Relationship: Parent – Page 14 – Disability Day of Mourning

Nosipho Mafani

Photo of a heavyset young woman with brown skin and a buzz cut, wearing sunglasses, a gray shirt, and a khaki cardigan. Name: Nosipho “Nomdundu” Mafani.
Died: April 30, 2022.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Nosipho, who had been adopted as a child because her own mother was also intellectually disabled, was sleeping in her home when two men forced open the door and shot her 15 times, killing her. Police became suspicious because the men had used a flashlight to identify and target Nosipho specifically, hurting no one else and stealing nothing. After hearing testimony from one of the alleged hitmen, they concluded that Nomdundu’s adoptive father had taken out several life insurance policies on her and then hired three men to kill her.

Case Status:
Mboneleli Msila (adoptive father), convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, sentenced to two life terms.
Mbulelo Jack, convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of a firearm; sentenced to 17 years.
Monde Tshemese, convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, sentenced to life.
Lungisile Lucas, convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder; sentenced to 17 years.

Sources:
Western Cape men get life for murder of disabled woman in R600k insurance plot
Sentencing for stepdad who hired three hitmen to shoot disabled daughter 15 times
Four guilty of murder
Adoptive father of disabled woman handed life sentence for her murder
Plettenberg guardian gets two life terms for foster daughter’s murder over insurance money
Plett father ‘masterminded’ hit on disabled daughter for R200 000 life policy
Man arrested for hiring hitman to kill crippled adoptive child
Plett man allegedly arranged hit on disabled adopted daughter

Baili Cowell

No Photo Name: Baili Cowell.
Died: April 24, 2022.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Unspecified caretaker neglect.
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA.
Disability: “Functionally impaired”.

Details:
Baili was found dead in her home. Police, who arrested her mother, say she had been left immobile, allowing pressure sores to develop, that she was dehydrated, and that she had not been taken to medical appointments.

Case Status:
Shelly Gantka (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 6 months in jail and 5 years probation.

Sources:
Woman who neglected bedridden daughter gets jail time, 5 years’ probation for death
Toledo woman sentenced to probation in connection to her daughter’s death
Mother charged in April death of daughter in Toledo
Mother arrested, charged with involuntary manslaughter in death of her teenage child
Woman pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter of daughter

Tiffani Scholten

Name: Tiffani Scholten.
Died: April 18, 2022.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Rett syndrome.

Details:
Tiffani was found dead in her home, her body “extremely emaciated”. Child protection detectives said that “the care for [Tiffani] was insufficient and directly related to her death”. Because of Tiffani’s multiple medical conditions, it took more than two years of investigation before her parents were charged with murder.

Case Status:
Carrissa Scholten (Mother), charged with murder.
Aaron Paul Richardson (Mother’s partner), charged with murder.

Sources:
How a glamorous mum was charged with her ’emaciated’ child’s murder
Gold Coast mother, stepfather charged with murder of 12-year-old daughter
‘Heart-wrenching’: Man, woman charged with 2022 murder of 12-year-old Gold Coast girl
Care of 12yo ‘insufficient’ before death: cops

Cameron Forrest

Photo of a young man with pale skin and dark-brown hair, a wispy mustache on his upper lip, smiling. He is wearing a flannel shirt over a black T-shirt. Name: Cameron Paul Forrest.
Died: April 16, 2022.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Gladstone, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Autism, OCD.

Details:
Cameron’s mother and brother allegedly conspired to kill him–first by medication overdose, then by stabbing him with a knife. Cameron died from his injuries. After being treated for self-inflicted injuries and discharged from the hospital, Cameron’s mother and brother were arrested. Police say Cameron’s brother said Cameron would be better off dead because the family’s financial hardships were insurmountable.

Case Status:
Lee-Ann Rae Forrest (Mother), charged with murder.
Alex William Forrest (Brother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Disturbing details emerge of ‘horrific’ Gladstone death after murder charges laid against mother and son
Mother and brother charged over man’s stabbing murder

Megumi Yamada

No Photo Name: Megumi Yamada.
Died: April 13, 2022.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Megumi’s mother turned up at the police station and allegedly confessed to killing her, saying that she was “tired of taking care of” Megumi. Police investigated and found Megumi dead in her home; she had been strangled and smothered with plastic wrap.

