Name: Eduardo José.
Died: July 6, 2020.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Cabanelas, Mirandela, Portugal.
Disability: Autism, epilepsy.
Details:
Eduardo was found dead in a well, where he had drowned after his mother drugged him with antipsychotics, pushed him in, and then held him under to ensure he drowned.
Though there was talk of lack of support, Eduardo’s mother had in fact refused to admit her son to an institution that specialized in autism a few years previously. According to the court, Eduardo’s mother never accepted that he was autistic, and would not give him medication that he had been prescribed.
The coronavirus pandemic left Eduardo alone at home with his mother, who claimed that she could not stand his behavior. But Eduardo’s teacher remembers him as “a very sweet child. He never gave us any problems over the 11 years he was here; he never had any episode of violence.”
Case Status:
Fátima Martinho (Mother), also called Fátima da Conceição, convicted of homicide and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Sources:
Autism Memorial: Eduardo Jose
Mulher que matou filho autista condenada a 10 anos de prisão
Mãe que afogou filho autista em Mirandela fica em silêncio em frente ao júri
Jovem que sofria de autismo encontrado morto num poço. Mãe é a principal suspeita
Mãe atirou o filho autista a um poço. O que se sabe do crime de Cabanelas?
Julgamento com júri da mulher acusada de matar o filho autista em Mirandela arrancou esta terça-feira
Name: Brenda Davidson.