Location: USA – Page 74 – Disability Day of Mourning

Jody Hernandez

Photo of Jody Hernandez. She has fair skin and long wavy dark-brown hair. Name: Jody Hernandez.
Died: May 11, 2015.
Age at death: 31.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Disability: Chronic illness, including Crohn’s disease; depression.

Details:
Jody was shot and killed by her husband, who said that it had been an assisted suicide and that Jody had wanted to die. His lawyer arranged a plea bargain when it was found that Jody had, on a crowdfunding web page, detailed her illness. Though she didn’t express any desire to commit suicide on the web page, it corroborated her husband’s story that she had been ill. The judge accepted the plea bargain and Jody’s husband walked free on probation.

Jody’s goal for her crowdfunding page was to get enough money to go back to school and get her master’s degree to become a nurse-practitioner.

Case status:
Daniel Hernandez (Husband), pleaded guilty to assisted suicide, sentenced to 5 years probation and a $1500 fine.

Source:
DA reveals reason to drop murder charge in assisted suicide case
Man gets five years probation for killing his wife
Jody Hernandez | Help Jody with her illnesses, return home, sort out family problems and return to school
Woman allegedly shot by husband may have detailed illnesses…
Woman fatally shot by husband identified

Malachi Golden

Photo of a toddler in a sling-style stroller. He is chewing on a raw carrot, and wearing a bulky helmet. Name: Malachi De’Andre Golden.
Died: May 11, 2015.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: High Shoals, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Chromosomal disorder, epilepsy, developmental delays.

Details:
Malachi was physically abused by his stepfather and mother over an extended period of time. He was also starved and neglected, his seizure medication was withheld, and he was denied medical care. His mother kept him in a small closet, without food and water. Malachi died from starvation, weighing 19 pounds; his mother also said that his stepfather had strangled him.

Two years after Malachi died, courthouse staff took up a collection to get Malachi a proper headstone.

Case status:
Thomas Cheeks (Stepfather), convicted of first-degree murder and child abuse; sentenced to life without parole.
Tiffany Cheeks (Mother), pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse, sentenced to 19 years.

Source:
North Carolina Supreme Court upholds murder charge in starvation death of 4-year-old child
New report: Child strangled to death
Stepdad offered plea deal in boy’s death
Abuse charges for accused child killer
Court clerks raise money to buy grave marker for boy who starved to death
Mother served murder papers in disabled boy’s death
Gaston County mother could get life in prison for 4-year-old son’s death
GASTON CO. MOM CHARGED IN SON’S MURDER: 19 more years in prison for Gaston County mother in 4-year-old son’s death

Angel Goodwin

Photo of a boy with tan skin and scruffy black hair, grinning at the camera. Name: Angel Goodwin.
Died: May 5, 2015.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy; multiple disabilities.

Details:
Angel, who had severe disabilities, was abused by his grandmother and her boyfriends. Angel’s grandmother put him in a tub full of water and left him there for more than three hours. Unable to keep his head out of the water, Angel drowned.

Case status:
Onesia Najera (Grandmother), pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death, sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Source:
Wheat Ridge police investigating the death of a 10-year-old
Grandmother charged in death of 10-year-old in Wheat Ridge
Woman gets 20 years in prison for grandson’s drowning death
Grandmother sentenced in drowning death of boy with cerebral palsy
Jefferson County woman who drowned developmentally-disabled grandson sentenced to 20 years

Brooke MacBeth

Photo of a young woman with fair skin and brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a scarf over a beige sweater. Name: Brooke MacBeth.
Died: Unknown. Body found May 3, 2015, six months to a year after death.
Age at death: 28.
Cause of death: Unknown.
Location: Lakeside, California, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
What happened to Brooke is unknown. All we know is that she was found dead, weighing only forty pounds, stuffed into a suitcase in her mother’s apartment, with amphetamine, marijuana, and oxycodone in her system. An autopsy did not find evidence of trauma, but most such evidence would no longer have been detectable because Brooke had been in the suitcase for several months.

Brooke’s teachers remember her strong voice, engaging smile, and long ponytail.

Case status:
Bonnie MacBeth (mother), no charges.

