Otis Jones

Photo of an African American man with medium-brown skin, his hair in neat braids, wearing a brown polo shirt.Name: Otis Jones Jr.
Died: January 5, 2024.
Age at death: 44.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Disability: Spinal cord injury.

Details:
Otis was pulled out of his burning home by firefighters; but he died from his injuries eight days later. The fire was ruled arson, and Otis’s niece is suspected of setting the fire.

Case Status:
Keechaundra Deshay Cook (Niece), charged with murder.

Sources:
‘They wouldn’t help me’: Mother of paralyzed man who died from fire says she tried to get help for family member responsible
Birmingham woman charged after uncle dies in house fire
Woman charged after brother dies following Birmingham house fire
Man dies after house fire — now his niece is charged with murder, Alabama cops say

Nicholas Wallwork

No PhotoName: Nicholas James Wallwork.
Died: December 27, 2023.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Heroin overdose.
Location: Taylorsville, Utah, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Medics found Nicholas on the floor, not breathing, and could not revive him. Nicholas’s niece allegedly poisoned him with heroin; police say she told them that she was trying to “ease the pain”.

Case Status:
Kimberly Wallwork (Niece), charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Sources:
Woman accused of killing uncle who had dementia in Taylorsville
Utah woman admits to giving uncle multiple doses of heroin before his death, police say

Leon Perkins

No PhotoName: Leon Perkins.
Died: December 1, 2023.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness, wheelchair user.

Details:
Leon was found dead at his home, sitting in his wheelchair. His death was ruled a homicide, and a relative who lived with him to care for him was arrested as the primary suspect.

Case Status:
Charles Parker (Relative), arrested.

Sources:
Silver Spring man charged in death of disabled relative

Mahadev

No PhotoName: Mahadev.
Died: November 25, 2023 (Body Found).
Age at death: Unknown.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Disability: Unspecified disability.

Also Killed: Gangarani Das, age 65, Mahadev’s grandmother.

Details:
Mahadev and his grandmother Gangarani Das lived in the same house; her granddaughter and her husband moved in to take care of them. Six months later, the two were nowhere to be found and the couple was questioned. Soon two skeletons, matching Mahadev and Gangarani, were found in the house’s septic tank. Police think that the couple who ostensibly moved in to care for Mahadev and his grandmother were actually planning to claim the house for themselves.

Case Status:
Priyanka Das and Shantanu (Relatives), charged with murder.

Sources:
Skeletons of sr citizen, disabled cousin found
Couple confesses to murders

Aremean Mayo and Michael Willett

No PhotoName: Aremean Mayo.
Age at death: 93.
Disability: Unspecified/Frail elder.

Name: Michael Willett.
Age at death: 69.
Disability: Wheelchair user, Stroke survivor

Died: November 25, 2023 (Bodies Found).
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Denmark, Maine, USA.

Details:
Michael, his partner, and his partner’s grandmother Aremean shared a household, where Michael’s partner cared for them both. Another of Aremean’s grandchildren grew worried when she couldn’t contact them and their caregiver told her she was “tired of taking care of them both”; so she asked for a welfare check. When police knocked on her door, their caregiver told police that Aremean was in the hospital and Michael was in the woods, hunting. But Michael couldn’t have pushed his wheelchair through the woods, and police quickly determined that Aremean was not in the hospital; so they forced their way into the house, where they found that both of them had been stabbed to death.

Case Status:
Tzara Jones (Michael’s partner, Aremean’s granddaughter), charged with murder.

Sources:
Maine woman accused of killing her partner, elderly grandmother to be arraigned
‘Tired of taking care of them’: Maine caretaker accused of killing her partner, grandmother appears in court
‘Took me by surprise:’ Neighbors shocked as Denmark woman charged with killing 2 people in her care

Hashi Som

No PhotoName: Hashi Som (Sometimes spelled “Harshi Som”).
Died: April 28, 2023.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: New Delhi, National Capital Territory, India.
Disability: Arthritis, mobility impaired.

