Category: Location: USA

Rebecca Cutler

Photo of Rebecca Cutler, a woman with brown skin and dark brown eyes, and straight black hair with silver streaks dyed into it.Name: Rebecca Cutler.
Died: February 10, 2016.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Willowbrook, New York, USA.
Disability: Bipolar disorder, postpartum depression.

Details:
Rebecca and her three children were stabbed by her boyfriend. Rebecca and her two children, Maiyah and Ziana, died; her third child survived. Her boyfriend tried to claim that because she was bipolar, Rebecca had killed her children and he killed her in self-defense.

Case status:
Michael Sykes (Boyfriend), convicted of second-degree murder of Rebecca Cutler and first-degree murder of Maiyah and Ziana; sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Monster who murdered two babies and their mom in Staten Island Ramada Inn massacre gets life without parole – New York Daily News
Mom killed the 2 kids, not me, testifies defendant in Ramada Inn massacre
Jury selected in hotel massacre murder trial
Man stabbed girlfriend, babies 69 times in S.I. slays: DA
Staten Island stabbing suspect arraigned on 3 counts of murder
Man Convicted of Killing Girlfriend in Hotel Room, But Not Her 2 Kids
Wake To Be Held For Mother, Children Killed In Staten Island Stabbing
New trial, new lawyer for defendant in Ramada Inn massacre

Daniel Joost

Photo of Daniel Joost, a teenage boy with fair skin and short light-brown, wavy hair. He is wearing dark-rimmed glasses and a dress shirt. Photographed outdoors, he squints into the sun.Name: Daniel Joost.
Died: February 8, 2016.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Daniel and his mother, 55-year-old Margaret O’Leary-Joost, were strangled to death by Daniel’s father, who then took his own life.

Case status:
David Joost (Father), deceased.

Source:
Parents and Teen-Aged Son Dead in Oak Forest Double Murder-Suicide
‘Oh God, We Better Call’: 911 Call in Oak Forest Double Murder-Suicide
Support for Katie Joost
Autism Memorial: Daniel Joost

Ezra Miller

Photo of a boy in a green shirt and baseball cap; he has tan skin, and is smiling, sitting cross-legged on the ground.Name: Ezra Miller, also called Ezra Decker.
Died: February 3, 2016.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Blunt-force trauma.
Location: Staunton, Virginia, USA.
Disability: ADHD, bed-wetting, speech impediment.

Details:
Ezra was beaten to death by his father because he had wet the bed.

Case status:
Steven T. Decker (Father), convicted of second-degree murder and child abuse, sentenced to 26 1/2 years in prison and 3 years probation.
Brianna Connolly (Father’s girlfriend), pleaded guilty to felony child neglect, given a suspended 10-year sentence and served 3 days in jail.

Source:
Staunton man sentenced for killing his child: Decker case
At murder trial, witness says Decker’s son’s injuries ‘didn’t fit with story’
Child-killer’s accomplice girlfriend gets 3 DAY jail sentence for 6-year-old’s beating death

Ameri Martin

Photo of Ameri Martin, a small boy with fuzzy black hair and brown skin, looking at the camera with a perplexed expression.Name: Ameri M. Martin.
Died: January 30, 2016.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Cottage Hills, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Brain injury from shaken baby syndrome.

Details:
Ameri’s family allegedly left him in the bathtub alone, even though they knew he could not sit up on his own. He drowned.

Case status:
Triston T. Boyd, charged with endangering the life or health of a child.
Elegria J. Smith, charged with endangering the life or health of a child.
Vanda D. Gates-Ross (Grandmother), charged with endangering the life or health of a child.

Source:
Three from Cottage Hills charged in 2016 death of disabled boy left in bathtub
Three charged in 2016 drowning of disabled 10-year-old in a bathtub
Today it’s 2 months since Ameri my Angel passed… – Vanda Gates-ross

Adilynn Moseman

Photo of a baby girl with curly blond hair tied in a headband, strapped into a car seat. She is smiling.Name: Adilynn Moseman
Died: January 21, 2016.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Malnutrition, pneumonia.
Location: Terre Haute, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Mitochondrial disease, microcephaly, cerebral palsy, deafblind.

Details:
Adilynn died because her parents starved her to death. At five years old, the little girl weighed just under 17 pounds. She had six- and seven-year-old siblings who were forbidden to play with her. She died of malnutrition and pneumonia.

Case status:
Tiffany Daugherty (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect and reckless homicide, sentenced to 15 years.
Brian Moseman (Father), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in death, given two 2 1/2-year suspended sentences, returned to prison after violating parole by drug possession.

