Amy Modrow

Photo of a girl with wispy blond hair tied back from her face; her skin is pink and she has large blue eyes. She is smiling.Name: Amy Lynn Modrow.
Died: February 17, 2024.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Asthma.
Location: Hopkins, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Asthma.

Details:
Amy was at a sleepover at a friend’s house when she had an asthma attack. She used her inhaler, but the one she had hadn’t been prescribed for her; it was her grandmother’s, and her own inhaler prescription hadn’t been filled. Her friend’s mother called Amy’s mother and offered her to take her to the doctor, but her mother refused and took Amy home.

Amy’s asthma worsened, with her mother refusing to take her to the hospital, until she was blue from lack of air and Amy’s aunt called a family friend, who carried the girl to the parking lot and called 911. When medics arrived, Amy’s heart had stopped, and although they managed to resuscitate her, she was declared brain dead and taken off life support a week later.

Case Status:
Rachel Modrow (Mother) pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, sentenced to 41 months in prison.

Sources:
Mother pleads guilty to manslaughter in daughter’s asthma death – CBS Minnesota
Mom let 9-year-old daughter die from asthma attack after refusing to take her to hospital
Case Search – Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO)
Amy Lynn Modrow (2014-2024) – Find a Grave Memorial

Jeremiah Moore

No PhotoName: Jeremiah Moore.
Died: February 6, 2024.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Springfield Township, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Jeremiah was found dead in his home. He had been chained to a cot in a basement closet and had no food in his system when he died from malnutrition and dehydration.

Case Status:
Tamara Moore (Adoptive mother), charged with murder, endangering a child, involuntary manslaughter and failure to report a crime.
William Turnage (Adoptive mother’s boyfriend), charged with murder, endangering a child, involuntary manslaughter and failure to report a crime.

Sources:
Man wanted for murder of autistic teen arrested, police say
Autistic teen found starved, chained to cot in Ohio
Autistic teen was treated ‘worse than an animal,’ prosecutor says
Autistic teen found starved, chained to cot, Ohio officials say. Adoptive mom arrested
Police: Springfield Twp. mother arrested in connection to death of teenager with autism
Neighborhood shocked over murder of autistic teenager
Springfield Township woman charged in murder of adopted son, who was autistic
Police: Springfield Township man wanted in murder of autistic child in custody
Mom arrested, murder warrant issued for man in autistic teen’s death: Police
Autistic teen found starved, chained to cot, Ohio officials say. Adoptive mom arrested
Mistreatment of special needs teen leads to murder charges
‘Justice for J.J.’: Adoptive mother and man indicted in 16-year-old’s death

28-year-old woman

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: January 15, 2024.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Saint-Herblain, Nantes, Upper Brittany, France.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
This 28-year-old woman, who had just lost her mother, was killed by her father in a murder-suicide. He left a note stating that he killed her because he did not want her siblings to have to care for her.

Case Status:
Her father, deceased.

Sources:
Un père tue sa fille handicapée de 28 ans puis se suicide près de Nantes
Un homme tourmenté étrangle sa fille handicapée avant de se suicider à Saint-Herblain

Karter Holloway

Photo of a smiling boy with brown skin and short curly black hair. He is smiling, showing baby teeth.Name: Karter Holloway.
Died: January 1, 2024.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Traumatic brain injury.
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Medics were called to Karter’s house, where they found him seriously injured, covered head to toe in bruises. He died from a brain hemorrhage in the hospital the next day. His father was arrested on suspicion of having beaten him severely.

Case Status:
Amir Hines (Father), charged with murder and felony intentional child abuse.

Sources:
Funeral held for non-verbal 5-year-old Karter Holloway, beaten to death
Raleigh father charged with murder in 5-year-old son’s death, family said boy was ‘beaten all over’
Dad allegedly beat 5-year-old nonverbal son to death, leaving boy bruised from ‘head to toe’
N.C. father accused of fatally beating 5-year-old autistic son, causing brain hemorrhage
Karter Holloway ( bop bop ), organized by Kennedy Holloway

Deonte Atwell

Photo of a young child with brown skin, large, dark-brown eyes, and fuzzy dark-brown hair. He is wearing a flannel shirt. There is a breathing tube attached to a trach collar in his neck. His mouth is open and he is paying rapt attention to something off-frame to the left.Name: Deonte Atwell.
Died: December 25, 2023.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida, hydrocephalus.

Details:
On Christmas day, paramedics responded to Deonte’s home to find him unresponsive; he was declared dead at the hospital. His tiny body weighed only seven pounds, and police who searched the home say they found more than two hundred unopened bottles of the formula Deonte was supposed to get. Deonte’s parents are also charged with neglecting his siblings, ages nine and sixteen.

Case Status:
Michelle Doe (Mother), charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.
Tyreck Irvin (Brother), charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.
James Graham (Grandfather), charged with aggravated manslaughter, child neglect and failure to report child abuse.
Mirlande Ameda (professional caregiver), charged with third-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and child neglect.
Cassandre Lassegue (nurse), charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.