Details:
Hashi was found dead in her home. She had massive head injuries. Allegedly, her daughter-in-law, frustrated at having to care for her, bludgeoned her to death with a pressure cooker.

Case Status:
Sharmishtha Som (Daughter-in-law), charge with murder.

Sources:
In Delhi, 86-year-old killed with frying pan, cooker by daughter-in-law
Mom-in-law beaten to death in Delhi for refusing to live in care home
Delhi: Woman brutally beats 86-year-old mother-in-law to death using frying pan

Gary Lew

No PhotoName: Gary Lew.
Died: April 11, 2023.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Beating.
Location: Denton, Nebraska, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida, dementia; wheelchair user.

Details:
Gary was beaten to death by his daughter, son in law, cousin, and a family friend. Two young children witnessed the incident.

Case Status:
Christina Thornley (Daughter), pleaded no contest to six charges including abuse of a vulnerable adult, false imprisonment, being an accessory to murder, and evidence tampering; sentenced to 15 years.
Justin Thornley (Son in law), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, tampering with evidence, vulnerable adult abuse, false imprisonment, and criminal conspiracy; sentenced to 25 to 30 years.
Jacob Thornley (Cousin), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, abuse of a vulnerable adult, false imprisonment, evidence tampering and criminal conspiracy; sentenced to 29 to 30 years.
Braden Bongers, pleaded no contest to attempted assault; sentenced to 9 to 18 years.

Sources:
Final 2 of 4 suspects convicted in Omaha man’s murder sentenced to prison
Three men accept plea deals in beating death of wheelchair-bound Omaha man
Multiple suspects found guilty in Omaha man’s death after pleading ‘no contest’
3 of 4 suspects in Omaha man’s murder plead ‘no contest’

Juanita Cox

Photo of an older African American woman with light-brown skin and frizzy gray hair.Name: Juanita Cox.
Died: March 20, 2023.
Age at death: 82.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Juanita was found stabbed to death in her home. Police found her grandson, who sometimes stayed with her, after he made a public suicide attempt. He is suspected of burglarizing Juanita’s house and killing her in the process.

Case Status:
James Cox IV (Grandson), hospitalized pending arrest on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Update: 82-year-old woman stabbed to death in Jacksonville home identified, grandson suspected, family says
Grandson allegedly kills grandmother, climbs on top of Jacksonville fire trucks and cuts self

Amalie G.

Photo of an older woman, pale-skinned, smiling, with her hair in a kerchief; she is wearing a dress printed with large blue flowers.Name: Amalie G.
Died: March 6, 2023.
Age at death: 100.
Cause of death: Hit with an axe.
Location: Hamburg, Germany.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Amalie’s grandson, who served as her caregiver, allegedly killed her with an axe after an argument over money. Police say they think that her grandson was “overwhelmed” by caregiving.

Case Status:
Artur B (Grandson), charged with murder.

Sources:
German man on trial for killing 100-year-old grandma with ax – DW – 09/07/2023
Grandson goes on trial for decapitating 100-year-old grandmother
Woman, 100, decapitated in her wheelchair as axe-wielding grandson confesses
Grandma with dementia, 100, ‘decapitated by her own grandson with axe’

Rosa Hargrave

Photo of a heavyset girl with pale skin and dark-brown hair in a ponytail. She is wearing a red SpongeBob Christmas shirt and pink print pajama bottoms. Name: Rosa “May May” Hargrave.
Died: March 2, 2023.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Sepsis; untended wounds.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Autism, ADHD, asthma.

Details:
Rosa lived in unsanitary conditions, was poorly cared for, and often had to be treated for skin infections. She died of sepsis after one such infection went untreated until it spread to her bloodstream.

Rosa was a “girly girl” who loved all things pink; she enjoyed watching YouTube videos.

Case Status:
Rosa Hargrave (Mother), neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
Charles Turner (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury.
Felicia Hargrave (Aunt), charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury.

Sources:
Obituary for Rosa May Hargrave | Fountain Square Mortuary
3 charged with neglect in death of Indy 12-year-old, mice and feces found inside home
Autism Memorial: Rosa Hargrave