Jerome Brown

No PhotoName: Jerome Brown.
Died: February 14, 2021.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Paynesville, Greater Monrovia, Liberia.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Jerome was born with epilepsy, and when she could not find a cure for him in the spiritual treatments she sought, his mother left him to his father to raise. A neighbor reported finding him close to death in his father’s home; shortly after being found, Jerome died.

Jerome’s mother says that his father starved him to death, and that photos of his body in an extremely emaciated condition corroborate her claims. Police initially declared that he had died of epilepsy; but Jerome’s death was eventually declared to be a homicide and his father and stepmother arrested.

Case Status:
Emmanuel Brown (Father), charged with manslaughter.
Wanneh Tarpalah (Stepmother), charged with manslaughter.

Source:
Little Jerome’s Mother Seeks Justice
Court To Try Couple For Alleged Manslaughter, After 11-Yr-Old Son Starved To Death
“No Foul Play in Little Jerome’s Death” (Caution: graphic images of starvation)
Child, 11, Starved to Death (Caution: graphic images of starvation)

Nanako Tokutani

No PhotoName: Nanako Tokutani.
Died: February 13, 2021.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Kawakami, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Police found Nanako’s body floating in a lake, and her father, soaked with water, in his car in the parking lot. He allegedly kidnapped her from her special needs school, took her to the lake, and drowned her. He told police that his daughter’s disability was “a burden to [his] wife” and that he wanted to “escape this life”.

Case Status:
Kazuhiko Tokutani (Father), suspected of murder.

Source:
Nara: Man killed disabled 10-year-old daughter ‘to escape this life’
Man arrested in Nara Prefecture allegedly killed disabled daughter “to escape this life”

Teru Inaba

No Photo
Name: Teru Inaba.
Died: February 2, 2021.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Tokyo, Japan.
Disability: Cognitive impairment; bedridden.

Details:
Ms. Inaba’s adult child allegedly punched her several times in the face, and she died from her injuries. Police said they reported being “tired of caring for her”.

Case status:
Megumi Inaba (Offspring), charged with murder.

Source:
Tokyo: Man, 52, accused in fatal assault of disabled mother
Woman arrested over death of 83-year-old disabled mother
Megumi Inaba’s gender is not consistent in news reports. –Ed.

Ekanthachari

No PhotoName: Ekanthachari.
Died: February 1, 2021.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Assault.
Location: Shanivarsanthe, Karnataka, India.
Disability: A “behavioral disorder”.

Details:
Ekanthachari’s father reported his death as an accident, saying he had fallen from a tree. But a post-mortem examination found that he had died from assault.

Case Status:
Mahendra Kumar (Father), arrested for murder.

Source:
Karnataka man kills son with behavioural disorder

Hezekiah Pettiford

No Photo
Name: Hezekiah Pettiford.
Died: January 28, 2021.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Autism, ADHD.

Details:
Hezekiah was found unresponsive at his home and was taken to the hospital, where he died two days later from a severe head injury. He weighed only 75 pounds, indicative of malnutrition, and his injuries were consistent with chronic child abuse.

Hezekiah loved math, had an extensive vocabulary and enjoyed watching game shows like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. His favorite movie was Home Alone and he loved eating macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets.

Case Status:
Stefanie Colon (Aunt), found guilty of first-degree child abuse resulting in severe physical injury and two counts of neglecting a minor; sentenced to 4 years.
Dion Ball Sr. (Uncle), convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse; sentenced to 25 years to life.

Sources:
Aunt, uncle charged with abuse, manslaughter in teen’s death
Hezekiah Pettiford – Baltimore, Maryland , Brooks Clinton Funeral Service, P.A. – Memories wall
Focus on preventing child abuse after family members charged in 15-year-old’s death

Manu Savaliya

No PhotoName: Manu Savaliya.
Died: January 27, 2021.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Mauled by a leopard.
Location: Amrutpur, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Blind, intellectual disability.

Details:
Manu’s family allegedly chained him to his bed because he had fallen into a well when unattended, because he had bitten people, and because he “bothered the neighbors”. One night, Manu’s family had gone to a wedding, and the one relative left behind went with their domestic helper to go water their fields in the early morning. Manu, a strong man even at the age of 75, was attacked and killed by a leopard, unable to escape or fight back because of the chain.

Case status:
Police are investigating a complaint of wrongful confinement against Manu’s family.

Source:
Gujarat: Chained at farm for attacking villagers, 75-year-old blind man killed, eaten by leopard
Blind man chained to bed killed by leopard in Gujarat (Caution: graphic image of body)
Leopard mauls to death 75-year-old chained by family in Gujarat’s Amreli

“Sonam”

No PhotoName: “Sonam.”
Died: January 17, 2021.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Disability: Mentally disabled.

Details:
“Sonam” (not her real name), a 22-year-old young woman, was found dead in a field, and her family claimed she had been raped. However, a postmortem discovered that she had not been raped, and police began investigating the family. According to police, Sonam’s family admitted that they wanted to “get rid of her” because she was mentally disabled, and they had heard that the families of rape victims were receiving large sums in compensation. After they lured her out to a nearby field, police say, her mother held her, her brother strangled her, and her father served as lookout.

Case status:
Her mother, arrested, legal action initiated.
Her father, arrested, legal action initiated.
Her brother, arrested, legal action initiated.

Source:
Body of young woman found in mustard field, investigation underway
Barabanki: Family wanted to get rid of mentally disabled girl, so killed her and created the story of rape and murder

Chadaporn Khamkeaw

No PhotoName: Chadaporn Khamkeaw.
Died: January 16, 2021.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Disability: Physical disability (Wheelchair user), intellectual disability.

Details:
After their bodies were found, police concluded that Chadaporn’s mother had pushed Chadaporn’s wheelchair to a pond, pushed her daughter into the pond, and followed her, upon which both drowned.

Case status:
Thongbai Khamkeaw (Mother), committed suicide.

Source:
Elderly mother, disabled daughter drowned in Chiang Mai murder-suicide
Ill Chiang Mai Mother Drowns Mentally Disabled Daughter in Murder-Suicide

Akram Choudhary

No PhotoName: Akram Choudhary.
Died: January 14, 2021.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: Sangli, Maharashtra, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Akram’s mother-in-law allegedly asked her son and his friend to kill Akram because she was angry that her daughter had married a disabled man. Akram was stabbed to death.

Case Status:
Shabana Shaikh (Mother-in-law), arrested in connection with murder.
Aman Shaikh (Brother-in-law), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Ejaz Shaikh (Brother-in-law’s friend), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Source:
Mumbai: Woman arrested for provoking son to kill disabled son-in-law

Saburo Sato

No PhotoName: Saburo Sato.
Died: December 30, 2020.
Age at death: 73.
Cause of death: Injuries from assault.
Location: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Mr. Sato’s son is accused of beating him in the head and stomach; police say he admitted to the charge, saying he had “lost patience” with his father due to his dementia. When Mr. Sato lost consciousness, his son called emergency services, but he was declared dead at the hospital.

Case status:
Seiichi Sato (Son), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Source:
Man, 44, accused of fatally assaulting senile father in Yokohama
Man arrested over murder of 73-year-old father