9-year-old boy

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: April 21, 2021.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
This 9-year-old boy lived with his father in a house with an old, dirty swimming pool out back. There was no fence around the pool, nor safety locks on the door to the outside. Child protective services has reported that he had once been found wandering alone outside.

On the day he died, the boy’s father reported that he had left the back door open, and the boy had fallen into the pool. Instead of calling emergency services, he called the child’s mother, and then only called emergency services when she told him to do so. At first reluctant to retrieve the child from the pool because he was afraid of water and could not swim, he finally fished him out with a rake and did CPR. The boy was declared brain-dead at the hospital.

Case Status:
Gareth Grant (Father), pleaded no contest to aggravated manslaughter; sentenced to one year of community control and five years of probation.

Source:
Port St. Lucie man enters plea deal sparing him prison time in drowning of 9-year-old son
Port St. Lucie Police Detectives Arrest Man for Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child in Drowning Death of His Son
Father jailed on aggravated manslaughter of a child charge after son’s death in Port St. Lucie
Man arrested in connection with son’s drowning death in Port St. Lucie
Dad arrested for manslaughter after 9-year-old autistic son found at bottom of pool
Port St. Lucie man charged with manslaughter in autistic son’s drowning
Autism Memorial: 9-year-old boy

Jax Ponomarenko

Photo of a small boy standing in the snow, mouth open in a laugh, holding a brown dog's leash. He has fair skin and brown hair, and his cheeks are red from the cold. Name: Jax Ponomarenko.
Died: March 25, 2021.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Beaten with baseball bat.
Location: Parma, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Jax’s father called 911, saying, “I’ve killed my son,” and claimed he had been hearing voices. He then described how he had beaten the boy to death with a baseball bat.

Jax used a tablet to communicate.

Case Status:
Matthew Ponomarenko (Father), pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, kidnapping, and child endangerment; sentenced to 45 years to life.

Source:
Parma father who beat 5-year-old son to death with baseball bat avoids death penalty, will spend life in prison
Autism Memorial: Jax Ponomarenko
Man Pleads Not Guilty After 911 Call Shows Alleged Confession in Baseball Bat Murder of 5-Year-Old Son
Matthew J Ponomarenko: Parma dad beats autistic son with baseball bat, calls 911: ‘I’m hearing voices’
5-year-old boy killed in Parma, boy’s father arrested, police say
Matthew Ponomarenko beats autistic son, Jax, 5, to death w/ baseball bat
GRAPHIC: ‘I just killed my son after hearing voices,’ Parma, Ohio dad tells 911 dispatcher
Ohio dad admits killing autistic 5-year-old son with baseball bat

Chevana Fox

No PhotoName: Chevana Marie Fox.
Died: February 28, 2021.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Hypoxic brain injury due to strangulation.
Location: Napier, New Zealand.
Disability: Juvenile Huntington’s disease.

Details:
Chevana’s mother strangled her. Her mother called emergency services to report what she had done, and Chevana was taken to the hospital; but her brain had been without oxygen too long, and she died four weeks later.

Case Status:
Cherlyene May Lawrence (Mother), pleaded guilty to murder, sentenced to 6 years 6 months.

Source:
Mum who killed terminally-ill daughter sentenced to six and a half years in jail
Napier mother admits murdering daughter with juvenile Huntington’s disease
Mother admits killing disabled daughter in Napier

Jasmine Cannady

Photo of a young adult with curly brown hair, tan skin, and dark-brown eyes, wearing a green headwrap and a nose ring.Name: Jasmine Cannady.
Died: February 22, 2021.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Ambridge, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Mental illness.

Details:
Jasmine’s mother allegedly shot them and their 16-year-old brother Jeffrey with a shotgun. Police say Jasmine’s mother said she was worried that Jasmine would be committed to a mental institution because of their disability, and that their father would take custody of their brother; so she killed both siblings instead.

Jasmine worked at FedEx. They are remembered by friends at PRISM, the local LGBT+ youth organization, as sweet, shy, and artistic. They loved to dance. Under Jasmine’s favorite quotes on Facebook, they posted, “Don’t let anyone bring you down. Don’t let people tell you can’t do anything in life. You mean something.” 

Case Status:
Krisinda A. Bright (Mother), pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, sentenced to 2 consecutive life sentences without parole.

Source:
Krisinda Bright, Ambridge Mother Accused Of Killing 2 Children, Pleads Guilty
Ambridge mother accused of killing her two children will face trial
HRC Mourns Trans & Non-Binary Siblings Who Were Killed
Beaver County LGBTQ+ group holds vigil for siblings killed in Ambridge shooting
‘Please Don’t Shoot’: Krisinda Bright Accused Of Shooting, Killing Her 16-Year-Old, 22-Year-Old Children
Jasmine Cannady | Facebook

Jerome Brown

No PhotoName: Jerome Brown.
Died: February 14, 2021.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Paynesville, Greater Monrovia, Liberia.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Jerome was born with epilepsy, and when she could not find a cure for him in the spiritual treatments she sought, his mother left him to his father to raise. A neighbor reported finding him close to death in his father’s home; shortly after being found, Jerome died.

Jerome’s mother says that his father starved him to death, and that photos of his body in an extremely emaciated condition corroborate her claims. Police initially declared that he had died of epilepsy; but Jerome’s death was eventually declared to be a homicide and his father and stepmother arrested.

Case Status:
Emmanuel Brown (Father), charged with manslaughter.
Wanneh Tarpalah (Stepmother), charged with manslaughter.

