Amir Ross

No PhotoName: Amir Ross.
Died: May 31, 2016.
Age at death: 1.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Decatur, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Developmental disabilities; tube-fed.

Details:
Amir was beaten to death by his parents.

Case status:
Eric Ross (Father), convicted of child cruelty and murder, sentenced to 20 years.
Angel Branch (Mother), convicted of child cruelty and murder, sentenced to 20 years.

Source:
Couple Beat Disabled Toddler To Death: Charges
DeKalb pair accused of killing disabled toddler with ‘unknown object’

Jazmine Walker

Photo of Jazmine Walker, a small infant with dark skin and curly black hair. She is wearing a pink headband and dress, and is sucking her thumb.Name: Jazmine Walker.
Died: May 25, 2016.
Age at death: 6 months.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Harvey, Illinios, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida; 8 weeks premature.

Details:
Jazmine died of starvation and neglect, weighing 4.8 pounds.

Case status:
Chequita D. Bell (Mother), convicted of involuntary manslaughter; sentenced to 10 years, paroled after 2 years 4 months.

Source:
After 3 kids die despite DCFS involvement, it urges faster probes
$1M bail set for mom accused of child endangerment after infant dies
Mom charged after death of 5-month-old in Harvey
Parents in custody after 5 1/2-month-old dies in Harvey
South Suburban Mom Held On $1 Million Bond After Infant Daughter Dies

Jose Castillo-Cisneros

Photo of Pepe Castillo-Cisneros. He is a toddler boy with tan skin and dark brown hair, and is smiling widely with his mouth open.Name: Jose “Pepe” Castillo-Cisneros.
Died: May 23, 2016.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Battle Ground, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Pepe was beaten and stabbed to death by his mother’s boyfriend because he cried about a movie he didn’t want to watch.

He liked Mickey Mouse.

Case status:
Ricardo Gutierrez (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to 45 years to life.

Source:
Man sentenced to 45 years in prison in toddler’s murder
Man faces murder allegation in Battle Ground boy’s death
GoFundMe account started for family of toddler allegedly killed by mom’s boyfriend
Washington man charged with murder of girlfriend’s autistic three-year-old son
Three-year-old BG boy allegedly murdered by mother’s boyfriend
Man faces murder allegation in Battle Ground boy’s death
Murder trial begins in fatal beating of Battle Ground toddler
Murder trial looks at special needs of toddler who was killed
Testimony describes murder suspect’s dislike of 3-year-old

Henry Sochalski

Black and white photo of Henry Sochalski. He has dark hair and fair skin, and is wearing a policeman's uniform and glasses. He has a bushy mustache.Name: Henry A. “Butch” Sochalski.
Died: May 19, 2016.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida, USA.
Disability: Recent hypoxic brain injury; back problems.

Details:
Henry went to the hospital for elective surgery to help with his back problems, but the surgery went badly and Henry went into cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated, but his brain had been injured from lack of oxygen.

Henry’s wife, who had worked as a nurse for forty years, first tried to kill him by getting the nurses to give him a medication that would have depressed his breathing, but they refused. Then she pressed the button on his patient-administered pain medication over and over, trying to poison him, but the device automatically limited itself to a safe dose. In the end she allegedly lay across his chest, pinched his nose, and suffocated him.

Henry Sochalski was a retired police officer. He loved riding his motorcycle.

Case status:
Jan Sochalski (Wife), charged with second-degree murder, died before trial.

Sources:
Murder defendant found dead in her Palm Coast home
Sochalski Obituary
A man was suffocated to death in the hospital. The suspect? His wife, a retired nurse.
Florida woman accused of killing husband in hospital bed
Florida woman allegedly murdered husband by plugging his nose
Henry & Jan Sochalski: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Palm Coast wife accused of killing husband at Florida Hospital held on $250,000 bail
Wife charged with killing former N.J. cop in Fla.

Carolyn Hager

Portrait photo of Carolyn Hager, an elderly woman with pale blond hair.Name: Carolyn Hager.
Died: May 16, 2016.
Age at death: 78.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA.
Disability: Arthritis, lung cancer, chronic illness.

Details:
Carolyn’s husband shot her in the head.

Carolyn’s neighbors remember her as an artistic woman who maintained a beautiful garden and could often be seen outside tending her plants.

Case status:
William J. Hager (Husband), pleaded no contest to manslaughter, sentenced to nine years.

Source:
Port St. Lucie man who killed ailing wife in ‘act of love’ gets 9 years
Police: Man killed wife because he couldn’t afford medications
Florida Man Says He Killed Sick Wife Because He Couldn’t Afford Her Medicine, Sheriff Says
Port St. Lucie man accused of shooting wife because she was in pain & he couldn’t afford medications
Port St. Lucie man charged with murder in wife’s killing
Police: Man kills wife, blames high medication prices
Man says he killed sick wife because he couldn’t afford her medication

Ava Cole

No PhotoName: Ava Cole.
Died: May 14, 2016.
Age at death: 8 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, heart condition, chronic illness.

Details:
Ava was thrown violently onto a couch by her father. The impact caused a head injury which resulted in her death.

