Category: Relationship: Offspring

Child by birth or adoption.

Elizabeth Clay

Photo of an older woman with deep brown skin and wavy gray hair; she is smiling for the camera. She is wearing gold-rimmed glasses and gold hoop earrings.Name: Elizabeth Derozan Clay.
Died: November 24, 2023.
Age at death: 93.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Vidalia, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Elizabeth, who could not be safely left alone, was allegedly left alone in her home by her son. She tried to use the stove and burned herself severely with cooking oil; five days later she died from second- and third-degree burns.

Case Status:
Junior Derozan (Son), charged with abuse, cruelty to the infirm, abuse and neglect, and negligent homicide.

Sources:
Caregiver’s charges upgraded to negligent homicide after elderly burn patient dies
Elizabeth Derozan Clay

Sebastian Christian

Portrait photo of a man with tan skin, black hair and bushy mustache, wearing a checked blue and white shirt.Name: Sebastian Christian.
Died: November 22, 2023.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: Alappuzha, Kerala, India.
Disability: Mobility impaired/Bedridden due to car accident injury.

Details:
Sebastian’s son was so angry at him for soiling the bed and refusing to eat that he allegedly beat him to death.

Case Status:
Sebin Christian (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Alappuzha man kills bedridden father for defecating on bed
Man arrested on charge of murdering father

Vivian Kefauver

No PhotoName: Vivian Norwood Kefauver.
Died: November 17, 2023.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Broken neck.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Vivian’s daughter is accused of strangling her with a gait belt (a mobility device used to help people stand or transfer from one place to another).

Case Status:
Suzette Annette Kefauver (Daughter), charged with murder.

Sources:
Woman charged with murder claims she was trying to lift 80-year-old mom from ground, records show
Woman charged with murder for allegedly using a gait belt to strangle her 80-year-old mother

Dana Morris

Black and white photo of a woman with light skin and moderately dark hair, smiling for the camera. Name: Dana Morris.
Died: September 30, 2023.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Stabbed with screwdriver.
Location: Modesto, California, USA.
Disability: Double leg amputee.

Details:
Dana was stabbed to death with a screwdriver. Police detained her son, who was charged with the murder.

Dana was an artistic woman who created jewelry and beadwork. A creative and resourceful individual, she could often find ways to help others even when it seemed she didn’t have the means to do so.

Case Status:
Zachary Ray Morris (Son), charged with murder and abuse of a dependent adult.

Sources:
Dana Morris-Mears Obituary (1968 – 2023)
Man charged with stabbing his double-leg amputee mother to death with a screwdriver
Modesto man charged with inflicting torture while fatally stabbing his mother
Hearing for California man accused of killing mother delayed over competency questions

John and Lois McCullough

Photo of an elderly couple standing outdoors. On the left is a woman in a blue dress, with pale, somewhat sunburnt skin and curly blond hair; on the left is a balding man with a fringe of white hair, light skin, and glasses, wearing a blue dress shirt and black pants.Name: John McCullough.
Age at death: 70.
Cause of death: Poisoned.
Disability: Possible autism, hypertension, type II diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia and glaucoma.

Name: Lois McCullough.
Age at death: 71.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned, stabbed.
Disability: Agoraphobia, OCD traits.

Died: September 13, 2023 (Body found; died June 18, 2019).
Location: Great Baddow, Essex, England, UK.

Details:
John and Lois lived with their daughter, who decided to kill them. She saved up prescription medicine and drugged them both, and in the morning, John was dead. Lois survived, so their daughter bludgeoned and stabbed her to death instead. She concealed the bodies for several years before a welfare check revealed that the two were dead.

John and Lois were old-fashioned, private people. John was a retired business studies lecturer who enjoyed golf; Lois loved spending time with her grandchildren.

Case Status:
Virginia McCullough (Daughter), convicted of murder, sentenced to 36 years to life.

Sources:
How Virginia McCullough murdered her parents – and lived with their bodies for four years
Virginia McCullough jailed for 36 years for murdering parents
Why Did a ‘Manipulative’ Daughter Kill Her Parents, Then Live with Their Bodies for the Next 4 Years?
Why Virginia McCullough killed her parents and lived with their bodies
Virginia McCullough case
Autism Memorial: John McCullough

Philista St. John

Name: Philista Mae St. John.
Died: September 7, 2023.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Polson, Montana, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
When police were called to do a welfare check on Philista, they found that she had been stabbed to death and her body hidden. They arrested her son, since he had an outstanding warrant, and later charged him with the stabbing that had caused Philista’s death when they found a note which they believe was written by Philista’s son, in which he stated that he “couldn’t do it anymore” and admitted that he had killed her.

Case Status:
Garrett Edward Vaska (Son), charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence.

Sources:
Polson man charged with stabbing his mother with dementia to death
Polson man charged with killing mother who had dementia
Man accused of killing mother in Polson pleads not guilty
Philista Mae St. John Obituary 2023

Martha Rutledge

No PhotoName: Martha Rutledge.
Died: August 14, 2023.
Age at death: 99.
Cause of death: Starvation, untended bedsores.
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Martha was found dead at home. Her body was very thin, and she was covered in multiple severe bedsores. Her daughters, with whom she lived, are accused of not providing any medical care to their mother. Martha also had a lot of alcohol and THC in her system when she died; unable to move from her bed, she would not have been able to ingest these on her own. She had not seen a doctor in ten years.

Case Status:
Martha Carroll Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.
and Nancy Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.

Sources:
Rock Hill sisters granted bond for mother’s death whose body has ‘chronic open wound’
Police: Rock Hill woman died from lack of medical care, 2 daughters charged
Martha Rutledge Obituary (2023) – Rock Hill, SC – The Herald

Connie Smith

No PhotoName: Connie Smith.
Died: August 13, 2023.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Connie was fatally shot in her own home. Police say her son, who lived with her, confessed to killing her.

Case Status:
Shane Smith (Son), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Update: Oklahoma City man charged with first-degree murder in mother’s shooting death
Man arrested after shooting, killing elderly mother in NW OKC, police say
OKC man booked for murder of elder mother
Man Arrested, Accused Of Shooting Mother To Death In NW Oklahoma City

Parambuliyil Thankamani

Photo of an older Indian woman with long black hair and light brown skin; she has a red bindi on her forehead and is wearing white and orange clothing.Name: Parambuliyil Thankamani.
Died: August 7, 2023.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Blunt head and neck injury.
Location: Maniyarankudy, Kerala, India.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Parambuliyil was brought to the hospital with injuries to her head and neck, and lived for a week before dying from her wounds. Police say her son, angry that she wouldn’t eat the food he was trying to feed her, slammed her head against her cot and hit her with the glass he was holding, and that he later confessed to doing so after being questioned.

Case Status:
Sanjeev (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Idukki man held for murdering 80-year-old bedridden mother

Ana Asencio

No PhotoName: Ana Asencio.
Died: July 17, 2023.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Head and neck trauma.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia; pacemaker.

Details:
Police entered Ana’s apartment on a welfare check and discovered her dead, with bruising to her head and neck. It took six months for her death to be classified as a homicide, and another few months before her son was arrested on suspicion of having strangled her.

Ana was a retired schoolteacher.

Case Status:
Edward Asancio (Son), charged with manslaughter and second-degree assault.

Sources:
Death of Manhattan woman, 84, ruled homicide from elder abuse
July ‘23 Death of Retired School teacher in UWS Apt. Ruled a Homicide by M.E.
Edward Asencio charged strangling his mom Ana Asencio to death