Source:
Teachers Remember Former Student Found Dead in Suitcase
Officials Make Disturbing Discovery While Serving Eviction Notice
Officials: Body found in trunk was woman’s daughter
Loved ones remember life of disabled woman found in suitcase
Disabled Woman’s Body Found in Suitcase at Mom’s San Diego-Area Home Weighed Just 40 Pounds: Autopsy
Body Found in Suitcase Identified
Woman in suitcase likely died of natural causes: ME

Gary Blanton III

Photo of Gary Blanton III. He has fair skin and light brown hair. He is smiling for the camera. Name: Gary Blanton III.
Died: April 18, 2015.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Fractured skull.
Location: Chattaroy, Washington, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, possible autism.

Details:
Gary died from a fractured skull while in the custody of his aunt, who had custody of him after his parents died. Authorities discovered that his caseworker had been falsifying health-and-wellness visit reports.

Gary was a rambunctious child who ran up and down the hallways and even climbed into the washing machine.

Case status:
Cynthia Rose Khaleel (Aunt); charged with second-degree murder, acquitted.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Gary Blanton III
Jury acquits Chattaroy woman of killing 5-year-old nephew
Chattaroy woman arrested for five-year-old nephew’s death
Obituary
‘Everyone failed him’: Boy’s aunt accused of murder, DSHS accused of ‘critical errors’

Ashley Lovett

Photo of Ashley Lovett. She is a young woman sitting in a hospital bed, feeding a bottle to a newborn infant. Her blond hair is tied back. Name: Ashley Lovett.
Died: October 2014; body found April 10, 2015.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Unknown.
Location: Millen, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Ashley was the mother of a baby which was taken away from her and placed with family members.

Ashley’s stepmother and half-brother, whom she lived with, did not report her death and collected her disability checks for several months after she died. When asked where Ashley was, they lied to investigators.

How Ashley died cannot be determined because her body was burned and buried more than a year before it was found; at that point only fragments were left to be identified by their DNA match to Ashley’s child, now two or three years old and living with family.

Case status:
Susan Lovett (stepmother), pleaded guilty to concealing the death of a relative, sentenced to 10 years prison and 10 years probation.
Christopher Eugene Lovett (half-brother), pleaded guilty to concealing the death of a relative, sentenced to 10 years prison and 10 years probation.

Source:
2 deny concealing death of relative
2 plead guilty in concealment of Jenkins death
EXCLUSIVE ON 6: Ashley Lovett’s Family Member Speaks out About Possible Abuse in the Home
Test results inconclusive on remains believed to belong to missing Millen woman

Elhassan and Abdelkarim Elmezayen

No Photo Name: Elhassan Elmezayen.
Age at death: 13.
Died: April 9, 2015.

Name: Abdelkarim Elmezayen.
Age at death: 8.
Died: April 10, 2015.

Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Elhassan and Abdelkarim’s father took out life insurance policies on them; then he put them and his wife in the car and drove off a bridge. Their father easily swam to safety through a window he had left open for the purpose; their mother was rescued by a fisherman. But the boys, who could not swim and were strapped into their child seats, went down with the car. Elhassan died shortly after being transported to the hospital; Abdelkarim died the next day.

The family were immigrants from Egypt. A third brother, also autistic, was not in the car that day and survived.

Case status:
Ali Elmezayen (Father), convicted of murder, mail and wire fraud, identity theft and money laundering; sentenced to 212 years in prison.

Source:
California Man Sentenced To 212 Years In Prison For ‘Premeditated Murder’ Of Two Autistic Sons To Claim Life Insurance
Man convicted of intentionally drowning his 2 autistic children to collect insurance money
Man Found Guilty of Killing His Disabled Sons by Driving Off Port of L.A. Dock to Collect Life Insurance
Dad Accused of Drowning His 2 Boys With Severe Autism for Insurance Money Cries in Court
Man charged with fraud after driving off pier, killing sons
Autism Memorial: Elhassan and Abdelkarim Elmezayen
A man drove his severely autistic kids off a pier to their death. Prosecutors say he did it for the insurance money.
Father ‘drowned autistic sons to claim insurance money’
‘Dad’ took hefty life insurance policy on two autistic children before allegedly driving them to their drowning deaths: Prosecutors
Man Charged Alleging Scheme to Collect Insurance Proceeds by Intentionally Killing His Two Autistic Children
1 dead, 3 injured after car plunges into water at Port of Los Angeles

Seth Johnson

Black and white photo of Seth Johnson, a small boy wearing glasses and a polo shirt and jacket. Name: Seth Johnson.
Died: March 30, 2015.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Pancreatitis.
Location: Plymouth, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Fetal alcohol syndrome, reactive attachment disorder; parents unofficially diagnosed him with PTSD and TBI.

