Lalitha

Photo of an Indian woman with tan skin and dark hair drawn back from her face. She is wearing a necklace and earrings; the collar of a striped shirt can be seen at the edge of the picture.Name: Lalitha.
Died: January 13, 2024.
Age at death: 60.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Alappuzha, Kerala, India.
Disability: Diabetes, double leg amputee.

Details:
After Lalitha told her son off for drinking too much, he allegedly strangled her to death. Police say he was “fed up with taking care of his bedridden mother”.

Case Status:
Bineesh (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Alcoholic man strangles bedridden mother to death in Alappuzha
Alappuzha man strangles bed-ridden mother to death for questioning drinking habit

Arthur Stanton

No PhotoName: Arthur Kenneth Stanton.
Died: December 28, 2023.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Negligent care.
Location: Watkinsville, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified/care-dependent.

Details:
Arthur was found in poor condition in his home, where he had been left in filth, uncared-for. He was taken to the hospital, but died the next day.

Case Status:
Daivid Allen Stanton (Son), charged with felony murder, reckless conduct, and neglect of a disabled or elderly person.
Sandra Dee Bass (Housemate), charged with neglect of a disabled or elderly person.

Sources:
Second suspect charged in Oconee Co death
Son arrested in connection to death of father found in ‘extreme medical distress,’ Ga. deputies say
Oconee County man arrested for neglect, murder of 63-year-old father
Man arrested for the murder of his father

84-year-old woman

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: December 27, 2023.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Seal Beach, California, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
This elderly woman was staying with her son because she needed help with medical care when he fatally shot her, then himself. He had been known to “express frustration” with his “inability to care for his mother’s condition”.

Case Status:
Ruled murder-suicide.

Sources:

Bodies found in Seal Beach home were mother and son; murder-suicide likely
Son, frustrated with taking care of aging mom, kills her and himself, police say
Man, ailing mother identified in Seal Beach murder-suicide, police say
SBPD closes Ocean Avenue death investigation

Sreenivasan

No PhotoName: Sreenivasan.
Died: November 29, 2023.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Kollam, Kerala, India.
Disability: Heart disease, kidney disease.

Details:
Sreenivasan’s son allegedly doused him in gasoline and set him on fire. His wife, who is also disabled, was unable to help him; but a home nurse ran for help. Unfortunately, Sreenivasan was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The motive reportedly involved Sreenivasan refusing to give his son money.

Case Status:
Anilkumar (Son), charged with murder and using gasoline to cause grievous harm.

Sources:
Man sets bedridden father ablaze in front of mother in Kerala’s Kollam

Elizabeth Clay

Photo of an older woman with deep brown skin and wavy gray hair; she is smiling for the camera. She is wearing gold-rimmed glasses and gold hoop earrings.Name: Elizabeth Derozan Clay.
Died: November 24, 2023.
Age at death: 93.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Vidalia, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Elizabeth, who could not be safely left alone, was allegedly left alone in her home by her son. She tried to use the stove and burned herself severely with cooking oil; five days later she died from second- and third-degree burns.

Case Status:
Junior Derozan (Son), charged with abuse, cruelty to the infirm, abuse and neglect, and negligent homicide.

Sources:
Caregiver’s charges upgraded to negligent homicide after elderly burn patient dies
Elizabeth Derozan Clay

Sebastian Christian

Portrait photo of a man with tan skin, black hair and bushy mustache, wearing a checked blue and white shirt.Name: Sebastian Christian.
Died: November 22, 2023.
Age at death: 65.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: Alappuzha, Kerala, India.
Disability: Mobility impaired/Bedridden due to car accident injury.

Details:
Sebastian’s son was so angry at him for soiling the bed and refusing to eat that he allegedly beat him to death.

Case Status:
Sebin Christian (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Alappuzha man kills bedridden father for defecating on bed
Man arrested on charge of murdering father

Vivian Kefauver

No PhotoName: Vivian Norwood Kefauver.
Died: November 17, 2023.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Broken neck.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Vivian’s daughter is accused of strangling her with a gait belt (a mobility device used to help people stand or transfer from one place to another).

Case Status:
Suzette Annette Kefauver (Daughter), charged with murder.

Sources:
Woman charged with murder claims she was trying to lift 80-year-old mom from ground, records show
Woman charged with murder for allegedly using a gait belt to strangle her 80-year-old mother

Dana Morris

Black and white photo of a woman with light skin and moderately dark hair, smiling for the camera. Name: Dana Morris.
Died: September 30, 2023.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Stabbed with screwdriver.
Location: Modesto, California, USA.
Disability: Double leg amputee.

Details:
Dana was stabbed to death with a screwdriver. Police detained her son, who was charged with the murder.

Dana was an artistic woman who created jewelry and beadwork. A creative and resourceful individual, she could often find ways to help others even when it seemed she didn’t have the means to do so.

Case Status:
Zachary Ray Morris (Son), charged with murder and abuse of a dependent adult.

Sources:
Dana Morris-Mears Obituary (1968 – 2023)
Man charged with stabbing his double-leg amputee mother to death with a screwdriver
Modesto man charged with inflicting torture while fatally stabbing his mother
Hearing for California man accused of killing mother delayed over competency questions

Philista St. John

Name: Philista Mae St. John.
Died: September 7, 2023.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Polson, Montana, USA.
Disability: Dementia, diabetes.

Details:
When police were called to do a welfare check on Philista, they found that she had been stabbed to death and her body hidden. They arrested her son, since he had an outstanding warrant, and later charged him with the stabbing that had caused Philista’s death when they found a note which they believe was written by Philista’s son, in which he stated that he “couldn’t do it anymore” and admitted that he had killed her.

Case Status:
Garrett Edward Vaska (Son), charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence.

Sources:
Polson man charged with stabbing his mother with dementia to death
Polson man charged with killing mother who had dementia
Man accused of killing mother in Polson pleads not guilty
Philista Mae St. John Obituary 2023

Martha Rutledge

No PhotoName: Martha Rutledge.
Died: August 14, 2023.
Age at death: 99.
Cause of death: Starvation, untended bedsores.
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired.

Details:
Martha was found dead at home. Her body was very thin, and she was covered in multiple severe bedsores. Her daughters, with whom she lived, are accused of not providing any medical care to their mother. Martha also had a lot of alcohol and THC in her system when she died; unable to move from her bed, she would not have been able to ingest these on her own. She had not seen a doctor in ten years.

Case Status:
Martha Carroll Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.
and Nancy Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death.

Sources:
Rock Hill sisters granted bond for mother’s death whose body has ‘chronic open wound’
Police: Rock Hill woman died from lack of medical care, 2 daughters charged
Martha Rutledge Obituary (2023) – Rock Hill, SC – The Herald