Miss Hsieh

No PhotoName: Hsieh (Family name; given name unknown).
Died: August 4, 2022.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Disability: Developmental delay, poor balance.

Details:
When three-year-old miss Hsieh refused to take her bath, her father beat her and then forced her to stand on a stool, from which she fell. She died of a brain injury; her body showed signs of regular beatings.

Case Status:
Mr. Hsieh (Father), convicted of child abuse resulting in death, sentenced to 9 years.

Sources:
Court sentences man for abuse, death of daughter
Supreme Court upholds man’s 9-year sentence for causing daughter’s death

Driti Balakrishna

Blurry image of a child wearing a red shirt; she has short dark hair and tan skin; she is holding hands with an adult off to the right of the frame.Name: Driti Balakrishna.
Died: August 4, 2022.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Fall.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability, hearing loss.

Details:
Driti died after falling from her fourth-floor balcony. After watching CCTV footage, police arrested her mother, who was allegedly upset because she had to care for Driti instead of working.

Case Status:
Sushma Bharadwaj (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Driti Balakrishna
Bengaluru woman charged with murder for throwing her child off apartment
Bengaluru: Police charge dentist with murder for throwing autistic child from apartment
Caught on Cam: B’luru woman throws deaf and mute daughter to death from 4th floor
Woman throws 4-year-old daughter to death in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: 4-year-old dies as dentist mother throws her off fourth floor

Tejaswini

Photo of a baby sitting in a blue chair, wearing a yellow dress and pink flower in her hair. She has light-brown skin, short dark-brown hair, and a bindi on her forehead. She seems upset, her eyes shut and her mouth open in a cry. Off to the side, an adult is holding her arm. Name: Tejaswini.
Died: August 1, 2022.
Age at death: 1.
Cause of death: Drowning and/or fall injury.
Location: Jangaon, Telangana, India.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Tejaswini’s mother claimed that a robber had tried to steal her gold necklace, and that when she refused, the robber had thrown the baby into a water sump. Neighbors rushed the child to the hospital, but she was dead on arrival. Police, who checked CCTV camera footage, say that there was never a robber, and Tejaswini’s mother threw the baby into the sump herself because she was frustrated that Tejaswini’s disability was not being cured, and tired of the financial burden of caring for her. At the police station, Tejaswini’s mother allegedly confessed to killing her.

Case Status:
Prasanna (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Jangaon woman kills 1-year-old disabled daughter
Woman kills her infant girl child in Jangaon
Telangana: Big twist in Janagama child death case.. Police shocked to hear mother’s truth..!

Jackie Thrasher III

Memorial left at the side of a road, consisting of two vases of blue and white flowers, four votive candles, a stuffed blue dog, a stuffed panda bear, and two toy cars.Name: Jackie Thrasher III.
Died: July 22, 2022.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Frederick, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Autism, epilepsy.

Details:
Jackie was brought to the hospital with a major head injury and died shortly afterward. When authorities saw the bruises on his body, they arrested his mother and her boyfriend.

Case Status:
Catherine Thrasher, charged with child abuse resulting in death, assault, child neglect, and child sexual abuse.
Timothy Lee Haselden II, charged with child abuse resulting in death, assault, and child neglect, and child sexual abuse.

Sources:
Washington County man charged with first-degree child abuse and death of 5-year-old boy
Md. couple accused of sexually assaulting and abusing autistic 5-year-old child, resulting in death
Washington County mother charged in death of 5-year-old son
Man and Woman Charged With Death Of 5-Year-Old Boy In Hagerstown
2 adults face numerous child abuse, sex abuse charges after 5-year-old dies
Cases of two charged in fatal child abuse moved to circuit court; rape charges dropped
Washington County couple face new charges in child abuse case that left boy dead
Autism Memorial: Jackie Thrasher III

Adam Kortes

Portrait photo of a young man with short brown hair, fair skin, and a slight mustache; he is smiling for the camera. He is wearing square wire-rimmed glasses and a purple shirt.Name: Adam Kortes.
Died: July 21, 2022.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Asphyxia; torso compression.
Location: Danville, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: “Special needs” (Multiple disabilities).

