Relationship: Other Relative – Page 14 – Disability Day of Mourning

Patricia Swink

Name: Patricia Diane Swink.
Died: November 2, 2016.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Hickory, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Unspecified disability; vision impairment.

Details:
Patricia was killed by her niece and her niece’s son, who then proceeded to steal her car.

Case status:
Micky Lee Swink (Niece’s son), pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Tina Louise Swink (Niece), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and car theft, sentenced to 18 to 22 years in prison.
Richard Lee Deal, charged with accessory after the fact.

Source:
Hildebran woman to spend at least 18 years in prison for Halloween murder of her aunt
Judge hands Hickory man life-in-prison sentence for Halloween murder | Latest Headlines
Three charged in murder of 66-year-old disabled woman
Hickory woman found dead in home, Police treat case as murder
Mother, son arrested in death of handicap woman
Relatives among three charged in killing of Hickory woman
Mother, son charged with first-degree murder appear in court for death penalty hearings

Shobhana Kunnath

Name: Shobhana Kunnath.
Died: September 26, 2016.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Edappal, Malappuram, Kerala, India.
Disability: Mentally disabled.

Details:
Shobhana and her daughter Shruthi, who both had a mental disorder, were living in a house by themselves. Their family lived nearby and were wealthy but apparently made no effort to ensure their welfare. Unable to care for themselves, Shobhana and Shruthi went hungry. After a week of starvation, Shobhana died and Shruthi was found weak from hunger.

Case status:
Her family is under investigation.
The Human Rights Commission has registered a case.

Source:
Mentally challenged woman starves to death
Woman found starved to death at Edappal
Mentally disabled woman starves to death in Edappal
Mentally unstable woman found dead
Did mental illness and social neglect cause these two Kerala families to starve?

Stella Hamilton

No Photo Name: Stella Hamilton.
Died: July 31, 2016.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Undetermined.
Location: Malanda, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Dementia, terminally ill.

Details:
Stella’s family talked to staff at her nursing home, asking whether she could be euthanized, and were told that this was illegal. They also requested that 24 hours’ worth of morphine be left in her room, and were refused. One of her children said another had told them that if they covered her face, she would “go quicker”. Shortly after the family’s request for euthanasia, Stella was found dead with a blanket over her face. She could not have pulled the blanket up herself, but other residents theoretically had access to her room. Her family was seen celebrating that she had died, though this could have been relief that she was no longer in pain.

Case status:
Inquest determined that, despite the troubling factors in Stella’s death, her cause of death could not be determined because she was already terminally ill.

Source:
Inquest into the death of Stella Hamilton
Mystery surrounds aged care resident found dead with blanket over head
Daughter asked doctor to euthanase terminally ill mother, inquest hears

Mohan Lal

No Photo Name: Mohan Lal.
Died: July 24, 2016.
Age at death: Adult.
Cause of death: Head injury from axe.
Location: Naal Bashat, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Disability: No arms.

Details:
Mohan’s aunt and uncle were angry with him because he had taken a box of tomatoes without their permission. They attacked him with an axe, causing fatal head injuries.

Case Status:
Joli Ram (Uncle), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.
Thakri Devi (Aunt), convicted of murder, sentenced to life.

Sources:
JK Couple Gets Life Imprisonment For Disabled Nephew’s Murder
Udhampur couple gets life for killing disabled nephew
2016 Murder Case: Udhampur Court Awards Life Sentence To Couple
Life-term awarded to couple for murder

Nadia Schaible

Somewhat indistinct photograph of Nadia Schaible, an elderly woman with short curly hair and fair skin. Name: Nadia Evanowicz Schaible.
Died: July 12, 2016.
Age at death: 91.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Parkville, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired; used a walker.

Details:
Nadia’s cousin allegedly bludgeoned her to death, then broke a glass door panel to stage a fake burglary; police doubt his story because the cobwebs outside the door through which the burglars were supposed to have entered were intact. Nadia’s cousin reportedly hoped to collect an inheritance from Nadia when she died.

Nadia was an independent woman who was known and loved by her neighbors.

Case status:
John Malko (Cousin), charged with first-degree murder.

Source:
Man charged with murder of 91-year-old cousin
Man, 72, charged in Parkville woman’s death
Cousin Charged With Parkville Woman’s Murder
Police say cousin killed elderly Parkville woman in staged burglary
Utah man charged with murder of elderly Baltimore woman

Jordan Burling

Name: Jordan Burling.
Died: June 30, 2016.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Leeds, England, UK.
Disability: Developmental and behavioral problems, mobility impaired.

