Category: Relationship: Parent

Parents, foster parents, stepparents, parents’ significant others.

Jermiyah Puskac

Photo of a boy with pale skin and short-cropped brown hair, wearing a bulky black jacket and holding up his hand to the camera.Name: Jermiyah Puskac.
Died: April 29, 2023.
Age at death: 17 months.
Cause of death: Head and neck trauma.
Location: Ocala, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Jermiyah’s mother allegedly caused a skull fracture and neck injury, and then did not call an ambulance until a day after the injury happened. Jermiyah spent two days in the hospital before he died. He had bruises and other injuries consistent with child abuse.

Case Status:
Puskac Summerfield (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Marion County mother charged with murder in death of her 17-month-old son
Central Florida mother charged in infant’s death
Central Florida woman accused of killing her 17-month-old son, deputies say
‘I’ll just have another one’: Mother who gave shifting stories about toddler son’s death now facing murder charges
Autism Memorial: Jermiyah Puskac

5-year-old girl

No PhotoName 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

Abhijit Jaybhay

No PhotoName: 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

Eliana Gonzalez

Photo of a young girl sitting at a table, wearing a fluffy pink robe. She has light skin and long black hair with a pink bow in it and a mouse-ears headband.Name: Eliana “Nichie” Paloma Gonzalez.
Died: April 7, 2023.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Hit by car.
Location: Prunedale, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Eliana left her home and was killed when she tried to cross a highway and was hit by a car. Police believe her father, fully aware of the danger to Eliana, deliberately took no precautions to prevent the accident.

Eliana’s name has been variously reported as Eliana Paloma, Eliana Gonzalez, and Nichie Paloma.

Case Status:
Jermain Gonzalez (Father), charged with second-degree murder and child abuse; pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and child abuse, sentenced to 10 years.

Sources:
Prunedale dad convicted for daughter’s death on Highway 101
7-year-old girl killed while trying to cross Highway 101
Prunedale dad convicted for daughter’s death on Highway 101
7-year-old girl killed while trying to cross Highway 101
Autism Memorial: Eliana Gonzalez
Monterey County Father Charged with Murder After 7-Year-Old Daughter Tragically Killed on Highway 101
Prunedale father charged with murder in death of autistic daughter
Father arrested after daughter, 7, killed on Highway 101 in Monterey County
DA: Arraignment postponed for father of girl killed while trying to cross Highway 101

Manoj

Photo of a man with brown skin, short dark-brown hair and closely trimmed beard. He is wearing a magenta shirt; his expression is serious.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:
Family of three found dead in Ernakulam
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 killed by her father with an axe; their bodies were found dismembered and stuffed into trash cans. Ruth’s 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), convicted of two counts of murder.

Sources:
83-year-old man found guilty of killing his wife and daughter with an ax
Hearing undermines motive claimed by ax-murder suspect: Reginald Maclaren told police he feared homelessness for family, but circumstances don’t match
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 PhotoName: 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), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, sentenced to 3 years house arrest and 4 years probation.
Charles Turner (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, sentenced to probation.
Felicia Hargrave (Aunt), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, sentenced to probation.

Sources:
Indy mom avoids jail time after daughter dies from infected wound
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

Caleb Gonzales

Photo of a teenage boy sitting in a wheelchair. He has pale skin; he is smiling. He is wearing a red and black baseball cap, a black T-shirt, red shorts, and gray fingerless gloves. He is smiling, head tilted forward and to one side.Name: Caleb Elazar Gonzales.
Died: February 25, 2023.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Died after neglect.
Location: Lago Vista, Texas, USA.
Disability: Physical and mental disabilities.

Details:
Caleb’s body was found buried in a vacant lot, where his mother had allegedly hidden it after he died following months of medical neglect.

Caleb liked being outside, taking walks and looking at the trees at a lake. He enjoyed SpongeBob cartoons and Adam Sandler movies.

Case Status:
Veronica Marie Soriano (Mother), charged with tampering with evidence.

Sources:
Former Lago Vista city employee buried her disabled teen, did not report his death: warrant
Woman accused of hiding handicapped son’s death from police after body discovered
Woman accused of burying her disabled child in empty lot after not reporting his death
Former City of Lago Vista employee charged with corpse tampering after police find body
Caleb Gonzales Obituary – Pflugerville, TX

James Parham

Photo of a man sitting in a wheelchair. He is wearing a white T-shirt printed with a logao and a worn beige baseball cap. He has light skin, fuzzy gray hair, and a sparse mustache and beard. One of his eyes is pointed off to the side, and his hands are thin and bent with contractures.Name: James “Little Jimmie” Parham.
Died: February 13, 2023.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Unspecified neglect.
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
James, called Little Jimmie, died from alleged neglect while in the care of his father and nephew.

Jimmie was a car enthusiast who enjoyed going to car shows.

Case Status:
James Parham Sr. (Father), charged with first-degree murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in serious physical harm.
Austin Parham (Nephew), charged with first-degree murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in serious physical harm.

Sources:
Father, nephew charged with killing disabled man last February in Montgomery County – ClarksvilleNow.com
James Parham – ClarksvilleNow.com