Relationship: Parent – Page 65 – Disability Day of Mourning

Isabella Leiper

No Photo Name: Isabella Leiper.
Died: July 17, 2011.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Internal bleeding from abdominal injury.
Location: Clarence Town, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Isabella’s father allegedly killed her by punching her in the stomach, causing fatal internal injuries.

Case status:
David Leiper (Father); charged with manslaughter, out on bail as of February 2014.

Source:
Coroner suspends inquest into death of disabled girl
NSW dad charged over disabled daughter’s death
Nine-year-old’s death: Jury to determine what caused injuries
Man accused of killing cerebral palsy-suffering daughter faces court
NSW dad charged over disabled daughter’s death
Case delays in disabled girl’s death
Inquest into Clarence Town death hears triple-O call
Man charged over death of severely disabled girl

Joseph and Nacuma Conant

No Photo Name: Joseph Conant.
Age at death: 11.
Disability: Autism.

Name: Nacuma Conant.
Age at death: 33.
Disability: Mentally disabled.

Died: July 7, 2011.
Cause of death: Multiple murder.
Location: Wheatland, Wyoming, USA.

Details:
Joseph and Nacuma were both killed by Joseph’s father, Nacuma’s brother, in a mass shooting that also claimed the lives of Everett Conant, 18, and Charles Conant, 13, both Joseph’s brothers.

Nacuma was extremely talented in art, and could draw anything anyone asked him to draw. He was working on a post-apocalyptic novel.

Joseph loved animals. As a toddler, he used to ride on his grandmother’s guide dog.

Case status:
Everett E. Conant III; pleaded no contest to murder; sentenced to five consecutive life sentences without parole.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Joseph Conant and family
Pastors recount lives of four slain Wyoming family members
Grieving Town Mourns 4 Wyoming Shooting Victims

Chad Jackson

Name: Chad Jackson.
Died: July 2, 2011.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Grand Junction, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Chad’s mother starved him to death.

Case status:
Yodi Jackson (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 6 months in jail.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Chad Jackson
Mom sentenced in death of autistic son
Autopsy: Adult son with autism starved
Van Buren County man with autism was starved to death by his mother, police say
Mom charged in death of son with autism

Romana Bones

No Photo Name: Romana Bones.
Died: June 30, 2011.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Duval County, Florida, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Romana was starved and neglected by her mother. She died of septic shock.

Case status:
Jessica Rivera (Mother), convicted of child neglect, sentenced to 12-18 years in prison.

Source:
Romana Bones, 13
DCF releases child neglect case documents
Woman Gets 18 Years for Daughter’s Death

Hana Williams

Photo of a brown-skinned teenage girl, smiling broadly. Name: Hana Grace-Rose Williams (Born Hana Alemu Befekadu).
Died: May 12, 2011.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Sedro-Woolley, Washington, USA.
Disability: Hepatitis B; special-needs adoptee.

Details:
Hana’s adoptive parents starved, beat, and abused her. She died of hypothermia and chronic starvation when she was left outside in the cold as punishment.

Hana enjoyed knitting and crocheting, reading, drawing and various crafts, playing soccer and riding her bicycle.

Case status:
Larry Williams (Adoptive father), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 28 years.
Carri Williams (Adoptive mother), convicted of homicide by abuse, sentenced to 37 years.

Source:
Death of Hana Grace-Rose Williams
Hana Grace-Rose Williams (Hana Alemu Befekadu) and Immanuel Williams

Patrick Clare

Name: Patrick Clare.
Died: April 27, 2011.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Depressant overdose.
Location: Coalinga, California, USA.
Disability: Autism-like developmental disability, epilepsy.

Details:
Patrick’s father, a dentist, was removing Patrick’s infected wisdom tooth. When his father had been trying and failing to remove the tooth for an hour, Patrick wanted to stop and leave. Instead, his father administered a total of two doses of Valium and three doses of morphine. This was far too much sedative for Patrick’s 129-pound body, and his father had neither a license to use sedatives nor the necessary monitoring equipment.

Even though a dental assistant pointed out, twice, that Patrick was having trouble breathing, Patrick’s father ignored the problem until Patrick stopped breathing entirely. Patrick’s father performed CPR, described by police as “half-hearted”–using so little pressure that it wouldn’t have been enough to honk a car horn, and without moving Patrick to a firm surface. Patrick was dead on arrival at the hospital.

Case status:
Allen Clare (Father), charged with administering sedatives without a license, pleaded no contest, given three years of probation; probation terminated over a year early, charges dismissed.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Patrick Clare
Dentistry so bad that police called it murder – but DA balked

Jonathan Singer

No Photo Name: Jonathan Singer.
Died: Approx. April 11, 2011.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Jonathan was being neglected; he wasn’t getting enough to eat. His father reported his death, claiming he had drowned in the bathtub, but coroners determined that Jonathan had been badly malnourished.

Case status:
Tina Louise Madrid (Mother), pled guilty to injury to a child, sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Jeffrey Singer (Father), pled guilty to injury to a child, sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Source:
Mom charged in death of son whose body was found in a box
Texas mom charged in death of son whose body was found in a box
Parents Gone Wild! Tina Louise Madrid and Jeffrey Singer charged with the murder of their 10-year-old son, Jonathan Singer

Christina Harms

Photo of Christina Harms, a young blonde woman wearing glasses and smiling broadly. Name: Christina “Nina” Harms.
Died: March 25, 2011.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Dehydration.
Location: Kearns, Utah, USA.
Disability: Fetal alcohol syndrome.

Details:
Christina’s abusive caregivers routinely beat her and tied her to a metal rod in a closet. She died of dehydration combined with an overdose of Benadryl.

Christina wanted to go to college.

Case status:
Cassandra Sheppard (Legal guardian), pleaded guilty to abuse and manslaughter, sentenced to 5 years to life.
Sherrie Beckering (Sheppard’s mother), convicted of aggravated abuse, sentenced to 5 years to life.
Dale Beckering (Sheppard’s stepfather), convicted of second-degree aggravated abuse, sentenced to 1-15 years.

Source:
Kearns man sent to prison for ignoring fatal abuse
Caretaker of abused Utah woman gets prison for her death
Guardian of abused woman kept in closet sent to prison for her death

Kyla Puhle

No Photo Name: Kyla Puhle.
Died: March 19, 2011.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: North Brighton, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Six months before Kyla died, her parents stopped taking her to her day program and instead left her lying, alone, on a bean bag while they went to work. Gradually they fed Kyla less and less, until Kyla died of malnutrition and pneumonia, weighing only 12 kilos.

Case status:
Harry Puhle (Father), died by suicide before he could be tried.
Angela Puhle (Mother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, freed with five-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Disability is no justification for murder
Mercy urged for mum who starved daughter
Angela Puhle, Former Principal, Admits To Starving Disabled Daughter To Death: A Burden Too Great?
Adelaide mother spared jail over malnutrition manslaughter of disabled daughter
Former school principal Angela Puhle receives suspended sentence for manslaughter of disabled daughter

Cassie Hopkins

Photo of Cassie Hopkins, a small girl wearing a red shirt, mouth open in laughter. She has light-brown skin and curly brown hair. Name: Cassie Hopkins.
Died: March 12, 2011.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Disability: Angelman syndrome.

Details:
Cassie’s father left her alone in the bathtub, knowing she could not walk and had seizures. She drowned.

Case status:
Christopher Hopkins (Father), reckless injury to a child, 15 years.

Source:
After local disabled toddler drowns, focus turns to father.
Obituary
Father sentenced for tub drowning attributed to porn