Death Type – Page 27 – Disability Day of Mourning

Jamie Ward

No Photo Name: Jamie Ward.
Died: May 18, 2022.
Age at death: 50.
Cause of death: Throat cut.
Location: Greenfield, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Chronic pain; degenerative disk disease.

Details:
Jamie’s body was found in her home, with her husband. He reportedly told police that he had killed Jamie because she asked him to kill her; but news articles make no mention of a suicide note or any indication that she had wanted to die. Police describe the incident as a “domestic violence homicide”.

Case Status:
Braeden Ward (Husband), pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide, sentenced to 12 years in prison and eight years on extended supervision.

Sources:
The medical examiner said Jamie Ward was dead for two weeks before her decomposing body was found.
A Greenfield man pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in the stabbing death of his wife
Greenfield Man Pleads Guilty To New Charge After Wife’s Stabbing Death
Husband says he killed wife to end suffering, drained blood from body
Milwaukee Co. man stabbed wife to death because she wanted to die, complaint states
A Greenfield man has been charged in the stabbing death of his wife. He says she lived with chronic pain and asked him to help her die.
Greenfield Man Charged With Homicide After Wife Found Stabbed To Death
Greenfield homicide: Braeden Ward accused of fatally stabbing wife
Husband ‘stabbed wife & left body to rot – but WASHED corpse to hide smell’
Woman dead 2 weeks found in home, husband to face homicide charge
Police ID woman killed in Greenfield homicide

Sharon Mook

No Photo Name: Sharon Mook.
Died: May 15, 2022.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Mount Laurel, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; nursing home resident.

Details:
Sharon’s husband stabbed her to death in her nursing home.

Case Status:
Dan Mook (Husband), charged with first-degree murder, third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Sources:
Mercy Killing? 84-year-old Mt. Laurel, NJ, Husband Charged With Wife’s Death
Mount Laurel man charged in wife’s death in nursing home, claims mercy killing

Kalayikkal Ranjini

No Photo Name: Kalayikkal Ranjini.
Died: May 12, 2022.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Paralysis.

Details:
When Ranjini’s husband told police that she had died, her neighbors urged police to investigate. When they found marks on her neck, they questioned her husband; police say he confessed to strangling her because he “could not bear her suffering”.

Case Status:
Muniswami (Husband), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Idukki: Bedridden woman killed by husband
Man held for strangling bedridden wife in Idukki

2-year-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: May 10, 2022.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Davenport, Florida, USA.
Disability: Failure to thrive; possible muscular dystrophy, possible cystic fibrosis.

Details:
This girl, two months short of three years old, died weighing 9 pounds, with no food in her stomach. Although the girl’s doctors were worried about both cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy at her six-month checkup, her parents allegedly did not take her to the doctor until they found her dead.

Case Status:
Regis Johnson (Father), charged with Negligent Child Abuse causing Great Harm.
Arhonda Tillman (Mother), charged with Negligent Child Abuse causing Great Harm.
Frank Robinson (Uncle), charged with Negligent Child Abuse causing Great Harm.

Sources:
2-year-old starved to death, parents arrested, Polk sheriff says
Polk toddler weighed 9 pounds, 5 ounces at death. Couple charged with felony child neglect
Couple Charged In Death Of 34 Month Old Who Starved To Death Weighing 9.5 Pounds
Couple charged for starving toddler to death, sheriff says
Davenport couple arrested for negligent child abuse resulting in death of 34-month-old toddler

Sara Latimer

Name: Sara Latimer.
Died: May 10, 2022.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Blunt head trauma.
Location: Sparta, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Sara was beaten to death, and her boyfriend, who had previously been convicted of charges related to domestic abuse against Sara, was charged with her murder.

Case Status:
Shawn Hock (Boyfriend); charged with first-degree intentional homicide, aggravated battery, disorderly conduct, and drug charges.

Sources:
Mother of Monroe County homicide victim accuses authorities of not protecting her daughter
Man charged with killing 32-year-old Sparta woman
Autopsy: Sparta waitress beaten to death
32-year-old Sparta man in court Monday on homicide charges

Morgan Moore

Photo of a teenage boy with curly black hair and brown skin, wearing a neon-yellow jacket and gray baseball cap. He has a broad nose and very dark brown eyes, and is smiling slightly. Name: Morgan Moore.
Died: May 10, 2022.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Homicide, complications of neurological disorder.
Location: Montgomery Village, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis, diabetes, Long COVID.