Sources:
Disabled boy, 7, found starved to death on Christmas as food remained unopened
Disabled Florida boy, 7, found starved to death on Christmas – while food remained unopened
Disabled boy, 7, starved to death in horror abuse as mom and family arrested
5 arrested for starving disabled 7-year-old to death in Florida: BSAO
Mom, brother, grandfather and caregivers are charged with starving 7-year-old disabled boy to death
South Florida mother accused of starving her 7-year-old child to death is denied bond
5 adults charged with starving 7-year-old disabled boy to death in Fort Lauderdale
Murder Charges Following Starvation Death Of Disabled Ft Lauderdale Boy
No bail for mom accused of ‘willful torture’ in starvation death of 7-year-old underweight disabled boy

Gayatridevi and Gauri Pandey

No PhotoName: Gayatridevi Pandey.
Age at death: 40.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Name: Gauri Pandey.
Age at death: 11.
Disability: Mental illness.

Died: December 20, 2023.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Valsad, Gujarat, India.

Details:
Gayatridevi’s husband allegedly pushed her and her daughter Gauri into the river, where they drowned. He jumped in himself, but was rescued after grabbing onto a bridge, and was charged with murder.

Case Status:
Vijay Pandey (Husband, Father), charged with murder.

Sources:
Gujarat : Mother-Daughter drowns in Waroli River in Sanjan
Gujarat Man Pushes Wife and Mentally-Ill Daughter into River, Resulting in Fatalities
Man kills wife, daughter by pushing them into river in Gujarat; tries to end life

George and Gianna Kantanka

Two young African-american children, a girl wearing a pink dress and hair ribbon, and a boy wearing a red Mickey Mouse shirt.Name: George Kantanka.
Name: Gianna Kantanka.

Died: December 18, 2023.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
With their father away working the night shift, George and Gianna were alone with their mother when she called for an ambulance, saying they were unresponsive. The twins were found dead in their beds. Initially, it seemed they had died of natural causes, but an autopsy concluded they had both been smothered.

Case Status:
Gloria Asamoah (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Mother Is Charged With Murder of Twins Found Dead in the Bronx
Bronx mom indicted for murder in deaths of 5-year-old twin children

Damari Carter

Photo of a small African American boy with short hair, wearing a black sweatshirt.Name: Damari Carter.
Died: December 7, 2023 (Missing, presumed dead).
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Nonspeaking; suspected learning disability.

Details:
Neighbors heard Damari screaming; then his mother’s boyfriend was seen dragging a trash bag out of their apartment. Eventually, police asked his mother what had happened, and she said that her boyfriend had beaten Damari, killing him, and then put him in a trash can. Police are still searching for Damari’s body.

Case Status:
Dominique Bailey (Mother), charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.
Kevin Spencer, charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.

Sources:
Mom Claimed 4-Year-Old Was Hit by a Car; Now She & Boyfriend Are Accused of Murdering Him
Police do not believe they will find 4-year-old Damari Carter’s body
‘Damari Was My Heart’: Dad of Pa. Boy, 4, Speaks Out After Boy’s Mom & Her Boyfriend Are Charged with Murder (Exclusive)
Boy’s body remains missing after mom, boyfriend are charged in his murder
West Philadelphia detectives searching dumpsters for body of missing 4-year-old Damari Carter: police sources – CBS Philadelphia

Eli Riggan

Photo of a round-faced boy with Down syndrome, wearing a blue shirt and cupcake party hat. He has soft brown hair and fair skin. Name: Eli Ezekiel Riggan.
Died: November 25, 2023.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Pressure sores, sepsis, kidney failure.
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; mobility impaired.

Details:
Emergency services were summoned to Eli’s home on a call for an unresponsive child, but they found him dead. An autopsy report showed that he had been neglected; the medical examiner found multiple pressure sores that had become septic, causing kidney failure and killing Eli.

Case Status:
Ariel Lea Horn (Mother), charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.
Charles Jackson McClellan Jr. (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.

Sources:
Tucson mom, boyfriend arrested in death of disabled boy, 11
Police: Special needs boy dies from neglect in Tucson
Media Release: Child Abuse Homicide Arrest – 900 Block of E. Limberlost Dr.
Gofundme: 11 year old Eli Riggan’s Funeral Expenses

Victoria Pendergraph

No PhotoName: Victoria Pendergraph.
Died: November 24, 2023 (Body found; died November 19).
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Westminster, California, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, non-speaking.

Details:
Victoria’s father, who shared custody with her mother, went to pick her up to spend Thanksgiving together only to find the door locked. Concerned, he requested a welfare check; police found Victoria’s body in the bathtub, where Victoria’s mother had allegedly drowned her several days prior.

Case Status:
Khadiyjah Aliyyah Pendergraph (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Woman arrested at shopping center after officers find 9-year-old daughter dead in home
Body of 9-year-old girl in wheelchair ‘left to rot’ after drowning death, OC DA says; mother charged
Mother charged with murder for allegedly drowning disabled, non-verbal 9-year-old daughter
Woman charged with murder, accused of drowning 9-year-old disabled daughter
Westminster woman charged with killing 9-year-old daughter
California mother charged with murder, accused of drowning 9-year-old disabled daughter