Aaliyah Taylor

Photo of a teenage girl with short curly black hair and brown skin, wearing a quizzical expression.Name: Aaliyah Taylor.
Died: October 15, 2016.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Respiratory failure due to drug toxicity.
Location: Spring, Texas, USA.
Disability: Microcephaly, multiple sclerosis, autism and seizures.

Details:
Aaliyah was abused by her father and caregivers. He repeatedly used a stun gun on her, and they drugged her with blood pressure medication that she hadn’t been prescribed. The medication caused her to stop breathing and die.

Case status:
Anthony Jackson (Father), convicted of first-degree injury to a child, sentenced to 65 years, with parole possible after 8.5 years.
Keyonna Gunner (Home health worker), convicted of injury to a child, sentenced to 90 days in jail and 7 years probation.
Tommieretta Gunner (Home health worker), convicted of injury to a child, sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Marreissa Jones (Home health worker), charged with first-degree injury to a child.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Aaliyah Taylor
Three charged in death of special-needs teen
Houston Officials: Special needs teen who died last year was abused
Teaxs Digest: Special-needs teen who died was abused, officials say
Special needs teen who died last year was abused, 3 suspects arrested
Girl, 14, with special needs dies after given blood pressure medication, autopsy shows
Special needs teen who died last year was abused
Three adults use stun gun on special needs teen for months before delivering deadly dose of unprescribed meds: Cops
Fourth suspect arrested in disturbing abuse, death of special needs teenager
MCSO: Fourth suspect arrested in special needs teen’s death
Police charged three in the death of a special needs girl, but believe a 4th took part

Kayce McDermed

Photo of a teenage girl with pale skin and dark-blond hair in a scruffy ponytail; she is wearing glasses, lying down, her chin in her hand.Name: Kayce McDermed.
Died: May 2, 2016.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, pneumonia.
Location: Yakima, Washington, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegic, blind, autistic.

Details:
Kayce’s guardian took her out of high school. Isolated at home, she was allegedly neglected and left alone in bed for long periods of time. Kayce died of malnutrition, pneumonia, and severe bedsores.

Case status:
Darlina Ann Chilson (Guardian), charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.

Source:
Trial postponed for Yakima woman accused of murder in quadriplegic girl’s death
Autism Memorial: Kayce McDermed
STATE OF WASHINGTON vs DARLINA ANN CHILSON, 19-1-00592-39 (Washington State, Yakima County, Superior Court)
Severely disabled, neglected and dead at 16
Caregiver accused in death of disabled teen
Washington caregiver accused in death of disabled teen
Woman accused of neglecting quadriplegic girl, 16, causing her death
Caregiver accused of starving Yakima teen to death charged with murder

Paul Roddy

Photo of Paul Roddy, a man with fair skin and dark-brown hair. He is wearing a suit and tie.Name: Paul Roddy.
Died: December 31, 2015.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Manchester, England, UK.
Disability: Multiple sclerosis.

Details:
The caregiver that Paul was living with did not care for him. Instead, the man beat him up and starved him while pocketing the government money he claimed as a caregiver to a disabled person. Paul died from abuse and neglect, his body severely malnourished; he had multiple broken bones.

Paul was a retired engineer and the father of four children.

Case status:
Christopher McAllister (“Friend”; Non-family, non-professional caregiver), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years.

Source:
Unemployed thug beat seven stone Multiple Sclerosis sufferer to death
MS-sufferer beaten to death in own home by thug carer who left him malnourished
Violent carer who killed vulnerable MS sufferer is jailed
Man with MS died after carer physically abused him for months

David Fuhrman

No PhotoName: David Fuhrman.
Died: November 24, 2015.
Age at death: 54.
Cause of death: Sepsis, pneumonia, malnutrition.
Location: Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Mental illness; intellectual disability.

Details:
David was starved and neglected by his unpaid caregivers, who claimed they had “essentially adopted” him. He died of a combination of blood poisoning from untended bedsores, pneumonia, and malnutrition.

David worked at Goodwill.