Details:
Seth’s adoptive parents claimed he had been diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome and reactive attachment disorder, though no records corroborating this could be found.

When Seth was seven, he became sick. His parents, instead of getting him medical help, did online research and diagnosed him with PTSD and a traumatic brain injury.

Seth died of untreated pancreatitis. When he died, he was badly malnourished and covered with injuries, including bruises and pressure sores. His parents said the bruises came from Seth throwing himself down the stairs, and that they had not gotten him medical care because Seth did not like going to the doctor.

Case status:
Timothy David Johnson (Adoptive father), convicted of child neglect, sentenced to 1 year in the county workhouse.
Sarah Nicole Johnson (Adoptive mother), convicted of child neglect, sentenced to 1 year in the county workhouse.

Source:
Plymouth couple sentenced to 1 year after 7-year-old son’s death
Plymouth parents who left U.S. after suspicious death of son, 7, have returned several years later
Minnesota parents accused of child neglect in death of 7-year-old son flee to New Zealand, miss court date
Do Timothy and Sarah Johnson have blood on their hands? Child dies after parents deny doctor treatment
Plymouth parents charged after allegedly refusing to take 7-year-old, who later died, to doctor
Parents charged with neglect in child’s death
Minn. parents let son, 7, suffer wounds, inflamed pancreas with no medical attention before he died, police say
Plymouth Parents Charged with Neglect after 7-Year-Old Boy Dies
Sick boy died because parents prayed instead of calling 911: prosecutor
Parents accused of letting boy die rather than bring him to doctors
Minnesota parents let son, 7, suffer wounds, inflamed pancreas with no medical attention before he died, police say
Minnesota parents charged with neglect after 7-year-old’s death
Minnesota Couple Allegedly Let 7-Year-Old Son Die of Sepsis Rather Than Bring Him to Doctor
Minnesota couple charged with neglect in 7-year-old son’s death may have fled the country

Ahziya Osceola

Photo: A toddler with olive-toned skin, wearing a plastic fireman's hat and a denim shirt, smiling. Name: Ahziya Osceola.
Died: March 19, 2015 (Body found).
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Internal injury from abdominal trauma.
Location: Hollywood, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Ahziya’s stepmother initially claimed that he had gone missing, but the toddler’s body was found, and his cause of death determined to have been blunt-force abdominal trauma that severely injured his liver and pancreas. He also had a broken leg which had gone untreated.

Case status:
Analiz Osceola (Stepmother), convicted of aggravated manslaughter of a child, sentenced to 30 years.
Nelson Osceola (Father), charged with child neglect, charges dropped.

Source:
Stepmother Found Guilty in 2015 Death of Hollywood Toddler
Stepmother sentenced for fatally beating 3-year-old boy so badly his pancreas broke into pieces
Slain Hollywood Toddler’s Father Testifies in Murder Trial of Ex-Wife
Autism Memorial: Ahziya Osceola
Massive Search In Hollywood For Missing 3-Year-Old Child
Stepmother, Father In Jail Following Death Of Toddler
Ahziya Osceola Had Been Living With Untreated Broken Leg For Weeks Before Death
Behind smiles, a Florida child’s short, troubled life
Father, stepmother of boy found dead in Hollywood home arrested
Stepmother of Dead South Florida Boy Held on on $230,000 Bond

Mark Green

Name: Mark Anthony Green.
Died: March 19, 2015.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Knoxville, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Mark was shot by his father in a double homicide-suicide. Mark’s mother, 86-year-old Mary Green, was the other victim.

Mark was an avid cyclist who could usually be found riding his bicycle around the neighborhood.

Case status:
Johnnie Green (Father), deceased.

Source:
3 dead after Knoxville, Md. double murder-suicide
Mark Anthony Green