Details:
Adam died from being restrained, his chest compressed so that he could not take a breath. Police say his parents would restrain him when he had “episodes”, and that his father had sat on Adam. The death was registered as a homicide and his parents were charged.

Neighbors remember Adam as a young man who used to walk around the neighborhood, and never bothered anyone.

Case Status:
Kristine Kortes (Mother), charged with neglect of a dependent person and involuntary manslaughter.
Richard Kortes (Father), charged with neglect of a dependent person and involuntary manslaughter.

Sources:
Parents face charges after son’s death in Montour County
Parents charged after death of son with special needs
Parents of Danville man charged for his death
Parents charged in son’s July death

Dominic Paddock-Wood

Photo of a small boy with brown skin and tightly curled short black hair, smiling for the camera. His ears stick out slightly. He is wearing a bright orange T-shirt.Name: Dominic Landon Paddock-Wood.
Died: July 15, 2022.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Cocaine and Fentanyl poisoning.
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Dominic was found unresponsive in his mother’s house, in a dangerously filthy environment. He was declared dead, and an autopsy revealed he had died from poisoning with cocaine and Fentanyl. His mother and her boyfriend were arrested and charged with child neglect.

Case Status:
Noel Wood (Mother), charged with neglect of a dependent causing death.
Jonathan Mulvihill (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with neglect of a dependent causing death.

Sources:
Police arrest couple in connection to death of 4-year-old
Police searching for couple wanted in child neglect death
Couple arrested in connection to death of four-year-old
Fort Wayne couple arrested on neglect charges after death of 4-year-old child
Dominic Paddock-Wood Obituary – Fort Wayne, IN

Gabrielle Roe

Photo of a smiling girl with straight brown hair and pale skin.Name: Gabrielle Roe.
Died: July 7, 2022.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Drewsey, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Gabrielle and her mother, who lived in Iowa, disappeared after going on what was supposed to be a camping trip. A search that lasted several days eventually turned up their bodies in their van in Oregon; Gabrielle’s mother had shot her and then killed herself.

Case Status:
Dawna Roe (Mother), deceased.

Sources:
Missing mom, daughter found dead in suspected murder-suicide
Mother, Teen Daughter With Down Syndrome Found Dead In Apparent Murder-Suicide
Idaho Mom and Special Needs Daughter Found Dead in Suspected Murder-Suicide, Police Say

Kadaris Maddox

Smiling boy with olive-tone skin and curly brown hair, wearing a green and white striped polo shirt.Name: Kadaris Maddox.
Died: July 6, 2022.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Unspecified.
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Kadaris was found dead in his home and paramedics saw the conditions he had been living in, his mother was arrested.

Kadaris’s grandmother remembers his eyes as “rays of sunshine”. She says Kadaris was “always on the go” and “loved everything”.

Case Status:
Cheyenne Dawn Maddox (Mother), charged with murder, child abuse, neglect, and endangerment of Kadaris, as well as abuse of her other five children.

Sources:
Mother accused of starving son to death talks from jail
Mother accused of starving son to death talks from jail
Clarksville woman charged with murder of 13-year-old son
Woman charged with first-degree murder in death of disabled 13-year-old son
Cheyenne Maddox: Clarksville mother charged with murder for starving 13-yr-old disabled son to death | MEAWW
Mom Faces Murder Case After 13-Year-Old Son with Special Needs Starves to Death
Woman charged with aggravated child abuse in death of disabled 13-year-old son
Clarksville Police Department reports Cheyenne Maddox Indicted For Aggravated Child Abuse
How does DCS handle child abuse reports? Death of Kadaris Maddox raises questions for state agency
Funeral for Kadaris Maddox, organized by Dawn Maddox
‘She killed my grandson’: Grandmother storms out of daughter’s child abuse hearing
Clarksville woman charged with child abuse in death of 13-year-old son | WKRN News 2
Cheyenne Maddox jailed on new Indictments related to child’s death
Grandmother, therapist say disabled child was at risk long before his death in Clarksville

