Death Type – Page 3 – Disability Day of Mourning

DJ McCollum

Name: DJ McCollum.
Died: October 24, 2024.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Severe burn survivor; wheelchair user.

Details:
DJ lived with his adoptive mother, Patricia and Kaydence, his 11-year-old sister. Concerned neighbors called the police, saying an armed man with a knife was in the home. That led to an hours-long standoff, with SWAT teams negotiating, before they were finally able to enter the home. There, they found DJ, his mother, and his 11-year-old sister dead from stab wounds. The suspect, who turned out to DJ’s brother-in-law, had self-inflicted stab wounds, of which he died after he was taken to the hospital. He had a history of arrests for domestic violence.

DJ and Kaydence had been two of Patricia’s many foster children. DJ, who had been severely burned as an infant, became Patricia’s foster son and then, at ten years old, her adopted son. She raised him through childhood and adolescence and watched him accept his high school diploma, walking on prosthetic legs.

Case Status:
Anthony Mathis (brother-in-law), deceased.

Sources:
Ohio foster mom, daughter and disabled son killed in murder-suicide
‘Hero’ foster mom, her daughter and disabled son stabbing victims
Cincinnati foster mom, adopted son killed in triple homicide
Man who stabbed his family to death had recent history of arrests for violence

89-year-old woman

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: October 24, 2024.
Age at death: 89.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Pottstown, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; nursing home resident.

Details:
This woman’s husband came to visit her at her nursing home, shot her dead, and shot himself.

Case Status:
Ruled murder-suicide. Her husband died that night at the hospital.

Sources:
Husband, wife die in murder-suicide in nursing home
DA: Shooter in murder-suicide at East Coventry senior living facility dies overnight
Shooting at Chester County nursing and care facility was ‘murder-attempted suicide,’ DA says [Updated]
Murder-attempted suicide at Chester County nursing home
89-year-old woman killed in murder and attempted suicide at Chester County nursing home, DA says

Kris Knox

a young Black man wearing a baseball cap faces to the right Name: Kris Knox.
Died: October 20, 2024.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Warren, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Brain cancer, mental health disability.

Details:
Police were summoned to Kris’s home after his brother ran to a neighbors house for help, saying that his mother had threatened him with a gun. When the police checked on Kris and his mother, they found that she had shot him and then killed herself. His brother, who had escaped the house, survived unhurt.

Case Status:
His mother; deceased.

Sources:
2 dead in Warren, police suspect murder-suicide – CBS Detroit
Mother, son dead after murder-suicide in Warren
Police: Warren mom fatally shoots special needs son before taking her own life
Grandma of Warren man shot by mom in apparent murder-suicide said family struggled with health issues

Lalita Dubey

No Photo Name: Lalita Dubey.
Died: October 19, 2024.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Malnutrition/dehydration.
Location: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Disability: Disabled elder; bedridden.

Details:
Lalita lived with her son, who cared for her; but when her son left for vacation, he allegedly left her behind. Her other son, who went to her house to check on her when he learned what had happened, found her dead of hunger and thirst. She had been unable to get out of her bed to get water, food, or medication.

Case Status:
Arun (Son) was charged with unintentional murder and violation of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act.

Sources:
Bhopal Shocker: Son Goes Out of City, Leaving Bedridden Mother Locked Inside House, She Dies Due to Hunger and Thirst
Elderly woman dies in Bhopal after son locks her inside home, goes out of city
MP: Man Locks Elderly Mother Inside Room Of House In Nishatpura To Head Outstation, Woman Dies

7-day-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: October 10, 2024.
Age at death: 7 days.
Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Location: Cheongju-si, South Korea.
Disability: Congenital disorder of the arms.

Details:
In the hospital where she was born, and only a week after her birth, this baby girl was found dead from suffocation with her face down. Her parents said they had put her to bed face-up, but woken to discover her face-down. Since she was too young to have rolled over by herself, investigators were suspicious.

The baby’s parents were initially charged with manslaughter, but police say that evidence found on the parents’ phones proves that they had deliberately planned to kill the child, upgrading the charge to murder. They also say that the couple complained to their gynecologist that they should have had a prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound, and that the gynecologist responded by telling them where the care home had no CCTV cameras and offered to issue the infant’s death certificate.

Case Status:
Her parents and their gynecologist are all charged with murder.

Sources:
In connection with the mysterious death of a one-week-old disabled infant at a postpartum care center
Infants in postpartum care center died. Mother in her 30s arrested
Cheongju disabled child murder case
A biological mother in her 30s accused of killing a baby born with an arm disability has been arrested

Barbara Brandt

Photo of an older woman wearing a red shirt and glasses, which are slipping down her nose. She has light skin, and her short gray hair is wispy. Name: Barbara “Bobbie” Brandt.
Died: October 4, 2024.
Age at death: 81.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Cromwell, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Bobbie’s husband went to her nursing home and fatally shot her before killing himself.

Bobbie left behind her two cats, which had been living with her husband and were taken into custody by animal control when he died.

