Type: Fatal Neglect – Page 7 – Disability Day of Mourning

Baili Cowell

No Photo Name: Baili Cowell.
Died: April 24, 2022.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Unspecified caretaker neglect.
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA.
Disability: “Functionally impaired”.

Details:
Baili was found dead in her home. Police, who arrested her mother, say she had been left immobile, allowing pressure sores to develop, that she was dehydrated, and that she had not been taken to medical appointments.

Case Status:
Shelly Gantka (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 6 months in jail and 5 years probation.

Sources:
Woman who neglected bedridden daughter gets jail time, 5 years’ probation for death
Toledo woman sentenced to probation in connection to her daughter’s death
Mother charged in April death of daughter in Toledo
Mother arrested, charged with involuntary manslaughter in death of her teenage child
Woman pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter of daughter

Tiffani Scholten

Name: Tiffani Scholten.
Died: April 18, 2022.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Rett syndrome.

Details:
Tiffani was found dead in her home, her body “extremely emaciated”. Child protection detectives said that “the care for [Tiffani] was insufficient and directly related to her death”. Because of Tiffani’s multiple medical conditions, it took more than two years of investigation before her parents were charged with murder.

Case Status:
Carrissa Scholten (Mother), charged with murder.
Aaron Paul Richardson (Mother’s partner), charged with murder.

Sources:
How a glamorous mum was charged with her ’emaciated’ child’s murder
Gold Coast mother, stepfather charged with murder of 12-year-old daughter
‘Heart-wrenching’: Man, woman charged with 2022 murder of 12-year-old Gold Coast girl
Care of 12yo ‘insufficient’ before death: cops

Heather Baynard

Name: Heather Leigh-Anne Baynard.
Died: April 11, 2022.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Gaffney, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Heather arrived at the hospital unresponsive and was soon declared dead. Police who examined her home discovered that she had been kept in filthy conditions; on autopsy, the coroner reported that she had been severely neglected for many months, causing her medical condition to worsen and eventually become fatal.

Heather loved music, especially Mikey Mason and Disney Jr. She liked pretty lights, bright colors, and traveling.

Case Status:
David Eugene Baynard (Father), convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child, sentenced to 20 years to life.
Bobbie Jo Baynard (Mother), convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child, sentenced to 20 years to life.
Edward Baynard (Brother), convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child, sentenced to 20-60 years.

Sources:
Family Jailed for Killing Girl, 14, With Cerebral Palsy Taken to Hospital With Rotting Legs
South Carolina family neglected disabled daughter — whose rotted legs looked like ‘raw meat’ — so severely she died
Parents, Son Sentenced For Murder After Police Find Rotting Special Needs Daughter In South Carolina House Of Horrors
Disabled teen wasted away in roach-filled crib as parents and brother jailed
‘Worst case of neglect we’ve seen’: Family sentenced for murder of teen with disabilities
Couple, Son Sentenced to Decades in Prison in Death of 14-Year-Old Special Needs Girl
S.C. parents, son convicted of killing daughter who ‘showed extreme signs of disintegration’
Upstate couple and son found guilty in murder of daughter, officials say
Gaffney Family Found Guilty in 2022 Murder of Special Needs Daughter
Unspeakable cruelty of parents who left their disabled daughter to die
Parents, son charged in Upstate girl’s death after she suffered in ‘deplorable conditions,’ warrants say
Family of 14-year-old speaks out after her death, murder charges filed against parents
Girl’s death called ‘horrible,’ ‘worst case’ neglect Upstate officials have ever seen; parents charged
Heather Leigh-Anne Baynard Obituary (2022)

Zada Johnson

Photo of a girl with her head wrapped in striped bedclothes. She has pale skin and curly dark-blonde hair, and is sticking her tongue out slightly. Name: Zada Faith Johnson.
Died: April 10, 2022.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Suffocation; blocked tracheotomy tube.
Location: Lykens, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Details:
Zada needed a tracheotomy tube to breathe and had an oxygen monitor set up, with an alarm that sounded if she didn’t get enough air. According to police, her baby monitor cameras recorded that Zada’s alarm had been ignored for hours the night she died, despite being clearly audible to everyone in the house. Police also say that Zada’s parents regularly left her alone at home with her teenage brother and spent money meant for her medical care on themselves.

Case Status:
Kimberly A. Johnson (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.
Jacob K. Snyder (Mother’s partner), charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

Sources:
Police: Couple’s negligence caused 10-year-old girl’s death in 2022
Couple charged for death of disabled 10-year-old girl in Lykens, police say
Zada Faith Johnson Obituary (2022) – Klingerstown, PA – Minnich Family Funeral Homes, Inc. – Williamstown

Bryleigh Klino

Name: Bryleigh Klino.
Died: February 25, 2022.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Unspecified; death in the setting of neglect, severe bedsores.
Location: Auburn, New York, USA.
Disability: Rett syndrome.

Details:
When Bryleigh died, hospital personnel noticed that she had severe, untreated bedsores and called the authorities, who arrested Bryleigh’s parents.

