Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Relative other than parent, child, or sibling.
Name: Nikolas Chavez III.
Died: November 30, 2005.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability.
Details:
Nikolas was beaten to death by his godfather.
Case status:
Robert Knutsen (Godfather); sentenced to 7 years, served 4 years and released.
Source:
Nikolas Tyler Chavez III
Trial begins of N.B. man accused of beating his godson to death
Name: Karen Elizabeth Dreager.
Died: August 31, 2004.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Karen was neglected by her family. She died of starvation, weighing 50 pounds, down from 200 pounds, covered in severe and untreated bedsores.
Case status:
Debra McMahon (Adoptive sister), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years.
Paul McMahon (Brother-in-law), sentenced to 6 years.
Kimberly McMahon (Niece), charged with first-degree murder.
Source:
History of euthanasia in Canada
The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities:
Murder charges for family in Oak Ridge starvation case
Family charged in starvation of kin
Woman Starved to Death
Family Charged in Starving Disabled Woman
Name Unknown.
Died: March 12, 2002.
Age at death: 50s.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Intellectual disability, fronto-temporal dementia.
Details:
This man, whose name was not released, had a life-long intellectual disability, but began needing full-time care in his fifties, so he moved in with his father, his niece, and her baby son. His dementia had become quite severe, resulting in behavioral disinhibition, when he became confused and masturbated in the presence of his niece’s baby. She reacted by beating and kicking him to death.
He was a Vietnam veteran who worked stocking shelves before the dementia forced him to retire.
Case Status:
KMB (Niece), sentenced to 3-7 years.
Name: Grace Lee Bogey (Born Gracielo Cano).
Died: September 2, 2000.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Roswell, New Mexico, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida.
Details:
Grace was abused by her adoptive mother and adoptive grandparent. At death, she had multiple head injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome.
Case status:
Veronica Bogey (Adoptive mother), charged with child abuse; acquitted; civil suit underway.
Terry/Terri Bogey (Adoptive grandparent), pleaded no contest to child abuse, sentenced to probation.
Source:
Grace Lee Bogey (Gracielo Cano)
Scott Johnson, As Personal Representative of the Estate of Graciela Cano A/k/a Grace Lee Bogey, Deceased; and Lorena Torrez, Plaintiffs-appellants, v. Anne Holmes; Bonnie Vehstedt; Karen Zarate; Lydia R. Saenz; Sonia Perez; Virginia Villareal; Viviane Encinias; Ginger Bowman; Denise H. Narvaez; Children, Youth and Families Department, New Mexico; Veronica Bogey; Terry Bogey A/k/a Teri Bogey, Defendants-appellees, 455 F.3d 1133 (10th Cir. 2006)
Name: Louise Brown.
Died: May 28, 1984.
Age at death: 14 days.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: London, England, UK.
Disability: Down syndrome.
Details:
Louise’s father told police that Louise had been in the family car when it was stolen. When the truth emerged, it was found that Louise had been killed by her father because he could not accept her disability, and her uncle had helped get rid of the body.
Case status:
Paul Brown (Father), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 5 years, served less than 2.
Ian Brown (Uncle), served 9 months in jail for helping dispose of Louise’s body.
Source:
Killer Dad Jailed for Murder of Brother; Daughter was first victim.
Name: Robert Blake Fish.
Died: October 8, 2022.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, dehydration.
Location: Duncan, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Details:
Robert died from starvation, weighing 47 pounds; his family is accused of neglecting to feed him. Police say they also found unused seizure medication, which Robert needed but had not been given.
Robert’s obituary says he “loved Mickey Mouse, dinosaur sounds, Christmas time and milkshakes from Cookout.”
Case Status:
Hope Fish (Mother), charged with murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect towards a child.
Freddie Fish II (Uncle), charged with accessory to murder and unlawful neglect toward a child.
Freddie Fish Sr. (Grandfather), charged with unlawful neglect towards a child.
Sources:
SC teen weighed 47 pounds when he died. His mother is charged with his murder
3 charged in death of Spartanburg Co. teen with special needs
3 family members charged in death of teen boy who weighed 47 pounds
Robert Blake Fish – Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes
Name: Brittini Ward.
Died: May 5, 2010.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Paranoid schizophrenia.
Details:
Brittini’s cousin showed up unannounced at their home, convinced her parents that Brittini was “possessed”, and moved in, saying he would take care of the problem. Only weeks later, Brittini’s family returned home to find her unresponsive. Her cousin had raped her and strangled her.
For a few hours, Brittini’s cousin insisted that she was bloody and unresponsive because she was possessed and needed the demons removed. So the family, under orders from Brittini’s cousin, washed her body and prayed. Nothing happened.
Eventually, Brittini’s mother called her church elders, explaining that her daughter was possessed and they needed help. When one of them came to visit the home, he saw the situation and made Brittini’s mother call 911. Emergency responders arrived to find Brittini had been dead for several hours.
Case Status:
Derek Ward (Cousin) was found unfit to stand trial and hospitalized to restore competency. Competency restored over ten years later, he was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Dawn Wheeler (Mother) pleaded guilty to concealing a death.
Sources:
After he killed his cousin, he moved into her bedroom, Charlotte murder witnesses testify
Mother of slain Charlotte woman takes the stand, directly faces accused killer at trial
Charlotte man found guilty of raping, killing his own cousin in 2010