Case Status:
Dennis Brandt (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Nursing Home Murder-Suicide: Cops ID Husband, Wife Dead in CT
Cromwell neighbors shocked, saddened by nursing home murder-suicide: ‘There’s an empty spot’
Nursing Home Murder-Suicide: Cops ID Husband, Wife Dead in Cromwell
Cromwell nursing home resident killed in apparent murder-suicide
Police ID husband, wife killed in apparent murder-suicide at Apple Rehab Cromwell
Cromwell Nursing Home Murder-Suicide IDs Released: Police
Murder-suicide at Cromwell nursing home raises ‘discussion’ on safety protocols, official says

Donna Kitzmiller

Photo of a middle aged woman with short brown hair, light skin, and red cheeks. She is wearing glasses and a light-yellow sweater, and smiling broadly at the camera. Name: Donna L. Kitzmiller.
Died: September 28, 2024.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Grand Haven Charter Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Donna’s husband fatally shot her before fatally shooting himself. He told a 911 operator that he was “giving [her] a merciful ending”.

Donna was a retired elementary school teacher. She loved nature and wildlife, enjoyed reading and watching movies, and cared for pet Golden Retrievers and cats.

Case Status:
William Kitzmiller (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Retired cop, 80, shot wife in ‘merciful’ end to her Alzheimer’s disease, 911 call shows
Retired Cop Fatally Shot Wife, Then Himself, Claiming ‘Merciful Ending’ Because of Her Alzheimer’s: 911 Call
William & Donna Kitzmiller Obituary | Sep 28, 2024 | Grand Haven, MI

Neetu, Nikki, Neeru, and Nidhi Sharma

No Photo Name: Neetu Sharma.
Age at death: 26.
Disability: Chronic illness.

Name: Nikki Sharma.
Age at death: 24.
Disability: Chronic illness.

Name: Neeru Sharma.
Age at death: 23.
Disability: Blind; chronic illness.

Name: Nidhi Sharma.
Age at death: 20.
Disability: Mobility impaired; chronic illness.

Died: September 27, 2024.
Cause of death: Poisoned.
Location: Rangpuri, New Delhi, Delhi, India.

Details:
Sisters Neetu, Nikki, Neeru, and Nidhi were mourning their mother, who had died a year before. Neighbors said that because of their health, they never left their room. They shared one mobile phone between them. Their father, who had withdrawn from society after his wife’s death, was obsessed with their illnesses and their treatment at one hospital or another. A friend of the family says that their father did not want them to go out or work.

Following a tip from the building caretaker, authorities broke into their apartment and found the four women’s bodies, their father’s body, and the poisoned sweets that their father had used to kill his daughters before taking his own life.

The young women were all graduates. One had studied home science, another commerce, and two of them studied arts.

Case Status:
Heeralal Sharma (Father), deceased.

Sources:
Delhi Rangpuri shocker: Cops suspect man sunk into ‘depression’ after wife’s death
‘Daughters rarely left their house’: Shocking details emerge in Delhi’s Rangpuri deaths
Man, 4 daughters found dead at Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, police suspect suicide
Delhi horror: Father commits suicide after killing 4 daughters in Vasant Kunj
Delhi family ‘suicide pact’: All 4 girls were graduates, father a Lord Hanuman devotee
Father, four daughters die by suicide in Delhi, probe on
Man, four daughters found dead in their rented accommodation in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj
Vasant Kunj deaths: Investigation points to financial distress, only Rs 208 left in bank account
Man, 4 Daughters Found Dead At Delhi Home, Cops Suspect Murder-Suicide

Eleni Edwards

Name: Eleni “Laney” Edwards.
Died: September 23, 2024.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Salford, England, UK.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Laney’s mother killed her, then herself.

Neighbors remember seeing her walk down the street, supported by a walking frame. A bus picked her up each day to attend a special school.

Case Status:
Martina Karos (Mother), deceased.

Sources:
Mother and eight year-old girl found dead in suspected murder-suicide pictured
Police name mother and daughter found dead in house in Salford
Woman found dead with disabled daughter, 8, in ‘murder-suicide’
Deaths of mother and disabled eight year-old daughter treated as murder-suicide
‘Devoted’ mum and disabled daughter at centre of ‘murder-suicide’ probe named
Tributes paid to mother and disabled daughter at centre of ‘murder-suicide’
Woman believed to have killed herself and her child ‘not a monster’, says friend

Carmel McDougall

Name: Carmel McDougall.
Died: September 18, 2024.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Brain trauma.
Location: Roosevelt, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Carmel died from head injuries sustained after a fall. According to video recordings from their home security system, the fall happened because Carmel’s son put her in a headlock and swung her around, causing her to lose her balance; police say he was “frustrated with [her] declining health”. Videos from two weeks before show her daughter “constrict[ing] her mother’s ability to move and breathe”.

Carmel was born in Jamaica and had lived in Canada before moving to New York. Her passion for cooking invigorated her career as a hospital dietician. Along with her own four children, she fed and cared for many children in her community. She was a devoted Christian who spent much of her time after retirement doing volunteer work for the Most Holy Rosary Church.

Case Status:
Michael Rainford McDougall (Son), charged with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree endangerment of a vulnerable person, and criminally negligent homicide.
Nichole McDougall Mullings (Daughter), charged with first-degree endangerment of a vulnerable person.

Sources:
LI Son Charged After Abuse Of Mother Leads To Her Death: DA
Roosevelt siblings indicted in elder abuse case, mother dead.
Obituary of Carmel McDougall