Case status:
Adam Haynes, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, neglect, conspiracy, and reckless endangerment, sentenced to 7-14 years.
Pamela McNeal, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, neglect, conspiracy, and reckless endangerment, sentenced to 7-14 years.

Source:
Couple jailed in death of 76-pound disabled man covered with bed sores
Couple held in alleged neglect death of 76 lb. disabled man
Couple held in death of 76-pound disabled man with bed sores
Penn Hills couple charged in man’s death once contracted with county as caregivers
Penn Hills caregivers face trial in death of man with disabilities
Caregivers plead guilty in 2015 death of Penn Hills man
Penn Hills caregivers plead guilty in 2015 death of disabled man

Norma Ludlam

Gravestone of Norma Ludlam and Brian Ludlam, reading, "In loving memory of a devoted husband, father, & poppy; a loving wife, mother & mim; till we meet again."Name: Norma Ludlam.
Died: July 6, 2015.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Eli Waters, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Frail elder.

Details:
Norma was severely beaten by her neighbor and caregiver. She was taken to the hospital alive, but survived only two days before succumbing to head injuries.

Case Status:
Frederick Ronald Sinfield (Neighbor, caregiver), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.

Sources:
Hervey Bay carer denies murdering frail friend | The Courier Mail
Man charged with 75-year-old Norma’s brutal murder
The Queen v Sinfield (No 2) [2019] QSCPR 5
Man accused of murdering 75yo Fraser Coast woman remanded in custody

Jacklyn Nguyen

Photo of a girl with short, straight black hair and fair skin, sitting in a red plastic chair; she is wearing a polka-dirt shirt and blue shorts.Name: Jacklyn Nguyen.
Died: June 13, 2015.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Los Banos, California, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, possibly autism.

Details:
Jacklyn’s mother sent her to stay with a chiropractor who promised to cure her autism. Coroner’s findings suggest that the chiropractor beat her severely. She died from her injuries.

Case status:
Vincent Hoai Do, convicted of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse causing death, sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Jacklyn Nguyen
Patterson man housing children with autism found guilty in toddler’s death
Murder charge in death of disabled 2-year-old
Patterson man says 2-year-old girl fell. Pathologist said that’s not how she died.
Patterson man sentenced in death of toddler with developmental disability

Richard Davenport Jr.

Richard Davenport's gravestone. It reads, "Davenport, Richard Baxtor Jr. Lcpl USMC Vietnam. 1953-2013. Peace at last."Name: Richard Baxter Davenport Jr.
Died: April 16, 2013.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Blood loss.
Location: North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Leg amputee; used a wheelchair.

Details:
Richard’s neighbor, who served as his caregiver, entered his home and cut his throat, leaving him to die.

He was a military veteran who had been in the Marines.

Case status:
Coy Edward Pack (Neighbor), pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to three years and six months to five years and four months in prison
April Pack (Neighbor; Caregiver), pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder, burglary, and armed robbery, sentenced to 5 years, 6 months to 7 years, 8 months in prison.

Source:
Coy Pack murder trial set
Husband of woman arrested earlier is also charged with murder
Davenport, Richard Baxter, Jr.
Arrest made for murder
Richard Davenport Jr., Marine veteran, dies on April 16
North Wilkesboro man found dead in his home
Eddie Pack pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter
April Pack is sentenced for being accessory in man’s death

David Mueller

Photo of a man with graying dark-brown hair and tinted, round-rimmed glasses; he has fair skin. He is wearing a blue dress shirt. His expression is neutral.Name: David Mueller.
Died: November 16, 2012.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Prescott, Arizona, USA.
Disability: ALS.

Details:
David had ALS, which is a degenerative disorder, and was setting his affairs in order in preparation for death. David’s wife began an affair with a man she had asked to help her care for David. Then she and her lover murdered David by smothering him with plastic bags and a pillow to “make [his death] quicker.” The murder may have also been financially motivated, stemming from a disagreement over the recipients of David’s life insurance policy.

Case status:
Cynthia Jane Mueller (Wife), convicted of  first-degree murder, conspiracy, fraud, and unlawful use of power of attorney; sentenced to life without parole.
Charles Todd (Wife’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 16 years, released after 4 years.

