Relationship: Parent – Page 75 – Disability Day of Mourning

Eliza Scovill

Photo of Eliza Jane Scovill, a toddler with tangled auburn hair, fair skin, and brown eyes wearing a blue dress. She is smiling for the camera. Name: Eliza Jane Scovill.
Died: May 16, 2005.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, AIDS.
Location: Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Disability: HIV+.

Details:
Eliza loved music, singing, and dancing.

She was born to a mother who was HIV-positive and who didn’t believe that HIV causes AIDS. As a result, her mother breastfed her even though this increases the risk of passing on HIV to a baby. Eliza Jane wasn’t tested for HIV, nor was she given antiretroviral drugs, even though these could have saved her life.

She died at the age of three from pneumocystis pneumonia, an opportunistic infection associated with AIDS.

Case status:
Christine Maggiore (Mother), no charges. Died in 2008 from AIDS-related pneumonia.

Source:
Eliza Jane Scovill – Wikipedia
A Mother’s Denial, a Daughter’s Death
Christine Maggiore and Eliza Jane Scovill: Living and dying with HIV/AIDS denialism
Eliza Jane Scovill (2001-2005) – Find A Grave…
Did HIV-Positive Mom’s Beliefs Put Her Children at Risk?
Christine Maggiore, vocal skeptic of AIDS research, dies at 52

Patrick Markcrow

No Photo Name: Patrick Markcrow.
Died: March 29, 2005.
Age at death: 36.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.
Disability: Down syndrome, autism.

Details:
Patrick’s mother drugged him and then suffocated him with a plastic bag.

He attended a day center where carers described Patrick as “a loving, private man”, who enjoyed swimming and going to a local coffee shop.

Case status:
Wendolyn Markcrow (Mother); pled guilty to manslaughter; given a 2-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Patrick Markcrow
Mother who killed son with Down’s syndrome gets suspended sentence

Christoffer Gjerstad

Portrait photo of Christoffer Gjerstad, a small blond boy biting his lip as he looks at the camera. Name: Christoffer Kihle Gjerstad.
Died: February 2, 2005.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Head injury, skull fracture.
Location: Norway.
Disability: ADHD.

Details:
Christoffer’s stepfather beat him to death; his mother knew he was being beaten but did not help him.

Case status:
Kim Morten Larson (Stepfather), sentenced to 8 years.
Christoffer’s mother, name not known, sentenced to two and a half years.

Source:
Christoffer Gjerstad

Hannah Davenport

Photo of Hannah Davenport, a girl in a bright pink shirt, wearing a bright pink hairbow in her short brown hair. Name: Hannah Davenport.
Died: January 29, 2005.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Malnutrition/dehydration.
Location: Anderson, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Ectopic anus.

Details:
Hannah’s mother starved her to death.

Case status:
Karen Davenport (Mother), found guilty of second degree involuntary manslaughter, fined $5000.

Source:
Hannah Renee Davenport

Betsy H.

No Photo Name: Betsy H.
Died: January 2, 2005.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Hardenberg, Netherlands.
Disability: Intellectual disability, epilepsy.

Details:
For Betsy’s birthday, family and friends came to visit, but she cried through the afternoon. After the party guests had left, she had an epileptic seizure, during which her mother suffocated her with a pillow. Betsy’s mother confessed to the police afterward, but later claimed that she could not remember what she had done.

Case Status:
Margje H. (Mother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 21 months in prison less time served.

Source:
Vrouw (80) verdacht van moord op gehandicapte dochter
Tachtigjarige doodde gehandicapte dochter – Blik op de Wereld
ECLI:NL:RBZLY:2005:AT4833, voorheen LJN AT4833, Rechtbank Zwolle-Lelystad, 07/400001-05

Ian Carmichael

Photo of Ian Carmichael, a boy with fair skin and short brown hair. He is wearing a red sweater with a sports logo on it, and a necklace of steel-gray beads. He is smiling for the camera. Name: Ian Carmichael.
Died: July 31, 2004.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Poisoned, strangled.
Location: London, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Epilepsy, dyslexia, developmental delay.

Details:
Convinced that he was ridding his family of an “intolerable burden”, Ian’s father took him to a hotel room, where he poisoned and then strangled him to death.

Ian competed in BMX bike racing. He left behind his older sister Gillian.

The crime was initially presented by the media as a “mercy killing”. Later on, Ian’s father blamed the antidepressants he was taking.

Case status:
David Carmichael (Father), charged with first-degree murder, ruled not guilty by reason of mental disorder; hospitalized for four years; absolute discharge in December 2009.

Source:
Accused David Carmichael remains silent while media puts defense forward
Carmichael murder case put off
Man not criminally responsible in son’s death
‘Loving’ father opens up over murder of son during psychotic episode
Can pills for depression turn you into a killer?
Canadian man who killed son while taking anti-depressants lobbies for freedom of U.S. dad who killed twins

Davontae Williams

A photo of a boy with dark skin and a shaved head, looking at the camera but not smiling. The angle suggests that it is a selfie. Name: Davontae Marcel Williams.
Died: July 26, 2004.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Arlington, Texas, USA.
Disability: Developmental disabilities due to prematurity.

Details:
Davontae was neglected by his mother and her girlfriend. Weakened by malnutrition, he died of pneumonia.

Case status:
Marcella Williams (Mother), pled guilty to murder, sentenced to life without parole.
Lisa Ann Coleman (Mother’s girlfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to death.

Source:
Davontae Marcel Williams
Top Ten Lesser-Known and Heartbreaking Child Murders

Scarlett Chen

Photo of an Asian toddler with tan skin and short black hair, smiling, and wearing a white silk blouse. Name: Scarlett Chen, also called Jia Jia.
Died: July 12, 2004.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
After Scarlett’s mother was told by a doctor that Scarlett’s autism could not be surgically cured, she drowned Scarlett in the bathtub.

Case status:
Xuan “Linda” Peng (Mother); pled guilty to manslaughter; served five years in prison.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Scarlett Chen
Killer of autistic daughter released
History of euthanasia in Canada
Tracy Latimer is dead because her father is a murderer

Brittany Legler

Portrait photo of Brittany Legler, a girl with short brown hair, fair skin, and glasses, smiling politely. Name: Brittany Legler.
Died: May 9, 2004.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Heart attack.
Location: Millcreek, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability, congenital heart defect.

Details:
Brittany’s mother physically and emotionally abused her; the stress of the abuse caused Brittany, who had a congenital heart defect, to die of a heart attack after a beating.

She enjoyed watching movies and riding her bicycle.

Case status:
Lisa Larussi (Mother), pleaded no contest to aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child; sentenced to 14 years.

Source:
Brittany A. Legler
Brittany Legler

“Baby C”

No Photo Name: “Baby C” (Female).
Died: May 2004.
Age at death: 5 months.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Nelson, New Zealand.
Disability: Lissencephaly.

Details:
When he learned that her diagnosis would cause lifelong severe disability, Baby C’s father smothered her.

Case status:
Her father; charged with manslaughter but acquitted, even though he confessed during the trial.

Source:
Complaint from family over Baby C