Category: Location: USA

Cheyenne Wolf

Photo of a teen girl with wavy strawberry-blond hair in a half-ponytail; she is smiling for the camera, wearing a pink shirt with black stripes.Name: Cheyenne Wolf.
Died: March or April 2008.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Homicide.
Location: Durant, Oklahoma, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida.

Details:
Cheyenne’s stepmother tied her to a chair and beat her. When she died, her father helped hide the body.

Case status:
Denise Wolf (Stepmother); convicted of child abuse, child abuse by neglect, and unlawful removal of a dead body; sentenced to 5 consecutive life terms.
Able Wolf (Father), pleaded guilty to child abuse, child abuse by neglect, and unlawful removal of a dead body; sentenced to 3 concurrent life terms.

Source:
Sisters testify they saw Cheyenne Wolf abused before she died
Cheyenne Noell Wolf
Bryan County judge sentences stepmother for abuse, calls her ‘unfit for society’

Calista Springer

Portrait photo of a teenage girl with shoulder-length dark auburn hair and pale skin, smiling, wearing a pink polka-dotted turtleneck.Name: Calista Springer.
Died: February 27, 2008.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Centreville, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Calista’s parents tied her to her bed with zip ties and a dog collar, and when the house caught fire, her entire family left the house; none of them stopped to release her. She died in the fire.

Case status:
Anthony Springer (Father), child abuse and torture, 25-50 years.
Marsha Springer (Stepmother), child abuse and torture, 8-19 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Calista Springer
Calista Springer
Calista Springer: Adoption, abuse, neglect and murder
Calista Springer
Protective services workers can’t be sued in Calista Springer case, U.S. Court of Appeals affirms
Unforgotten Angels: Calista Springer

Erianna Beltran

Photo of Erianna Beltran, a toddler girl.Name: Erianna Beltran.
Died: January 27, 2008.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Fresno, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Erianna was admitted to the hospital, covered in bruises. She died two days later.

Case status:
Unsolved. Erianna’s mother, Erin Skinner, and her mother’s boyfriend, Mack Lucas, were both arrested because they were the ones in whose custody Erianna had been in; but charges were dropped because of a lack of evidence.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Erianna Beltran
Three-Year-Old Girl Died of Blunt Force Trauma
Charges Dismissed Against Accused Killer
Prosecutors drop charges in autistic girl’s death

Maxwell Eyer

Portrait photo of Maxwell Eyer, a toddler sitting in front of a backdrop and holding a large number 1. He has olive skin, black hair, and is wearing a checked shirt and navy pants.Name: Maxwell Eyer.
Died: December 28, 2007.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Alton, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
Maxwell’s father slammed his head against the floor repeatedly as a punishment for eating chips in bed; then his mother ignored his obvious brain injury and seizures and let him die.

Case status:
Johnny Garcia (Father), murder, 44 years.
Linsey Eyer (Mother), child endangerment, 5 years.

Source:
2 Year Old Deaf and Disabled Maxwell Eyer, Beaten to Death by his Father for Eating Chips in Bed

Kayla Dutcher

No PhotoName: Kayla Dutcher.
Died: October 7, 2007.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Tramadol overdose.
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Blindness.

Details:
Kayla died of an overdose of Tramadol. Her parents reported that she had eaten the Tramadol by accident; the department of human services determined that she had died of “fatal neglect and an injurious environment”.

Case status:
Parents Amy Dutcher and James Dutcher were not charged.

Source:
Kayla Dutcher

Jared Greenwood

No PhotoName: Jared Greenwood.
Died: September 30, 2007 (Body found).
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Bloomfield, New Mexico, USA.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability.

Details:
Jared’s mother neglected him; he died of blood poisoning from infected bedsores.

Case status:
Sandra Greenwood (Mother), convicted of neglect, sentenced to two and a half years in jail.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Jared Greenwood
Updated at 7:40am — Mother Gets 2 1/2 Years for Leaving Son To Die

Criste Reimer

Photo of Criste Reimer, a middle-aged woman wearing glasses. She has pale skin and curly brown hair, cut short. She is smiling with her lips pressed together.Name: Criste Reimer .
Died: August 14, 2007.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Fall injury.
Location: Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Hydrocephalus, neurofibromatosis.

Details:
Criste’s husband threw her from a fourth-floor balcony to her death.

Case status:
Stanley Reimer (Husband), pled guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
Sisters of woman thrown from balcony wanted to keep her away from husband

Jesse Weaver

Portrait photo of Jesse Weaver, a fair-skinned, brown-haired boy wearing a collared shirt, smiling slightly.Name: Jesse Weaver.
Died: July 8, 2007.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Seroquel overdose.
Location: Lincoln County, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Mental illness.

Details:
Jesse’s mother abruptly withdrew his psychiatric medication. Jesse committed suicide about three weeks later.

Case status:
Traci Weaver (Mother); Wade Weaver (Father). Department of Social Services concluded that they were responsible for emotional abuse, medical neglect, and failure to protect Jesse.

Source:
Children lost in the system
Child Fatality Review: Jesse Weaver

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