Timothy Ferguson

Photo of a boy with blond hair, fair skin, and blue eyes, smiling.Name: Timothy Ferguson.
Died: July 6, 2022.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, hypothermia.
Location: Norton Shores, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Autism with speech and motor impairment.

Details:
Timothy died from a combination of starvation and hypothermia. His mother had been feeding him very little, often just bread soaked in hot sauce, and had been forcing him to take ice baths. His mother insisted that he was “faking” his disability.

Case Status:
Shanda Vander Ark (Mother), convicted of murder and first-degree child abuse; sentenced to 50-100 years for child abuse and life without parole for murder.
Paul Ferguson (Brother), pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse, sentenced to 30-100 years.

Sources:
Man who helped mum torture disabled brother to death begs mercy at sentencing
Killer jailed for disabled younger brother’s death after tearful ‘mercy’ plea
Michigan man faces up to 100 years in jail for torturing and starving autistic brother to death
Muskegon Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Starvation Death of Disabled Brother in Michigan
3 things to know before mom is sentenced for torturing son to death
Michigan law clerk is jailed for life for torturing her disabled son
Mum who tortured and starved disabled son expressionless as jailed for life
Michigan woman sentenced to life in prison in starvation death of 15-year-old son – CBS Detroit
‘We know who you are’: Judge and victim’s siblings call out mom who fatally tortured son
MI v. Shanda Vander Ark: Tortured Son Murder Trial
Tortured Son Murder Trial: Shanda Vander Ark Cross-Examination
Testimony begins in trial of Norton Shores mom accused of killing her teen with special needs
Hot sauce, ice baths, motion sensors | What prosecutors accuse a Norton Shores mom of doing to slain son
Michigan mom found guilty of starving her disabled son to death
Michigan woman found guilty of murder and child abuse in starvation death of son
Michigan mother found guilty of murder in starvation death of her disabled 15-year-old son – CBS News
Norton Shores mother heads to trial for murder, child abuse of teenage son
Norton Shores mom accused of torturing, killing son faced ‘similar allegations’ in custody case
Woman charged with homicide, child abuse of teenage son in Norton Shores
43-year-old woman arrested for open murder of teen in Norton Shores
Woman charged with murder, abuse in death of underfed teen
MI Woman Charged After Son Dies, Tortured With Ice Baths and More
A mother charged with the death of her child
Autism Memorial: Timothy Ferguson
‘Sadistic’: Mother charged with abuse, murder of teen

John Hoover

No PhotoName: John V. Hoover.
Died: June 29, 2022.
Age at death: 44.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Hixson, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
John was taken to the hospital, severely malnourished and with pressure sores on his body. A week later, he died. Neighbors said John had been rummaging in the trash and asking for food; allegedly, his parents withheld food to force him to take showers, and tied him to the bed at night to keep him from taking food.

Case Status:
John Hoover (Father), charged with felony murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Jacqueline Hoover (Mother), charged with felony murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult.

Sources:
Hixson Couple Facing First-Degree Murder Charges In Starving Death Of Their Adult Son
‘Severe malnutrition:’ Tennessee parents charged with starving adult son to death
A Hixson couple is facing first-degree murder and neglect charges.
Tennessee Couple Accused Of Starving Developmentally Disabled Adult Son To Death
‘Tied Him To A Bed At Night’: Tennessee Parents Face First-Degree Murder Charges For Starving Disabled Son To Death
‘That’s disgraceful:’ Neighbor says Hixson man who died of starvation rummaged for food