Details:
At sixteen years old, Jordan’s family took him out of school, claiming they were home-schooling, and neglected him.

Jordan was left on an air mattress by his family. There, he slowly died of malnutrition and infected bedsores. He died of pneumonia, weighing only 37 kg (82 pounds).

The body of Jordan’s baby brother was found in Jordan’s closet. It could not be determined whether he had been born alive.

Jordan liked WWE wrestling, video games, and football.

Case status:
Dawn Cranston (Mother), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to four years.
Denise Cranston (Grandmother), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to four years.
Abigail Burling (Sister), convicted of causing or allowing a vulnerable adult’s death, sentenced to 18 months.

Source:
‘No-one’ responsible for grandson’s death
Mum and gran accused of neglecting teen who ‘rotted to death’ in family home
Family on trial after dead teen and baby found in Leeds house
Teen ‘starved to death by mum, sister and gran was as thin as death camp victim’
Son ‘left to rot to death was as thin as a WW2 death camp victim’
Emaciated man’s family ‘reclusive’
Emaciated son was ‘pale and drawn’
The teenager left to waste away
Women jailed after teen ‘rotted to death’
Shocking pictures show teenager left to ‘rot to death’ by his mother and gran
Women jailed after teen ‘rotted to death’

12-year-old boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: Unknown; suspects arrested June 28, 2016.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Gujranwala, Pakistan.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
This twelve-year-old boy lived in Pakistan and was a sixth-form student at People’s Colony, a special education school.

His body was found dumped in the fields; he had been raped and murdered. His cousins went on the run, but were caught by police and confessed to the crime.

Case status:
His cousins; arrested.

Source:
Police arrest ‘cousins’ for alleged rape of child with special needs in Gujranwala

Shaelynn Lehano-Stone

Name: Shaelynn Lehano-Stone.
Died: June 28, 2016.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Hilo, Hawaii, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Shaelynn was starved and deprived of water and medication by her parents and grandmother. She died of pneumonia caused by malnutrition.

Case status:
Kevin Lehano (Father), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years probation.
Tiffany Stone (Mother), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years probation.
Henrietta Stone (Grandmother), charged with second-degree murder.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Shaelynn Lehano-Stone
Father receives probation in child starvation death
Woman found guilty of manslaughter in death of 9-year-old daughter
Family of 9-year-old Big Island girl who starved to death is suing the state for wrongful death
Shaelynn Lehano-Stone
Hilo girl allegedly starved to death was once ward of state
CPS had been in contact with Hawaii girl starved to death since she was a toddler
Father faces mental exam in alleged child starvation
Suit alleges state’s to blame for starvation death of 9-year-old Hilo girl

Patricia Myers

Close-up photo of Patricia Myers, a middle-aged African-american woman. Name: Patricia Myers.
Died: April 23, 2016.
Age at death: 69.
Cause of death: Beaten, stabbed.
Location: Bronx, New York, USA.
Disability: Chronic lung disease.

Details:
Patricia was a retired nurse.

Her nephew had just been released from prison, so Patricia welcomed him into her home. Then she disappeared, leaving behind the oxygen tank and mask she needed to breathe, and police dogs found blood in her apartment. Her nephew confessed to beating and stabbing her to death and burying her body in a suitcase.

Case status:
Andros Topping (Nephew), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.

Source:
Ex-con gets 15 years to life for killing his aunt in her Bronx home and stuffing her body in a suitcase
Ex-con charged with murder reportedly confesses to beating aunt to death
Nephew of missing retired Bronx nurse charged with murder, manslaughter for her death

Enelesi Nkhata

No Photo Name: Enelesi Nkhata.
Died: April 14, 2016.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Blood loss.
Location: Kumtumba village, Malawi.
Disability: Albinism.

Details:
Enelesi’s uncle knew that some people would pay a lot of money for the body parts of albinos, and so he made an arrangement with a gang of albino hunters.

Enelesi’s uncle told her that he had found her a job and would find her some sunscreen, both of which can be difficult to get for an albino in Malawi.

Then he lured her to a remote location, where he and his accomplices ambushed and dismembered her. She died of massive blood loss.

Case status:
Gerald Phiri (Uncle), convicted of murder and abduction, sentenced to 17 years.
Other suspects: Medison Madzialenga, Damison Manyoni, Isaac Sambule, Yosofi Samuel, Jazimon Baluwa, Foster Weruzani, Steven Chingombe, and Ronald.

Source:
Albino murders spread to Lilongwe; bones prized for wealth charms
Prejudice against people with albinism in Malawi
Albino murders turn to Dowa