Bryleigh leaves behind three younger brothers and two younger sisters. She loved the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants and would watch it as much as she could. Many of her things were SpongeBob-themed.

Case Status:
Jennifer M. Klino (Mother), charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Brian T. Burns (Mother’s fiancé), charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

Sources:
Court docs detail what nurses discovered after Auburn teen’s death
Auburn man pleads not guilty in court after death of developmentally disabled teenager
Court Records: Auburn couple charged in 17-year-old’s death neglected health concerns
Two charged after investigation into disabled Auburn teen’s death
Autism Memorial: Bryleigh Klino
Couple charged in connection to death of 17-year-old with disabilities
Auburn couple charged in connection with death of disabled 17-year-old daughter
Bryleigh Klino Obituary (2022) – Auburn, NY – The Citizen

Jason Wilke

No Photo Name: Jason Wilke.
Died: February 1, 2022.
Age at death: 34.
Cause of death: Sepsis; bedsores.
Location: Michigan City, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Mental disability; mobility impaired.

Details:
Jason was brought to the hospital in terrible condition, with multiple untreated and badly contaminated pressure sores. He died several days later in the hospital from sepsis; his mother was arrested.

Case Status:
Mary Lee Wilke (Mother), charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

Sources:
Elderly woman charged with neglect in death of disabled son
Jason M. Wilke Obituary
Mom Charged in Death of Bedridden Son
Elderly woman faces neglect charge after disabled son dies

Brenda Raines

No Photo Name: Brenda Raines.
Died: January 29, 2022.
Age at death: 53.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Odessa, Texas, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Brenda’s family allegedly left her alone for days at a time without feeding her or keeping her clean. She was found dead, severely underweight, having died from starvation.

Case Status:
Christine Raines Claros (Sister, caregiver), charged with murder and injury to a disabled person.
Justin Raines (Family member, caregiver), pleaded guilty to injury to a disabled person, sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication and 600 hours of community service.
Elvira Luera (Family member, caregiver), pleaded guilty to injury to a disabled person, sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication and 600 hours of community service.

Sources:
Disabled woman’s death leads to guilty plea
Texas trio indicted in starvation death of woman with Down Syndrome, now charged with murder
3 arrested in January death of woman with Down Syndrome
3 suspected in starvation death of Odessan
3 arrested for their involvement in January death of woman with Down Syndrome

Karmity Hoeb

Photo of a small girl with pale skin and short, messy red hair, smiling. She has her hands clasped above her head and is wearing an orange tank top. Name: Karmity Faythe Hoeb.
Died: January 25, 2022.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Diabetic ketoacidosis.
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Diabetes.

Details:
Karmity’s parents fed her mostly soda mixed with baby formula in a bottle. When she became sick, her parents didn’t seek medical care for several days, and Karmity died of a diabetes-related brain injury. She also had badly damaged teeth and had never seen a dentist.

Karmity loved racing toy cars and having her picture taken.

Case Status:
Tamara Banks (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 9 to 13 1/2 years.
Christopher Hoeb (Father), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Sources:
US Woman Jailed For Killing Her Daughter, 4, By Feeding Her Diet Of Mountain Dew
‘Not an excuse’: Mom gets prison for death of diabetic 4-year-old fed mostly soda
Parents plead guilty in death of diabetic 4-year-old mostly fed soda through baby bottle
Obituary information for Karmity Faythe Hoeb

Robin Grogan

No Photo Name: Robin Grogan.
Died: January 17, 2022.
Age at death: 58.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, neglect, pneumonia.
Location: Cocoa, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; epilepsy.

Details:
When police were called to Robin’s home for a welfare check, they found her in poor condition, lying on the floor of her filthy home. She was taken to the hospital, but died after twelve days because of severe bedsores, infection, and malnutrition.

Case Status:
Robert Bradford (Boyfriend), charged with manslaughter of an elderly or disabled person.

Sources:
Cocoa man accused of causing partner’s death by neglect charged with manslaughter
Cocoa man charged with manslaughter for 2022 death of disabled wife under his care
Cocoa husband charged in death of ailing wife found in ‘dirty’ home, police say

Alene Schrader

Name: Alene V. “Tudi” Schrader.
Died: January 8, 2022.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Diabetic ketoacidosis.
Location: Wasau, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Diabetes, heart disease.

Details:
In the last days of her life, paramedics were called to Tudi’s home five times, and reported that her granddaughter refused to let them check her vitals. After she died of diabetic ketoacidosis and her granddaughter’s Facebook posts were found to include claims that she had been reducing her grandmother’s insulin and instead giving her vitamins that she had been selling, her granddaughter was arrested.

Tudi and her husband played Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus every Christmas.

Case Status:
Kandise Sheahen (AKA Kandise Sporer), granddaughter, charged with negligently subjecting an individual at risk to abuse causing death.

Sources:
Wausau nurse charged in grandmother’s death – Wausau Pilot & Review
Woman charged with failing to manage grandmother’s diabetes resulting in death