Type: Other Deaths – Disability Day of Mourning

Athena Brownfield

Name: Athena Brownfield.
Died: January 17, 2023 (Body found; died December 25, 2022).
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Cyril, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Athena and her five-year-old sister lived with a couple who served as their caregivers. On a cold January day, Athena’s sister was found wandering her neighborhood by the mail carrier, but Athena herself was nowhere to be found. Police questioned their caregivers and, after reportedly finding evidence on one of the caregivers’ cell phones, arrested their caregivers. Police believe they have found Athena’s body, but it has not yet been positively identified.

Case Status:
Ivon Adams (Caretaker), charged with first-degree murder and child neglect.
Alysia Adams (Caretaker), charged with first-degree murder and child neglect.

Sources:

Caregiver ‘beat’ 4-year-old Oklahoma girl to death on Christmas, court documents say
Athena Brownfield: Remains found in Oklahoma identified as missing 4-year-old
Body found in search for missing four-year-old Athena Brownfield after caregiver charged with murder
Man Faces Murder Charge In Case Of Missing 4-Year-Old Girl
OSBI, OHP and others searching for missing little girl
Athena Brownfield update: Male caregiver faces murder charge in missing 4-year-old girl, police say
A married couple taking care of a 4-year-old girl is under arrest and face charges in her disappearance, Oklahoma officials say
Second caregiver faces murder charge after disappearance of 4-year-old Oklahoma girl
AZ court docs: Second caregiver of missing Oklahoma child arrested on murder, neglect complaints
Autism Memorial: Athena Brownfield

Kaleb Bogan

Photo of a young boy with dark skin, grinning at the camera, lying back on a pillow, wearing an orange tank top printed with "Let's" (the rest of the message is out of frame). Name: Kaleb Bogan.
Died: January 15, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma and burns.
Location: Tupelo, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Paramedics were called to Kaleb’s home, where he was unresponsive. They performed CPR but were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital, where doctors reported that Kaleb’s body was covered in scars and burns. His mother was arrested.

Case Status:
Brianna Young (Mother), charged with murder, child abuse, and child neglect.

Sources:
Tupelo mother held without bond after charges upgraded to capital murder
Tupelo woman charged with child abuse after 5 year old autistic child died over weekend | Tippah News
Tupelo woman charged after five-year-old autistic son dies | DeSoto County News
Tupelo mom charged in death of 5-year-old son
Funeral Expenses for Kaleb Bogan, organized by Leslie Harris
Autism Memorial: Kaleb Bogan

Josiah Green

No Photo Name: Josiah Green.
Died: December 4, 2022.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Josiah’s father called for an ambulance, medics found the teenager dead, with severe burns over 90% of his body. His father allegedly told authorities that Josiah had accidentally fallen into a bathtub full of scalding water two days before, and he had treated the boy with over-the-counter remedies instead of taking him to the hospital. Police say that the extent of the teen’s burns is not consistent with the brief exposure to hot tap water that his father reported.

Case Status:
Josiah’s death has been ruled a homicide. Police are still investigating the possibility that Josiah was accidentally burned, after which medical care was delayed for two days.

Sources:
Death of special needs Brooklyn teen found burned in apartment deemed a homicide, NYPD says
Special needs teen Josiah Green found burned to death in NYC home
Teenager with special needs found burned to death in bathtub
Brooklyn special needs teen’s death from scalding water burns a homicide, NYPD says

Shanice Watts

No Photo Name: Shanice Nicole Watts.
Died: October 5, 2022.
Age at death: 34.
Cause of death: Unspecified.
Location: Laurel, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Unspecified special needs.

Details:
Shanice’s body was found in her home; she had been dead for six months or more. Her mother was arrested and charged with murder.

Case Status:
Phyllis Watts-Tiller (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Body ID’d as murder suspect’s daughter
Woman’s body found in Laurel identified, mother charged with murder
Police: Victim found in Mississippi house more than six months after she died has been identified. Mother charged with her murder.

Mr. Lee

No Photo Name: Lee (Surname; given name unknown).
Died: June 2021.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Mr. Lee’s brother gave him whiskey and sleeping pills. Shortly afterward, Mr. Lee was found dead, having died by drowning in a stream where his brother had left him.

Case Status:
Mr. Lee (Brother), convicted of murder and mishandling drugs, sentenced to 30 years; on appeal, the sentence was commuted to 10 years for abandonment rather than murder because the court could not find proof that Mr. Lee had actively drowned his brother, rather than simply leaving him near the stream, where he stumbled in and drowned.