Case status:
Tatum Cole (Father), convicted of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse, sentenced to ten years in prison.

Source:
Lansing man convicted in death of 8-month-old daughter
Michigan man convicted in death of 8-month-old daughter
PEOPLE OF MI V TATUM MICHAEL COLE (Per Curiam Opinion)

Gertrud Sigman

No PhotoName: Gertrud “Trudy” Sigman.
Died: May 7, 2016.
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Orange Park, Florida, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Gertrud, whom everyone called Trudy, was a retired professional ballet dancer who had graduated from the Vienna Conservatory. She liked to cook and garden.

Trudy was beaten and strangled to death by her son.

Case status:
Lawrence Sigman (Son), deceased.

Source:
Clay County Sheriff’s Office closes case as murder-suicide
Death investigation underway in wake of domestic dispute
Clay County Sheriff’s Office closes case as murder-suicide
Obituary | Trudy Sigman of Orange Park, Florida

Kayce McDermed

Photo of a teenage girl with pale skin and dark-blond hair in a scruffy ponytail; she is wearing glasses, lying down, her chin in her hand.Name: Kayce McDermed.
Died: May 2, 2016.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, pneumonia.
Location: Yakima, Washington, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegic, blind, autistic.

Details:
Kayce’s guardian took her out of high school. Isolated at home, she was allegedly neglected and left alone in bed for long periods of time. Kayce died of malnutrition, pneumonia, and severe bedsores.

Case status:
Darlina Ann Chilson (Guardian), charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.

Source:
Trial postponed for Yakima woman accused of murder in quadriplegic girl’s death
Autism Memorial: Kayce McDermed
STATE OF WASHINGTON vs DARLINA ANN CHILSON, 19-1-00592-39 (Washington State, Yakima County, Superior Court)
Severely disabled, neglected and dead at 16
Caregiver accused in death of disabled teen
Washington caregiver accused in death of disabled teen
Woman accused of neglecting quadriplegic girl, 16, causing her death
Caregiver accused of starving Yakima teen to death charged with murder

Marie Stempinski

Portrait photo of Marie Stempinski. She is a woman with pale skin and gray hair, wearing business attire and chunky red earrings.Name: Marie Stempinski.
Died: April 29, 2016.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.
Disability: Mobility impairment from hip injury.

Details:
Before she retired, Marie had worked as a TV news reporter, then as a public relations consultant. When she suffered a hip injury, she started using a wheelchair.

Marie’s husband shot her and then killed himself.

Case status:
Gerard Stempinski (Husband), deceased.

Source:
St. Petersburg, Florida: Man shoots wheelchair-bound wife and then kills himself
Ex-cop Gerard Stempinski kills wife Marie then himself in murder-suicide in Florida

Melissa Couture

Photo of Melissa Couture, a young woman with fair skin and brown hair. She is wearing glasses and a striped sweater. She is smiling broadly and looking down at some candles.Name: Melissa Couture.
Died: April 26, 2016.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Choking, starvation, pressure sores.
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
For four years before her death, Melissa’s mother did not provide medical care for her, even though she was having trouble swallowing and rapidly losing weight. Melissa died from choking, starvation, dehydration, and severe pressure sores, weighing only fifty pounds.

Case status:
Patricia Couture (Mother), charged with criminal negligence resulting in death, ruled not criminally responsible.

Source:
Calgary woman charged in death of special needs daughter
Police lay charges in death of disabled Calgary woman
Calgary woman charged with death of daughter released on bail
Senior charged in adult daughter’s death says she was mistreated by police
Calgary mom charged in disabled daughter’s death shocks neighbourhood
Deep bed sores would have been painful leading to disabled woman’s death, mother’s trial hears
Disabled woman weighed 51 pounds when she died, mother’s trial hears
Disabled woman went years without medical treatment: Court
Melissa Couture choked to death on substance consistent with meat, trial told
Melissa Couture went years without medical treatment, Calgary trial told
Trial begins for Calgary senior accused of negligence in death of daughter
Trial begins for Patricia Couture, Calgary mom accused in death of disabled daughter
Trial underway for Calgary mother charged in death of disabled daughter
Young disabled woman would have been in pain and discomfort prior to death, court hears
Trial begins for senior in death of daughter
Father of deceased disabled girl testifies at trial of ex-wife: ‘I’m shocked she died’
Father tells Calgary trial he wanted to get help for disabled daughter
Father testifies at trial for mother accused in death of disabled daughter
Mom blamed stench on demons: Trial
Mother accused in death of disabled daughter expected to take stand in own defence Friday
Mother of disabled daughter blamed overpowering smell of excrement on ‘demons,’ ex testifies
Mother on trial in disabled daughter’s death kept ‘immaculate’ care of her but believed in demons, court hears
Mom charged with negligence in disabled daughter’s death sent for psychiatric assessment mid-trial
Calgary mother found not criminally responsible in 2016 death of disabled daughter
Judge rules senior not criminally responsible in death of disabled daughter
Judge finds Calgary mother Patricia Couture not criminally responsible for death of disabled daughter
Calgary mother accused in daughter’s death found not criminally responsible