Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Name: Pamela Gordon.
Died: July 4, 2022.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Lionel Town, Clarendon, Jamaica.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.
Details:
Pamela’s grandson found her with her throat cut. She was taken to the hospital, but pronounced dead on arrival.
Case Status:
Her husband, arrested.
Name: Pamelia Gregory.
Died: July 4, 2022.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Clarendon, Jamaica.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.
Details:
Pamelia’s grandson found her dead with a knife wound to her neck. Pamelia’s husband, who allegedly also attacked her grandson when he found her, was arrested and charged with her murder.
Case Status:
Thadius Gregory (Husband), charged with murder.
Sources:
Husband charged with murder after 67-y-o bedridden wife found dead
Husband charged for murder of bedridden wife in Clarendon
Clarendon man charged after confessing to murdering bedridden wife
Name: Katherine Sokolich.
Died: July 3, 2022.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Ballwin, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.
Details:
Katherine’s brother, who was her court-appointed guardian and responsible for taking care of her, beat her because he was frustrated with taking care of her. After he called 911 and reported that she was injured, Katherine was hospitalized, but later died of a brain bleed due to head trauma.
Case Status:
Anthony Sokolich (Brother, guardian), pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to probation.
Sources:
Police say 70-year-old Missouri man killed disabled sister
Man accused of beating disabled sister to death
70-Year-Old Missouri Man Beat His Disabled Sister to Death: Authorities
Disabled woman dies after attack by ‘frustrated’ caretaker brother near Ballwin, police say
Name Unknown.
Died: June 30, 2022.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.
Details:
This 72-year-old man was found dead from a head injury, allegedly after a fight with his 60-year-old cousin, with whom he lived.
Case Status:
His cousin, arrested.
Sources:
Man, 72, beaten to death by cousin during wild fight in their Brooklyn apartment
Name: John V. Hoover.
Died: June 29, 2022.
Age at death: 44.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Hixson, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.
Details:
John was taken to the hospital, severely malnourished and with pressure sores on his body. A week later, he died. Neighbors said John had been rummaging in the trash and asking for food; allegedly, his parents withheld food to force him to take showers, and tied him to the bed at night to keep him from taking food.
Case Status:
John Hoover (Father), charged with felony murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Jacqueline Hoover (Mother), charged with felony murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Sources:
Hixson Couple Facing First-Degree Murder Charges In Starving Death Of Their Adult Son
‘Severe malnutrition:’ Tennessee parents charged with starving adult son to death
A Hixson couple is facing first-degree murder and neglect charges.
Tennessee Couple Accused Of Starving Developmentally Disabled Adult Son To Death
‘Tied Him To A Bed At Night’: Tennessee Parents Face First-Degree Murder Charges For Starving Disabled Son To Death
‘That’s disgraceful:’ Neighbor says Hixson man who died of starvation rummaged for food
Name: Chayse Allen (also spelled “Chase Allen”).
Died: June 24, 2022 (Body found; died March 2022).
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Beaten to death.
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Blind.
Details:
Chayse’s mother, who had a history with child protective services, grew frustrated with him because he wouldn’t eat, so she kicked him in the chest and beat him. When he wouldn’t wake up the next morning, she put his body in a bag and hid it in a freezer, where it was found a few months later during a wellness check. Chayse’s mother also admitted to regularly hitting him with a belt.
Relatives, who called Chayse “the sweetest”, said they had offered to take Chayse off his mother’s hands if she couldn’t deal with his disabilities, but had been rebuffed.
Case Status:
Azuradee France (Mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison.
Sources:
Detroit neighbors say 3-year-old boy found dead in freezer was blind; family called CPS 13 times this year
Detroit mom charged after 3-year-old son found in freezer
Mum charged with murder and torture after blind son, 3, found dead in freezer
Family says mother charged with killing 3-year-old has history of abuse
Detroit mom arrested after 3-year-old boy found dead in basement freezer
Detroit mom told police she kicked 3-year-old, put body in freezer when he wouldn’t wake up
Here’s what we learned during hearing about 3-year-old found in freezer in Detroit home
Mom of 6 killed blind 3-year-old son and kept body in freezer for months
Mom of 6 beat blind toddler to death, hid body in basement freezer for months
Detroit mom who killed 3-year-old son, put body in freezer, pleads guilty
Detroit mom told police she kicked 3-year-old, put body in freezer when he wouldn’t wake up
Detroit woman who killed blind son, put body in freezer sentenced
Name: Donna Mayfield.
Died: June 23, 2022.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Overland Park, Kansas, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder; bedridden.
Details:
Donna was shot by her husband, who then killed himself.
Case Status:
Frank Mayfield (Husband).
Sources:
87-Year-Old Man Emailed His Children His Plans Before Killing Wife and Himself: Authorities
Neighborhood in shock after suspected murder-suicide of elderly couple
Overland Park police identify elderly couple killed in suspected murder-suicide
‘This is a tragedy’: Elderly Overland Park couple dies in possible murder-suicide
Two people killed in Overland Park murder-suicide
Name: Vaishnavi Suresh Pattyane.
Died: June 15, 2022.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Andheri, Mumbai, India.
Disability: Intellectual disability, mobility impaired.
Details:
Vaishnavi’s mother reported her death as a natural death; however, authorities who examined the young woman’s body found ligature marks on her neck. After questioning Vaishnavi’s mother, police say she confessed to killing her daughter because she had become tired of caring for her.
Case Status:
Shraddha Pattyane (Mother), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Sources:
Mumbai: Woman booked for murder of daughter with intellectual disability, denied bail
Woman from Mumbai suburb ‘kills’ disabled teen daughter out of ‘frustration’
Mumbai: Mom held for mentally ill girl’s murder
Woman arrested for killing differently abled 19-year-old daughter
Mumbai: Mom held for killing mentally disabled daughter in Andheri
Name: Luis Benítez.
Died: June 12, 2022.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Posadas, Misiones, Argentina.
Disability: Schizophrenia, anemia, breathing problems.
Details:
Luis lived with his sister and her husband, who did not want him to leave the house. One night, when he tried to do so, his brother-in-law allegedly slammed his head against the doorway. Luis was found dead in his home the next day.
Case Status:
Pedro Walter E. (Brother-in-law), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Sources:
From natural death to homicide after autopsy
De muerte natural a homicidio luego de la autopsia
Name: Leela Gopalan.
Died: June 6, 2022.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Vatakara, Kerala, India.
Disability: Cancer.
Details:
Leela’s husband strangled her and then hanged himself.
Case Status:
Mithal Gopalan (Husband), deceased.