Location: USA – Page 38 – Disability Day of Mourning

Noah Tomlin

Name: Noah Tomlin.
Died: July 3, 2019.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Blunt head trauma, battered child syndrome.
Location: Hampton, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Noah’s mother initially reported him missing; but his body was found and his death determined to be murder. Noah had been abused for some time before dying from a head injury.

Case Status:
Julia Tomlin (Mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, sentenced to 55 years.

Sources:
Hampton mom to serve 55 years on murder, abuse charges in son’s death
Mom pleads guilty to murdering two-year-old son who has autism
The autopsy of 2-year-old Noah Tomlin was released: His mother is now charged with murder
Body believed to be missing Virginia 2-year-old found
Autism Memorial: Noah Tomlin

Kayla Kunkel

No Photo Name: Kayla Kunkel.
Died: June 29, 2019.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Infection from bowel obstruction.
Location: Chenango, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Kayla was found not breathing and could not be revived; she had been left without medical care when her bowel became obstructed. Her death was determined to be the result of “inadequate guardianship” and her parents charged with manslaughter.

Case status:
Renee Kunkel, pleaded guilty to negligent manslaughter, sentenced to 5 years probation.
Edward Kunkel (Father), pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person.

Source:
Mom of 23-year-old woman with autism sentenced for negligent homicide in daughter’s death
Mom of woman with autism, 23, pleads guilty to negligent homicide in her daughter’s death
Town of Chenango residents charged with manslaughter in death of woman with autism
Woman with autism dies, 2 indicted for ‘inadequate guardianship’
Kayla Kunkel Obituary – Port Dickinson, New York
Parents Charged in Death of Chenango Bridge Woman

Darlene Conger

No Photo Name: Darlene Conger.
Died: June 20, 2019.
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Zanesville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Wheelchair user.

Details:
Darlene lived with her caregivers in a home that was in very poor condition. She died from neglect when her live-in caregivers did not care for her.

Case status:
Sheila Allberry (Live-in caregiver), pleaded guilty to felonious assault, sentenced to 6-9 years.
Dustin Burr (Son), convicted of felonious assault and failure to provide care, sentenced to 6-9 years.

Source:
Mom of three asks judge for mercy in neglect case originally charged as manslaughter
Man ‘just trying to honor mom’s wishes’ sentenced in case of severe neglect
Guilty plea entered in case of woman who died after severe neglect in deplorable home
Guilty plea entered in case of woman who died after severe neglect in deplorable home
Two face felony charges in disabled woman’s death
Two charged in death of elderly Zanesville woman living in ‘deplorable conditions’ – Y-City News
Obituary for Darlene (Henry) Conger | Bolin-Dierkes Funeral Home

Brian Hageness

Name: Brian Paul Hageness.
Died: June 19, 2019.
Age at death: 61.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Wheelchair user.

Details:
Brian was shot by his wife.

Case Status:
Elizabeth Hageness (Wife), convicted of murder, sentenced to 20 years in prison; mistrial declared due to juror misconduct; pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Sources:
Hot Springs woman pleads guilty in husband’s killing, sentenced to 10 years in prison
Wife changes plea, sentenced to 10 years in husband’s death after mistrial declared
Jury finds woman guilty in husband’s shooting death

Wilma Melchert

Name: Wilma Melchert.
Died: June 12, 2019.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Morphine overdose.
Location: Gillespie, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
Wilma did a lot of volunteer work and was active in her community, went to church and was a member of the Lions Club. Her daughter, Denise, says that her mother “wanted to live.”

Wilma’s daughter-in-law took her home from her nursing home and poisoned her with a morphine overdose.

Case status:
Amy Melchert (Daughter-in-law), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 5 years.

Source:
Woman sentenced in mother-in-law’s death
Metro East woman sentenced for role in overdose death of mother-in-law
Wood River nurse charged with killing mother-in-law in hospice

Alma Shaver

Name: Alma Shaver.
Died: June 10, 2019.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Brick Township, New Jersey, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Alma’s husband shot her in a murder-suicide.

She was a homemaker who led a Girl Scout troop and raised three daughters.

Case status:
Richard Shaver (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Sweethearts Forever. Then Came Alzheimer’s, Murder and Suicide.

Betty Crews

Name: Betty Elouise Crews.
Died: June 7, 2019.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Harriman, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Betty lived with her daughter and another caretaker. Their lack of care led to her starvation death.

Case status:
Christopher Kennedy, convicted of felony murder; at large.
Evelyn Kennedy (Daughter), convicted of felony murder, sentenced to 51 years to life.

Source:
Convicted murderer at large after Roane County trial
Daughter, one other charged with murder after 72-year-old mother starved to death in Roane County
Daughter charged in starving death of elderly mother
Caretakers charged in starvation death of Roane County woman
Obituary of Betty Elouise Crews | Harriman Location

Valerie Valdez

No Photo
Name: Valerie Valdez.
Died: June 3, 2019.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Dehydration, cough medicine and acetaminophen overdose.
Location: Rockdale, Texas, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Valerie’s mother is charged with killing her with an overdose of medication. Police believe she had been deliberately keeping her daughter sedated.

Case status:
Frances Valdez (Mother), charged with murder.

Source:
Rockdale mother charged in disabled daughter’s death
Rockdale woman arrested in connection to her daughters death
Valerie Valdez June 23 1993 June 3 2019, death notice, USA

Zayden JayNesahkluah

Name: Zayden JayNesahkluah.
Died: May 31, 2019.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Methadone poisoning.
Location: Wichita, Kansas, USA.
Disability: Possible developmental disability.

Details:
Zayden was described as “a difficult child,” with a possible developmental disability. In the months before his death, his mother looked for someone else to take care of him. His father and grandmother were both willing to, but his mother never dropped him off. His mother gave him enough methadone to kill an adult, and Zayden died. She tried to argue that it had been accidental, but authorities found methadone in his juice cups, and the jury concluded that his death had been murder.

Zayden’s grandmother remembers him as “unique” and “fun”.

Case Status:
Kimberly Compass (Mother), convicted of first-degree murder.

Source:
2-Year-Old Overdoses After Consuming Enough Methadone To Kill Adult As Mother Charged With Murder
Jury convicts Wichita mom of murder in son’s methadone ingestion death
Kansas mother convicted of murder after toddler’s methadone overdose
Mother convicted after toddler consumes enough methadone to kill adult
Wichita woman convicted in 2-year-old son’s methadone death

Frances Kelly

Name: Frances Kelly.
Died: May 29, 2019.
Age at death: 93.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Bartlett, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Frances’s son stabbed her in the back, killing her. At trial, though both sides agreed that Frances’s son had a mental illness, the prosecution argued that his motive had been frustration with his mother’s worsening dementia and that he knew that what he was doing was wrong.

Frances loved playing cribbage. She lived to see the birth of her first great-grandchild.

Case Status:
Edward Mitzelfeld (Son); charged with murder, declared guilty but mentally ill, sentenced to 27 years.

Sources:
Insane or just irked? Bartlett man on trial, accused of killing mother
Bartlett man found guilty but mentally ill in murder of his mother
Bartlett Man Found Guilty But Mentally Ill in the Stabbing Death of his 93-Year-Old Mother