Source:
David Mueller Murder: Where Are Charles Todd and Cynthia Mueller Now?
Man pleads guilty in death of woman’s husband
Murder of David Mueller by wife Cynthia and her lover Charles Todd profiled on ID
Cynthia Mueller trial highlights victim’s financial plan
Prescott woman on trial for killing bed-ridden husband
Prescott Woman Found Guilty In The Death Of Her Husband – KAFF News
Arizona co-defendant in husband murder case sentenced to prison

Peggy Johnson

Composite image of Peggy Lynn Johnson, a young woman with very curly blond hair, a small nose, pointed chin, and hazel eyes.Name: Peggy Lynn Johnson.
Died: July 21, 1999.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Racine County, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
After the death of her mother, 18-year-old Peggy went to a nearby hospital and asked for help. There, a nurse took her in. But her new caregiver abused Peggy, yelling at her, starving her, and beating her; once she attacked Peggy with a pitchfork. Peggy was made to live in a crawl space, and banished there whenever she wasn’t doing chores. After years of abuse, Peggy died from sepsis pneumonia due to her many injuries.

Peggy’s body was found dumped on the side of the road, but she could not be identified for many years. She was known as the “Racine County Jane Doe”, and nearby residents bought her a gravestone. It wasn’t until 2019 that a tipster reported overhearing the nurse talking about having killed someone and called the police, who arrested the nurse and identified Peggy as the victim who had long gone unidentified. When she was finally identified and journalists went to photograph her gravestone, they found that a member of the community had been there and left some flowers, a balloon, and a little wooden sign with Peggy’s real name. It had been a full 20 years since her murder.

Case status:
Linda La Roche (Caregiver), convicted of convicted of first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse; sentenced to life without parole plus five years.

Source:
Watch now: Life in prison for woman convicted of killing Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder
LaRoche Sentenced to Life in Prison for 1999 ‘Jane Doe’ Murder
Former Nurse Gets Life Sentence For Torturing, Murdering Her Disabled Nanny In 1999
Former McHenry nurse convicted in cold case murder of disabled woman found brutally tortured
Murder of Peggy Johnson
Racine County ‘Jane Doe’ identified, nurse arrested in 1999 murder
Nurse arrested for killing mentally-ill woman’ found dead 20 years ago
Woman arrested for 1999 murder of Jane Doe found in cornfield; victim suffered ‘barbaric brutality,’ sheriff says
Horrific details emerge in ‘barbaric’ murder of 1999 Jane Doe
Cape Coral nurse arrested for killing disabled woman 20 years ago
McHenry woman identified as victim of 1999 cold case murder in Wisconsin

Katonya Jackson

Photo of Katonya Jackson, a baby with dark-brown skin and curly black hair. She is crawling on hands and knees and smiling broadly at the camera. She is wearing a white shirt and diaper.Name: Katonya Jackson.
Died: 1983.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Untreated epilepsy.
Location: Micanopy, Florida, USA.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Katonya’s mother was in a cult called the House of Prayer, and gave her and her brother to the pastor of the church to care for.

Katonya had seizures, which the pastor took to mean that she had the devil in her. Katonya’s family says she starved and beat Katonya and refused to give her her epilepsy medication.

Katonya died, covered in bruises, from untreated epilepsy. Her death was ruled “preventable”.

Case status:
Lea Vera Jackson (Mother), arrested and released without charges.
Anna Young (House of Prayer pastor), convicted of child abuse in the case of Nikki Nickelson; served six months; convicted of manslaughter, in the case of Katonya Jackson, sentenced to 15 years; convicted of first-degree murder of Eamon “Moses” Harper, sentenced to 30 years concurrent with the manslaughter sentence.

Source:
Cult leader’s daughter gives an inside look at the House of Prayer
Anna Young gets 30 years in toddler’s death
Death, abuse and questions — life in an Alachua County cult
House of Prayer residents say torture, abuse was common
Survivors ask: Why did cult misdeeds go by ‘wayside’?
Mother Anna: The Cult Leader Suspected of Torture and Murder