Source:
Little Jerome’s Mother Seeks Justice
Court To Try Couple For Alleged Manslaughter, After 11-Yr-Old Son Starved To Death
“No Foul Play in Little Jerome’s Death” (Caution: graphic images of starvation)
Child, 11, Starved to Death (Caution: graphic images of starvation)

Travis Scott

Photo of a curly-haired, chubby baby with tan skin. He is wearing a trach tube. Name: Travis Scott.
Died: February 13, 2021.
Age at death: 13 months.
Cause of death: Hypoxia.
Location: Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Details:
Born prematurely, Travis stayed in the hospital for eight months before being discharged with a tracheotomy, ventilator, and feeding tube. The ventilator alarm was designed so that it could not be accidentally disabled, and Travis did not have the ability to disconnect the ventilator on his own. Still, his parents repeatedly reported that the ventilator had been disconnected and the alarm failed to sound, always when they were alone with Travis. One day, Travis was at home with his father when they reported him unresponsive. This time, the baby’s brain had been so badly damaged that he was declared brain dead and removed from life support. Upon investigation, Travis’s parents were charged with turning off the ventilator and killing their son.

Some time later, after Travis’s parents had been charged and bailed out, they were arrested again after Samson, Travis’s 6-month-old little brother, died a “suspicious death” and doctors at the hospital called the authorities.

Case Status:
Tyrone C. Scott (Father), charged with murder and cruelty to children.
Salena Scott (Mother), charged with murder and cruelty to children.
Murder charges dropped due to inability to prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt. Both now charged with cruelty to children in the second degree.

Source:
Days before 2nd child dies, parents’ earlier murder charges dropped
Augusta parents charged in infant’s 2021 homicide arrested in other baby’s Tuesday death
Augusta father charged with murder in disabled baby’s death granted bond
Augusta parents arrested, charged with murder in 1-year-old child’s death
Augusta parents charged with murder of 1-year-old, mother and neighbors say there’s more to the story
1-year-old’s death sends shockwave through Augusta neighborhood
Augusta mother and father arrested for murder after repeatedly turning off infant’s ventilator, police say
Details emerge in death of Augusta 1-year-old as bond is set for father

Nanako Tokutani

No PhotoName: Nanako Tokutani.
Died: February 13, 2021.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Kawakami, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Police found Nanako’s body floating in a lake, and her father, soaked with water, in his car in the parking lot. He allegedly kidnapped her from her special needs school, took her to the lake, and drowned her. He told police that his daughter’s disability was “a burden to [his] wife” and that he wanted to “escape this life”.

Case Status:
Kazuhiko Tokutani (Father), suspected of murder.

Source:
Nara: Man killed disabled 10-year-old daughter ‘to escape this life’
Man arrested in Nara Prefecture allegedly killed disabled daughter “to escape this life”

Peter Cuacuas

Photo of a young boy with light skin and brown hair which is sticking up from his head. He is wearing a white collared shirt and gray vest. He has his mouth open in amusement.Name: Peter Cuacuas.
Died: February 10, 2021.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Newburgh, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Peter lived with his mother, but saw his father every Saturday. He stopped attending his online classes in January; in February, he was brought to the hospital, dead on arrival from starvation and weighing only 37 pounds. He died because his mother kept him locked into his room and denied him food.

Case Status:
Letitia Bravo (Mother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 15 years.
Arturo Cuacuas (Father), pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, sentenced to one and one-third to four years in prison.

Sources:
Caregiver pleads guilty in starvation death of 7-year-old boy
Memorial marks 1 year since starvation death of Newburgh boy
Dad Admits Role In Child’s Death, Will Testify Against Girlfriend
Autism Memorial: Peter Cuacuas
‘He weighed 37 pounds, and he was 7 years old.’ Questions linger following Newburgh boy’s death
Inquiry To Be Launched Into Newburgh Schools Following Starvation Death Of 7-Year-Old Peter Cuacuas
Letitia Bravo Facing Murder Charges After 7-Year-Old Peter Cuacuas Dies Of Starvation

Timothy Ragas

Blurry photo of a young boy with pale skin, red hair cut into bangs that hang over his eyes. His chin is pointed, and he is smiling, showing a gap between his front teeth. He is wearing a teal polo shirt.Name: Timothy Ragas.
Died: February 9, 2021.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Harvey, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Autism

Details:
Timothy and his stepbrother Eric Thornblom, 20, were the victims of a murder-suicide. His father called 911, stating that he couldn’t “live like this”, and when police arrived, they found the bodies of Timothy, Eric, and their parents. Police believe the motive had to do with financial trouble and “health problems” in the family.

Case Status:
Deaths declared homicide-suicide perpetrated by either his father alone, or his father and mother together. Both are now deceased.

Sources:
Louisiana community rocked by two apparent murder-suicides just hours apart
‘We can’t continue to live like this’ – Haunting 911 call before family found dead
Family of 4 killed in apparent murder-suicide on West Bank of New Orleans
Louisiana family dead in apparent murder-suicide
Autism Memorial: Timothy Ragas

Jamal Anderson Jr.

Photo: A young boy with dark skin and very short black hair, wearing a red shirt, smiling for the camera.Name: Jamal Anderson Jr.
Died: February 8, 2021.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Jamal died from a gunshot wound to the stomach. Intially, his father claimed that Jamal had been shot by home invaders; but when police found the murder weapon in a backpack outside the house, it turned out to be his father’s gun.

Jamal loved music and dancing and could often be found talking to relatives on his iPhone.

Case Status:
Jamal Anderson Sr. (Father), pleaded guilty to child neglect, sentenced to 12 years in prison, 8 years extended supervision, and “over $1000” in restitution.

Sources:
Dad charged after son, 5, with Down syndrome fatally shot in stomach
Jamal Anderson, Jr.
12 years in prison for Milwaukee father in fatal shooting of son
My son life was taken by gun violence at 5yrs old, organized by Jaquita Harbour