Category: Relationship: Parent

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

Kate Bugmy

Photo of Kate Bugmy. She is a young woman sitting in a wheelchair, with her dark hair tied back. She is wearing overalls and an orange T-shirt. Her limbs are very thin.Name: Kate Bugmy.
Died: June 28, 2007.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Sepsis, malnutition.
Location: Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, epilepsy, intellectual disability.

Details:
Kate’s father had been her primary caregiver. When he died suddenly, her mother and sister took over. They stopped bringing Kate to her day program, and her relatives noticed that she seemed sad. She died of malnutrition and systemic blood poisoning from infected bedsores.

Case status:
Daphne Hall (mother) and Jenna Bugmy (sister) were not charged.

Source:
FINDING AFTER AN INQUEST INTO THE DEATH OF KATE THERESE BUGMY
NSW bed sore death could have been prevented: Coroner
System failed disabled woman who died at 26
Inquiry into services provided or funded by the department of Ageing, disability and home care

Daniel Benoit

Photo of Daniel Benoit, a little boy in a formal shirt and tie.Name: Daniel Christopher Benoit.
Died: June 25, 2007.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Suffocated.
Location: Fayetteville, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Fragile X (Disputed).

Details:
Daniel’s father suffocated him in a murder-suicide. He also killed Daniel’s mother, Nancy.

Daniel might not have had Fragile X; a family member reported that he did not, but the media widely reported Daniel’s Fragile X as having been the stressor that drove his father to kill him.

Case status:
Chris Benoit (Father), deceased.

Source:
Christopher Michael BENOIT
Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide – Wikipedia
The tragic family secret Benoit kept from the world
Attorney: Couple argued over care of mentally retarded 7-year-old son
Sandra Toffoloni talks about her sister’s murder at the hands of Chris Benoit
SON’S DISABILITY SUGGESTED AS FACTOR IN BENOIT MURDER-SUICIDE
Chris Benoit Conspiracy Theories Debunked: What Really Happened?

Raelynn Mascal

Photo of Raelynn Mascal, a girl with messy brown hair cut in bangs, fair skin, and blue eyes; she is smiling, wearing a pink sweater.Name: Raelynn Tiana Mascal.
Died: May 18, 2007.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma, shaken baby.
Location: Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
Disability: Speech and motor skills delays.

Details:
Raelynn was beaten to death by her mother.

Case status:
Michelle Lepowski (Mother), involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 12 years.

Source:
Mom gets 12 years for killing child; Prosecutor sought longer sentence for ‘monster’ who beat 2-year-old
Case goes to jury in woman’s murder trial
Mom gets 12 years for killing child; Prosecutor sought longer sentence for ‘monster’ who beat 2-year-old

Baden Bond

Photo: A baby with dark hair and olive-toned skin, wearing a whtie-and-blue onesie, belted into a blue car seat with a five-point belt. His hands are propped behind his head, and his eyes closed; he looks relaxed.Name: Baden Bond.
Died: May 1-16, 2007 (Approximate; body not found).
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Abandonment.
Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Baden’s father took him to a boat ramp and abandoned him there. His body was never found; it is likely he died of drowning or exposure. Authorities determined that his motive had been that he was “tired of looking after” the boy. Baden’s mother helped cover up the crime.

Case Status:
Shane Arthur Simpson (Father), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 9.6 to 12 years in prison.
Diane Colleen Simpson (Mother), pleaded guilty to accessory to manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years and released after almost 2 years.

Sources:
R v Simpson
Death by Neglect
‘Sorry’: Father says he patted toddler on the head then abandoned him without looking back
Drug-addicted father jailed for abandoning toddler at boat ramp to die
The Uncounted

Brandon Williams

Photo of Brandon Williams, a young boy with tan skin and brown hair, in front of a brightly colored alphabet mural.Name: Brandon Williams.
Died: March 22, 2007.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Pima County, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Brandon died after regular abuse by his mother and two of her housemates. He had been beaten and poisoned with overdoses of Tylenol.

Brandon loved watching the Disney Channel, especially “Lilo & Stitch”.

Case status:
Diane Marsh (Mother), convicted of child abuse and negligent homicide; sentenced to 10 years; paroled after 3.8 years.
Mark Moss (Housemate), failing to report child abuse, charges dropped.
Flower Thompson (Housemate), convicted of murder, sentenced to 10 years.

Source:
People You’ll See in Hell: Diane Marsh, Flower Tompson And Mark Lee Moss
Murderpedia: Diane Marsh
Brandon Williams
Autism memorial: Brandon Williams

Summer Phelps

Photo of Summer Phelps, a small girl with red hair, wearing a fancy yellow dress.Name: Summer Phelps.
Died: March 10, 2007.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: Spokane, Washington, USA.
Disability: Developmentally disabled.

Details:
Summer was made to clean her soiled clothing for ten hours, then drowned by her stepmother in the dirty water.

Case status:
Adriana Lytle (Stepmother), plead guilty to homicide by abuse, sentenced to 65 1/2 years.
Jonathan Lytle (Father), found guilty of homicide by abuse, sentenced to 75 years in prison.

Source:
Angelizd’s Place: Summer Phelps
Abuse Angels: Summer Phelps

Kawliga Potts

No PhotoName: Kawliga Potts.
Died: January 27, 2007.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Developmental delay, possible fetal alcohol syndrome.

Details:
Kawliga was deprived of food and clothing by his foster parent. He died of injuries from being hit in the head.

Case status:
Lily Choy (Foster mother), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 8 years.

Source:
Alberta foster boy’s death a direct result of child welfare failure: judge
New sentence for woman in death of foster child
Report to the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General – Public fatality inquiry into the death of Kawliga Potts

Rebecca Riley

Portrait photo of Rebecca Riley, a girl with long wavy brown hair and an uncertain smile.Name: Rebecca Riley.
Died: December 13, 2006.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Drug overdose.
Location: Hull, Massachusetts, USA.
Disability: ADHD, bipolar disorder.

Details:
Rebecca died of a drug overdose. Her psychiatrist had prescribed high doses of medication to begin with, but her parents gave her even more, and eventually she died of poisoning.

Case status:
Michael Riley (Father), first degree murder, life without parole.
Carolyn Riley (Mother), second degree murder, fifteen years to life.
Kayoko Kifuji (Doctor), no charges.

Source:
Rebecca Riley

Ulysses Stable

No PhotoName: Ulysses Stable.
Died: November 22, 2006.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Blood loss.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Ulysses’s father cut his throat and left him in the bathtub to bleed out.

Case status:
Jose Stable (Father), convicted, sentenced to three-and-a-half years.

Source:
Solomon, A. (2014). Far from the tree: Parents, children and the search for identity. Scribner Classics.
Autism Memorial: Ulysses Stable
Autistic Boy Is Slashed to Death and His Father Is Charged

M.E.

No PhotoName: M.E., possibly Michael Egan.
Died: November 22 (?), 2006.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Unknown; possibly Illinois, USA.
Disability: Unknown.

Details:
M. E. was “starved and deprived [of] medical care by his parents”.

Case status:
Unknown.

Source:
Day of Mourning: The List
SSDI: Michael Egan