Sources:
Man sentenced to 10 years for abandonment death of intellectually disabled brother

Mavis Long

Name: Mavis Long.
Died: May 10, 2019.
Age at death: 77.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Pennant, Ceredigion, Wales, UK.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Mavis lived with her husband. After an argument, her husband grabbed and strangled her to death.

Case status:
Frank Long (Husband), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years, 4 months, to be served in care.

Source:
Husband Charged And Sentenced For Killing His Alzheimer’s Suffering Wife
Man, 80, jailed for strangling wife after row
Husband in court on wife murder charge
Husband jailed for more than three years for manslaughter of his wife

Stephanie Packman

No Photo Name: Stephanie Packman.
Died: August 1, 2018.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Kemsley, Kent, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Stephanie had dementia and was living in a care home. When her husband came to get her from the care home, staff became alarmed and called police. But they were too late; Stephanie’s husband had already cut her throat. He attempted suicide himself, but survived.

Stephanie’s husband claims that it had been a suicide pact, but no evidence for this has emerged.

Case status:
Michael Packman (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility, given a 2-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Pensioner charged with murdering his wife over ‘failed suicide pact’
Wife killed in ‘failed suicide pact’ named
Sittingbourne man accused of murdering his wife needed hospital treatment too
Murder suspect remanded in custody after death of woman in Sittingbourne
Pensioner who killed wife with dementia in failed suicide pact spared jail
‘Devoted’ husband who fatally cut dementia-stricken wife’s throat is spared jail

Jesse Wilson

Photo of a boy with deep brown eyes, light-brown skin, and short brown hair, wearing a white polo shirt. Name: Jesse Wilson.
Died: March 8, 2018 (Body found; missing July 18, 2016).
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Undetermined.
Location: Buckeye, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Learning disability, developmental disability.

Details:
Jesse disappeared from his mother’s house. Two years later, his remains were found in a drainage ditch.

Case Status:
Death declared homicide, cause undetermined.
Crystal Wilson (Adoptive mother), charged with abandonment or concealment of a body; charges dropped.

Sources:
Jesse Wilson: Criminal case against adoptive mother ‘will not be moving forward at this time’
Crystal Wilson back in Maricopa County to face charges related to death of her son Jesse
Mother Charged in Connection to 2016 Disappearance of Deceased Boy
Arizona police make arrest in case of 10-year-old boy who went missing and was later found dead
True Crime Arizona Podcast: Adoptive mother of Jesse Wilson charged in connection to his death
Remains of 10-year-old boy missing since 2016 found in irrigation ditch

Levi Illingayuk

Photo of Levi Illingayuk, an Inuit man with his head propped on his hand, speaking to someone off-camera. Name: Levi Illingayuk.
Died: February 3, 2018.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada.
Disability: COPD.

Details:
Levi’s son smashed in his father’s ribs during a drunken fight. Levi was taken to the hospital but died soon afterward because he could not get enough oxygen.

Levi was Inuit and testified for the Qikiqtani Truth Commission about an incident that happened when he was a child. When he was about 12, some of his family died when their camp fell through the ice into the water. While he and others evacuated from the camp were gone, authorities shot their dogs and bulldozed the camp before the survivors had time to go back and collect their belongings.

Case status:
Christopher Jaypoody (Son), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years in prison minus credit for time served; will serve 698 days in jail.

Source:
Nunavut man jailed for vodka-fuelled attack that hastened father’s death
Levi Illingayuk

Kathleen West

Name: Kathleen Dawn “Kat” West.
Died: January 13, 2018.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Calera, Alabama, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder.

Details:
Kat’s husband hit her on the head with a bottle, killing her.

She owned an online web site where she worked as an adult model; her mother says she “wanted everyone to think she was beautiful”.

Kat was the mother of one daughter, who is now living with her grandparents.

Case status:
William Jeffrey West (Husband), convicted of reckless manslaughter, sentenced to 16 years.

Source:
Kat West’s husband, Jeff West, sentenced to 16 years in wife’s death
Alabama husband pleads not guilty in death of exhibitionist wife
Bond cut denied for man accused of killing exhibitionist wife: report
Kat West’s mother says Jeff West not guilty of murder; bond reduction denied
Few answers in Calera mother’s mysterious murder
Kat West’s Mom Defends Husband Accused Of Exhibitionist’s Murder, Says It Was An Accident
Ex-cop pleads not guilty in death of exhibitionist wife
Ala. Husband Is Accused of Killing Wife Found Partially Naked Outside Home — But Victim’s Mom Defends Him
Kat West trial: Jeff West found guilty of reckless manslaughter