Relationship: Parent – Disability Day of Mourning

3-year-old boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: May 12, 2023.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Bedsores; sepsis.
Location: Bartow, Florida, USA.
Disability: Hypoxic brain injury, ventilator-dependent.

Details:
Although this three-year-old’s parents had nursing assistance and a caregiver allowance to assist them in caring for him, they dismissed the nurses. Some months later, paramedics were called to the house to find the toddler dying from sepsis caused by extreme, untreated pressure sores. He was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved, and his parents were arrested.

Case Status:
Takesha Williams (Mother), charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Efrem Allen (Father), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Bartow Parents Left Disabled 3-Year-Old Child To Rot To Death: Sheriff
Emergency Doctors Say 3-Year-Old Bartow Boy Hadn’t Been Cared For In Months Before He Died
Florida Couple Charged With Manslaughter in Special Needs Child’s Death

5-year-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: April 27, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Surat, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This 5-year-old girl died from her injuries after her mother, who came home to hear her crying, allegedly became infuriated and beat her severely.

Case Status:
Bilkisbanu (Mother), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Surat: Shocking revelation in the murder of a 5-year-old disabled girl
A mother killed her 5-year-old disabled daughter in Surat
Shocking Twist in Surat Murder Case of 5-Year-Old Disabled Girl

A’riyan Johnson

Name: A’riyan Birkett Johnson.
Died: April 18, 2023.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Orange County, California, USA.
Disability: A developmental condition affecting his trachea.

Details:
A’riyan was born with a condition that left him at high risk of developing breathing problems. His doctor told his mother that he should never, ever be left alone. His mother had also been ticketed and made to take car-seat safety courses for leaving A’riyan improperly secured in his car seat with only the shoulder straps buckled, telling investigators that she believed car seats were a scam and the waist and crotch straps were hard to buckle with long acrylic fingernails.

On the day of his death, A’riyan’s mother left him alone in her car, and then alone in her hotel room; when she returned to the hotel room, she found him dead. He was buckled into the seat, but only the shoulder straps were buckled; A’riyan had slid down, his head falling forward, and suffocated.

A’riyan was a friendly, curious, happy child. He loved playing with people’s hair, watching Coco Melon, eating vanilla wafers, and dancing to music.

Case Status:
Appalonia B. Lampkin (Mother), charged with manslaughter and neglect.

Sources:
Orange County mother facing neglect, manslaughter charges in connection to son’s death
Obituary for A’riyan Birkett Johnson at Sarah’s Memorial Chapel

Abhijit Jaybhay

No Photo Name: Abhijit Jaybhay.
Died: April 13, 2023.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Accidental head injury; bedridden.

Details:
Abhijit’s father allegedly strangled him because of the medical expenses involved in caring for him.

Before his injury, Abhijit was a laborer like his father.

Case Status:
Baburao Dinkar Jaybhay (Father), charged with murder.

Sources:
‘Not able to bear medical expenses’, labourer kills bedridden son
Man Arrested On Charge Of Murdering Son

Manoj

No Photo Name: Manoj.
Died: April 4, 2023.
Age at death: 36.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Ernakulam, Kerala, India.
Disability: Developmental disability and/or mental illness.

Details:
Manoj’s father killed him and his mother, then hanged himself.

The family was known to sometimes have loud arguments, so none of the neighbors noticed anything unusual until the next morning.

Case Status:
Mani (Father), deceased.

Sources:
Man commits suicide after killing wife and mentally disabled son
3 of family found dead, police suspect man died by suicide after killing wife, mentally ill son in Kerala
Three of family found dead, police suspect man died by suicide after killing wife, mentally ill son in Kerala

Ruth Maclaren

Photo of a girl with tan skin and straight, chin-length black hair, smiling fo the camera and squinting into the sun. She is wearing a white turtleneck sweater, and has pink barrettes in her hair. Name: Ruth Jennifer Maclaren.
Died: March 25, 2023.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Englewood, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, epilepsy, porencephaly.

Details:
Ruth and her mother Bethany were allegedly killed by her father with an axe; their bodies were found dismembered and stuffed into trash cans. Police say her father confessed to the crime, saying that he had lost his job, was worried the family was going to be homeless, and didn’t regret his actions because they were “in a better place”.

Case Status:
Reginald Mclaren (Father), charged with murder.

Sources:
Victim in ax killings had cerebral palsy, autopsy shows
Obituary for Ruth J. Maclaren at Marshall’s Mortuary and Cremation Service
Reginald MacLaren charged with 2 counts of murder in deaths of wife and daughter
Elderly man tells police he killed family to avoid homelessness
Mother, daughter murdered in Englewood honored with a vigil

Rashta

No Photo Name: Rashta (Also spelled Riasat).
Died: March 13, 2023.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Injury from edged weapon.
Location: Baldia Town, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Disability: Polio survivor.

Details:
Rashta’s father and brother tried to pressure him into selling his home; when he refused, they allegedly killed him. Rashta was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Rashta worked as a laborer.

Case Status:
Zardar (Father), arrested.
Asim (Brother), wanted for murder; at large.

Sources:
Property dispute father kills disabled elder son along with younger son Pipa News
Polio-disabled man stabbed to death by father, brother over land dispute

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

Kaleb Bogan

Photo of a young boy with dark skin, grinning at the camera, lying back on a pillow, wearing an orange tank top printed with "Let's" (the rest of the message is out of frame). Name: Kaleb Bogan.
Died: January 15, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma and burns.
Location: Tupelo, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Paramedics were called to Kaleb’s home, where he was unresponsive. They performed CPR but were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital, where doctors reported that Kaleb’s body was covered in scars and burns. His mother was arrested.

Case Status:
Brianna Young (Mother), charged with murder, child abuse, and child neglect.

Sources:
Tupelo mother held without bond after charges upgraded to capital murder
Tupelo woman charged with child abuse after 5 year old autistic child died over weekend | Tippah News
Tupelo woman charged after five-year-old autistic son dies | DeSoto County News
Tupelo mom charged in death of 5-year-old son
Funeral Expenses for Kaleb Bogan, organized by Leslie Harris
Autism Memorial: Kaleb Bogan

Skyler Wilson

Name: Skyler Wilson.
Died: January 9, 2023.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Hypoxic brain injury.
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Reactive attachment disorder.

Details:
Skyler’s parents allegedly tried to “treat” him by swaddling him tightly–so tightly that he could not breathe. Skyler was rushed to the hospital, but died four days later from a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen.

Case Status:
Joseph Wilson (Adoptive father), charged with murder.
Jodi Wilson (Adoptive mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Warrants reveal Surry County 4-year-old died of hypoxic brain injury, wrist and ankle straps found in home
Search warrants reveal Surry County 4-year-old died from a hypoxic brain injury
Search warrant sheds light on child’s death
Parents Abused 4-Year-Old Son, Who Languished in Hospital for Days before Dying: Deputies
Husband, wife charged with murder of 4-year-old