Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Parents, foster parents, stepparents, parents’ significant others.
Name: Timothy Ellis Jr.
Died: June 8, 1994.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Skull fracture.
Location: Jacksonville, Mississippi, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Timothy was in the care of his father when he suffered abuse-related injuries, including a skull fracture that resulted in his death.
Case status:
Timothy Ellis, Sr. (Father); charges dropped because a judge ruled his confession had been coerced.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Timothy Ellis Jr.
State asks Navy to hear murder case
Name: Michael Messenger.
Died: February 8, 1994.
Age at death: Newborn.
Cause of death: Withdrawal of life support.
Location: Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Prematurity with a risk of disability.
Details:
When Michael was born at 25 weeks gestation, he had a roughly 50% chance of survival. However, when their doctor told Michael’s parents that if he survived, he would probably be disabled, Michael’s father asked the doctor to leave and shut off the newborn’s ventilator, killing him.
Case status:
Gregory Messenger (Father); tried for manslaughter and admitted to disconnecting Michael’s life support; acquitted.
Name: Elwin F. “Scooter” Caler.
Age at death: 22.
Name: Melvin Randolf “Randy” Busby.
Age at death: 20.
Died: December 31, 1993.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Gray County, Texas, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.
Details:
Randy and Elwin were stabbed to death by their mother’s live-in boyfriend. He also killed Twila Busby, their mother.
Case status:
Henry Skinner (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to death.
Source:
Henry Watkins SKINNER
Name: Tracy Latimer.
Died: October 24, 1993.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Carbon monoxide poisoning.
Location: Wilkie, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Tracy’s father put her in his truck, connected the exhaust to the cab, and poisoned her with carbon monoxide.
Media coverage of Tracy’s death, which tended to support her killer, may have sparked several copycat crimes.
Case status:
Robert Latimer (Father), convicted of second degree murder, sentenced to life; paroled after 9 years, 11 months.
Source:
25 years after conviction, Robert Latimer still believes he was right to kill his daughter
Wikipedia: Robert Latimer
Right or wrong, Latimer’s actions touched off national debate on euthanasia
The Latimer Case: The Reflections of People with Disabilities
Robert Latimer seeking pardon for killing of severely disabled daughter
Community Living urges no pardon for murderer Robert Latimer
Trudeau asked to consider pardon or retrial for Saskatchewan man convicted of killing his daughter who suffered from cerebral palsy
Robert Latimer seeking pardon for killing of severely disabled daughter
Tracy Latimer’s killer does not deserve a pardon
Pardoning Robert Latimer is not justified
Lakritz: Pardoning Latimer would reduce Tracy’s value to the level of a dog
Robert Latimer’s request for clemency is a slam-dunk ‘no.’ Does Ottawa get that?
Name: Josiah Carroll.
Died: June 14, 1993.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Cedarville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Josiah was allegedly smothered by his older brother. The death was witnessed by Josiah’s brother Isaiah, but his testimony was not considered because he is non-verbal and communicates by pointing.
Case status:
Kathleen Carroll (Mother), not charged.
Timothy Carroll (Father), not charged.
James Carroll (Brother), charged with delinquency by reason of involuntary manslaughter, acquitted.
Source:
Hannah, Noah, Molly and Joshua Carroll
Boy Saw Slaying, He Tells
Name: Trevor Horn.
Died: March 3, 1993.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Hypoxia; ventilator disconnected.
Location: Montgomery County, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegic, intellectually disabled.
Details:
In an attempt to collect the money that was going toward Trevor’s care, Trevor’s father hired a hit man to kill him. The hit man disconnected Trevor’s respirator, and then shot his mother, Mildred Horn, and his overnight nurse, Janice Saunders. Trevor’s two sisters, who had been out of the house that night, survived.
Case status:
Lawrence Horn (Father), convicted of murder, sentenced to life without parole, died in prison.
James Edward Perry (Hit man); convicted of murder, sentenced to death, died in prison.
Source:
Lawrence T. HORN
Father arrested in 3 murders
The chilling story of how a book by a cash-strapped mum from Florida is behind a triple murder
Name: Mollie Carroll.
Died: December 9, 1992.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Inconclusive; hypoxia.
Location: Cedarville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Cri-du-chat syndrome.
Details:
Mollie’s cause of death has been ruled inconclusive, but it is likely that she was smothered. Her death went unreported for at least twelve hours.
Mollie’s death is suspicious because the couple who adopted him has had five of their children die, and four of those deaths, including Noah’s, were investigated as possible homicides with both parents and 16-year-old older brother implicated.
Case status:
Kathleen Carroll (Mother), not charged.
Timothy Carroll (Father), not charged.
James Carroll (Brother), charged with delinquency by reason of involuntary manslaughter, acquitted.
Source:
Hannah, Noah, Molly and Joshua Carroll
Boy Saw Slaying, He Tells
Name: Noah Carroll.
Died: November 15, 1992.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Inconclusive; hypoxia.
Location: Cedarville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Prenatal cocaine exposure; epilepsy.
Details:
Noah’s cause of death has been ruled inconclusive, but it is likely that he was smothered.
Noah’s death is suspicious because the couple who adopted him has had five of their children die, and four of those deaths, including Noah’s, were investigated as possible homicides with both parents and 16-year-old older brother implicated.
Case status:
Kathleen Carroll (Mother), not charged.
Timothy Carroll (Father), not charged.
James Carroll (Brother), charged with delinquency by reason of involuntary manslaughter, acquitted.
Source:
Hannah, Noah, Molly and Joshua Carroll
Boy Saw Slaying, He Tells
Name: Hannah Mercy Carroll.
Died: September 21, 1992.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Cedarville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.
Details:
Hannah was burned with bleach over a third of her body–allegedly by her brother, who was babysitting, though he maintains it was an accident. Her parents did not seek medical attention until three days later when she was unconscious and dying from pneumonia.
Case status:
Kathleen Carroll (Mother), not charged.
Timothy Carroll (Father), not charged.
James Carroll (Brother), charged with delinquency by reason of involuntary manslaughter, acquitted.
Source:
Hannah, Noah, Molly and Joshua Carroll
Hannah, Noah, Mollie, and Josiah Carroll
Girl tried to protect self
Name: Janet Cunningham.
Disability: Head injury from car accident.
Age at death: 43.
Name: Dorothy Cunningham.
Disability: Osteoporosis.
Age at death: 62.
Died: September 8, 1992.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Farmingham, Utah, USA.
Details:
Dorothy and Janet were hacked to death with a hatchet.
Dorothy, a homemaker, taught piano lessons. Janet loved skiing and was a former member of the National Ski Patrol.
Case status:
Ronald Cunningham (Janet’s father and Dorothy’s husband). Incompetent to stand trial; charges dropped.
Source:
Davis to drop murder counts against man in mental facility
MURDER SUSPECT TO REMAIN IN HOSPITAL