Source:
Father in child-death case back in jail on probation, drug charges
Man sentenced to probation in connection to child starvation death arrested on meth charges
Indiana woman who starved daughter to death says 15-year sentence is ‘inappropriate’
Indiana court upholds mother’s 15-year term in neglect death
Despite early intervention, little girl died among neglect allegations
Vigo County couple arrested on neglect charges after death of 5-year-old girl who weighed 16 pounds
Vigo County Couple Face Charges After Five Year Old’s Death
Vigo Co. couple accused of starving 5-year-old daughter to death
Indiana couple charged with neglect in death of 5-year-old
One Parent Charged In Death Of Child Posts Bond
August trial date set in case of Terre Haute 5-year-old who died of starvation
Mother Accused In Daughter’s Death Now Faces More Charges
Vigo County mother in child-death case faces new charges
Trials moved for couple arrested in connection to death of 5-year-old
Indiana mom pleas in death of disabled 5-year-old daughter
Woman accused of neglecting her child to the point of death back in jail, accused of failing to report to probation…three times
Indiana mother sentenced to 15 years in the neglect death of her disabled five-year-old daughter
Man receives suspended sentence in daughter’s neglect death

Bertha Coombes

Black and white photo of a young woman with curly hair, in old-fashioned clothing.Name: Bertha Coombes.
Died: January 19, 2016.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Petaluma, California, USA.
Disability: Mobility impairment; wheelchair user, after “a series of falls”.

Details:
Bertha was shot dead by her husband in a murder-suicide.

Case status:
Harold Coombes (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Police determine east Petaluma deaths murder-suicide
Petaluma couple’s violent deaths a contrast with long, loving relationship

Phillip Maynard

Gravestone for Phillip R. Maynard and Linda M. Maynard. It reads, Together forever; married 2-5-1966; beloved parents and grandparents. Name: Phillip Ray Maynard.
Died: January 14, 2016.
Age at death: 71.
Cause of death: Starvation, dehydration, untended bedsores.
Location: Forest Park, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; mobility impaired.

Details:
Phillip’s wife allegedly did not care for him; she often left him for two or three days at a time, even though he could not get out of bed on his own. Weakened by starvation, dehydration, and untreated bedsores, Phillip died.

Case status:
Cheryl Maynard (Wife), charged with elder neglect.

Source:
Clayton woman charged with elder neglect after bedridden husband dies
Phillip Ray Maynard (1944-2016) – Find A Grave.

Holly Lozon

Photo of Holly Lozon, a woman with short curly blond hair. Her mouth is slightly open as though she is about to speak.Name: Holly A. Lozon.
Died: January 13, 2016.
Age at death: 57.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Rainville Township, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Paraplegic, from surgery to remove bone spurs.

Details:
Holly was shot dead by her husband in a murder-suicide. He also killed their dog.

Holly was an animal-lover who especially enjoyed horseback riding.

Case status:
Gerald Lozon (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Tragedy beset Monroe Co. couple found dead in home
Obituary: Holly A. Lozon

Dwight Ridley

Photo of Dwight Ridley, a man with dark-brown skin and a salt-and-pepper beard, wearing a baseball cap and polo shirt, photographed outdoors.Name: Dwight Carrington Ridley Sr.
Died: January 11, 2016.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Carson, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Dwight was stabbed to death by his nephew over a property dispute about the family farm.

He was an Army veteran who had three children and twelve grandchildren.

Case status:
Daryl Ridley (Nephew), charged with second-degree murder, found incompetent to stand trial.

Source:
Mental Health and Murder: Why man with ’emotional demons’ walked free
Obituary for Dwight Carrington Ridley, Sr. – PETERSBURG, VA
Why man accused of killing uncle over family farm won’t stand trial
Stabbing victim arrives at hospital, later deemed homicide suspect in Dinwiddie County
Arrest made in fatal Dinwiddie homicide, stabbing

Harmony Carsey

Photo of Harmony Carsey, a toddler girl. She has brown hair and fair skin, and she is holding a dog on her lap.Name: Harmony Carsey.
Died: January 8, 2016.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Brain hemorrhage.
Location: New Straitsville, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Undiagnosed mental illness or developmental disability (Head-banging; atypical behavior).

Details:
Crystal’s autopsy report stated that she died of a brain hemorrhage, and that she was underweight and dehydrated. Her mother denied abusing her, and said instead that Harmony had “mental health problems” and hurt herself by banging her head.

Case status:
Crystal Reed (mother), pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 9 years.

Source:
Ohio Toddler’s Tragic Death Need Not Be in Vain if Ohio Courts Seize the Opportunity to Hold Reckless Child Protection Agency Accountable for its Role in the Child’s Abuse and Murder
Mom gets nine-year sentence for daughter’s death
Family seeks answers in 2-year-old’s death