Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Parents, foster parents, stepparents, parents’ significant others.
Name: Ayanda Mnisi.
Died: August 16, 2012.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Strangulation.
Location: KaMhlushwa, South Africa.
Disability: Epilepsy.
Details:
Ayanda’s father raped and strangled her to death.
Case status:
Sunnyboy Phakimpi Mnisi (Father), sentenced to 15 years for murder and 3 years each for two counts of rape.
Source:
Mpumalanga man jailed for raping, murdering daughter
Father admits to killing epileptic daughter, but denies raping her
Name: Gabriel Philby-Zetzsche.
Died: July 26, 2012.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Westerlo, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Gabriel’s mother stabbed and bludgeoned him to death.
Case status:
Tracey Zetzsche (Mother), pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, sentenced to 20 years.
Source:
Episode 13: Gabriel Philby-Zetsche
Amnesia figures in manslaughter plea for Westerlo woman
Declaring her love, mother given 20 years for killing son
Name: Stephanie Torres.
Died: July 16, 2012.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Dehydration/malnutrition.
Location: Turlock, Stanislaus County, California, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Stephanie’s mother left her alone in a room for nearly three days. When she returned, Stephanie was dead.
Case status:
Brandy Lee Rose Devine (Mother), convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.
Source:
Brandy Lee Rose DEVINE
Parole denied for Turlock mother in prison for death of toddler
Name Unknown.
Died: July 12, 2012.
Age at death: 2 days.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Kacha Khuh, Pakistan.
Disability: “Physically deformed”.
Details:
This newborn baby girl’s father said she had been stillborn, and the family had a funeral service. When the girl began crying during the service, her father allegedly took her away with him and buried her alive. An autopsy proved that she was alive at birth, and her father was arrested.
Case status:
Chand Khan (Father), arrested.
Source:
Autopsy proves baby girl buried alive
Man buries his two-day old daughter alive in Pak
Handicapped daughter buried alive by father in Khanewal
Man accused of killing newborn
Name: Taariq Cross.
Died: July 11, 2012.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Hit by car.
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Taariq was left unsupervised and was fatally hit by a car. He had often been left to fend for himself, and just days previously had nearly been hit by a car while unsupervised.
Case status:
Latasha Kendrick (Mother). Not charged.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Taariq Cross
Innocents lost: Taariq Cross, 7
FHP: Autistic boy run over, killed
Taariq Cross: Family wants answers after autistic boy’s tragic death
Petition: Kendrick should face criminal charges for death of Autistic 7yr old son
Name: Alayah-Rose Savarese .
Died: June 25, 2012.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Ruptured stomach.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Alayah died from a ruptured stomach. Her case was known to social services, and there had been multiple complaints of neglect and reports of bruises on Alayah’s body.
Case status:
Nicole Diggs (Mother) and Oscar Thomas (mother’s boyfriend); charged with neglect, but the charges were dropped. They later inherited $2.1 million that had been placed in trust for Alayah’s care.
Source:
Alayah-Rose Savarese
Name: Markea Blakely-Berry.
Died: June 15, 2012.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.
Details:
Markea was starved to death by her mother.
Case status:
Ebony Berry (Mother), pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 30 years.
Source:
Girl, 16, dies weighing just 40lb after being ‘starved by her food-obsessed mother’
Name: Perry Edward Jones.
Died: April 19, 2012.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Matoaca, Chesterfield County, Virginia, USA.
Disability: “Severely disabled”.
Details:
Perry was strangled by his mother, who also killed his father.
Case status:
Estelle Virginia Jones (Mother); sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Source:
Estelle Virginia JONES
Name: Daniel Corby.
Died: March 31, 2012.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: San Diego, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Daniel’s mother drowned him in the bathtub. She said she had killed him because he was autistic, she was sick of taking care of him, and she had gone $70,000 into debt for autism treatment.
Daniel learned all of the letters of the alphabet when he was three.
Case status:
Patricia Corby (mother) pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Daniel Corby
Woman sentenced in tub drowning of autistic son, 4
Murder of Daniel Corby
Mom gets 15 years in autistic son’s tub drowning
Mother admits she drowned autistic son, 4, in bathtub because ‘she was sick of taking care of him’ and was $70,000 in debt after paying for his care
‘She felt like she had no life’: Mother drowns autistic four-year-old
Mother who drowned 4-year-old autistic son sentenced to life term
Name: George Hodgins.
Died: March 6, 2012.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Sunnyvale, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
George’s mother killed him, then shot herself.
George communicated by means of a VOCA and often wore headphones, listening to music. He was very active and loved being outdoors, but was frightened of the neighbors’ dogs.
Case status:
Elizabeth Hodgins (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Autism Memorial: George Hodgins
Guest opinion: Death by Legislature
Sunnyvale police: Mother killed 22-year-old autistic son, then herself
Parents of autistic children speak out on Sunnyvale murder-suicide
The Murder of George Hodgins
Sunnyvale mom kills autistic son, self, police say
Murder of George Hodgins
Sunnyvale police: Mother killed 22-year-old autistic son, then herself
Sunnyvale Killings Called Murder-Suicide: Neighbor
The After-Effects of a Mother’s Murder/Suicide
Autistic support group to host Sunnyvale vigil for George Hodgins, killed in murder-suicide