Details:
Medics were called to Morgan’s house, where they found him dead, weighing only 79 pounds. His family told emergency responders that he had not seen a doctor in two years. Police believe Morgan’s health declined over a matter of months; he lost the ability to walk and developed an abscess on his back. He was allegedly made to live in poor conditions, in a filthy house.

One of Morgan’s siblings remembers that they planned to go to Japan together; but instead, Morgan became increasingly isolated; his parents kept him home and “home-schooled” him, and he rarely went anywhere besides the movie theater or the local playground. As a transgender boy, he managed to find an outlet in online interaction, but he never did get to visit Japan. “I just want my brother to be remembered as the artist and the person he was. He was a good person,” Morgan’s sibling says. “I want people who are transphobic and not accepting of their children to accept their kids for who they are and love them no matter what.”

On an online tribute page, a relative writes that Morgan was “a celebrated artist, self taught guitarist, cook, keyboard player, gamer and all around great person.”

Six minor children were removed from the home when Morgan died. None of the children had ever been to school or received vaccinations.

Case Status:
Cynthia Moore (Mother), convicted of child neglect.
Dominique Moore (Father), charged with second-degree murder and neglect of a minor.

Sources:
A Maryland teen wasted away at home to 79 pounds. Was it murder?
Prosecutors disappointed after Maryland mom is found guilty of child neglect
Remembering Morgan Moore
Maryland Parents Charged With Murder Over Death of Transgender Teenager
Montgomery Co. parents facing murder charges, accused of not addressing ‘emaciated’ teen’s medical needs
17-Year-Old Girl With Health Problems Dies, Didn’t See Doctor For 2 Years, Police Said
Parents accused of murdering disabled child struggled with mental illness and practiced dark religion, grandmother says
Parents Charged With Murder Of 17-Year-Old Daughter In Montgomery County | WFMD-AM
Parents charged with murder, neglect in death of 17-year-old child
Parents charged with murder of daughter in Montgomery County

Gertie Duncan

Name: Gertie Duncan.
Died: May 9, 2022.
Age at death: 79.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Leasburg, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Gertie’s husband shot her dead, called the police, shot himself, and was taken to the hospital where he died the next day.

Gertie was very involved in her community. She made cupcakes for children at the local school, volunteered as a softball coach, and even made TikTok videos with her grandchildren.

Case Status:
Jerry Duncan (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Family: Person County couple’s murder-suicide was an act of love :
Gertie Kendrick Duncan, age 79
Person County man kills wife, then shoots himself, sheriff says

Carla Jacobs

Name: Carla Jacobs.
Died: May 9, 2022.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: West Point, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Neurological disorder.

Details:
Carla was shot by her husband in a murder-suicide.

Carla was a church member who worked for Motorola and Methode Electronics.

Case Status:
Gary Jacobs (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Sheriff: Deaths in rural West Point were result of murder-suicide
Gary And Carla Jacobs Obituary (2022)

Greta Xaba

Name: Greta Xaba.
Died: May 8, 2022.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Assault; bludgeoned.
Location: KwaDabeka, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Disability: Wheelchair user; stroke.

Details:
Greta was bludgeoned to death, allegedly by her son, a police officer who had been reported to the police multiple times for assaulting her.

Case Status:
Lungani Xaba (Son), charged with murder. He had previously been acquitted on grounds of self-defense after fatally shooting his girlfriend’s son.

Sources:
Former KZN cop in court for allegedly beating his wheelchair-bound mom, 81, to death with plank
All set for trial of cop accused of killing mom

Harvey Baker

Name: Harvey Lee Baker.
Died: May 5, 2022.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Topeka, Kansas, USA.
Disability: PTSD.

Details:
Harvey was found dead from severe blunt trauma, and police arrested his girlfriend, with whom he lived, on suspicion of murder. Harvey’s daughter told police that she suspected that Harvey’s girlfriend had been abusing him.

Harvey was a veteran of the Vietnam War who had been awarded the Silver Star for saving two of his comrades under enemy fire. He enjoyed fishing, writing, cooking soul food, and playing with his grandchildren.

Case Status:
Vicki Lee Shelton (Girlfriend), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Harvey Baker saved the lives of 2 Marines in Vietnam War. He was killed Thursday in Topeka.
Topeka woman charged with murder of live-in boyfriend