:
Davontae Marcel Williams
Top Ten Lesser-Known and Heartbreaking Child Murders
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.