Case Status:
Fumiko Yamada (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Japan woman arrested for allegedly attempting to kill ‘bedridden’ daughter who later died
‘I’m tired of taking care of her’: Japanese woman, 68, surrenders after suffocating bedridden daughter

Heather Baynard

Name: Heather Leigh-Anne Baynard.
Died: April 11, 2022.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Gaffney, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Heather arrived at the hospital unresponsive and was soon declared dead. Police who examined her home discovered that she had been kept in filthy conditions; on autopsy, the coroner reported that she had been severely neglected for many months, causing her medical condition to worsen and eventually become fatal.

Heather loved music, especially Mikey Mason and Disney Jr. She liked pretty lights, bright colors, and traveling.

Case Status:
David Eugene Baynard (Father), convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child, sentenced to 20 years to life.
Bobbie Jo Baynard (Mother), convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child, sentenced to 20 years to life.
Edward Baynard (Brother), convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child, sentenced to 20-60 years.

Sources:
Family Jailed for Killing Girl, 14, With Cerebral Palsy Taken to Hospital With Rotting Legs
South Carolina family neglected disabled daughter — whose rotted legs looked like ‘raw meat’ — so severely she died
Parents, Son Sentenced For Murder After Police Find Rotting Special Needs Daughter In South Carolina House Of Horrors
Disabled teen wasted away in roach-filled crib as parents and brother jailed
‘Worst case of neglect we’ve seen’: Family sentenced for murder of teen with disabilities
Couple, Son Sentenced to Decades in Prison in Death of 14-Year-Old Special Needs Girl
S.C. parents, son convicted of killing daughter who ‘showed extreme signs of disintegration’
Upstate couple and son found guilty in murder of daughter, officials say
Gaffney Family Found Guilty in 2022 Murder of Special Needs Daughter
Unspeakable cruelty of parents who left their disabled daughter to die
Parents, son charged in Upstate girl’s death after she suffered in ‘deplorable conditions,’ warrants say
Family of 14-year-old speaks out after her death, murder charges filed against parents
Girl’s death called ‘horrible,’ ‘worst case’ neglect Upstate officials have ever seen; parents charged
Heather Leigh-Anne Baynard Obituary (2022)

Zada Johnson

Photo of a girl with her head wrapped in striped bedclothes. She has pale skin and curly dark-blonde hair, and is sticking her tongue out slightly. Name: Zada Faith Johnson.
Died: April 10, 2022.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Suffocation; blocked tracheotomy tube.
Location: Lykens, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Details:
Zada needed a tracheotomy tube to breathe and had an oxygen monitor set up, with an alarm that sounded if she didn’t get enough air. According to police, her baby monitor cameras recorded that Zada’s alarm had been ignored for hours the night she died, despite being clearly audible to everyone in the house. Police also say that Zada’s parents regularly left her alone at home with her teenage brother and spent money meant for her medical care on themselves.

Case Status:
Kimberly A. Johnson (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.
Jacob K. Snyder (Mother’s partner), charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

Sources:
Police: Couple’s negligence caused 10-year-old girl’s death in 2022
Couple charged for death of disabled 10-year-old girl in Lykens, police say
Zada Faith Johnson Obituary (2022) – Klingerstown, PA – Minnich Family Funeral Homes, Inc. – Williamstown

Kathryn Newhouse

Name: Kathryn “Katie” Newhouse.
Died: March 19, 2022.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Canton, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism, mental illness.

Details:
Katie’s father shot her, and then killed himself. When she was sixteen, her father had been arrested and charged for holding her down on her bed by her throat.

Kathryn’s friends remember her as a kind young woman who was always smiling, even when life became difficult.

Case Status:
Howard Newhouse (Father), deceased.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Kathryn Newhouse
Candlelight Vigil April 4 for Kathryn Newhouse, Trans Teen Murdered by Her Father in Georgia
Autistic Asian-American Teen Trans Woman Kathryn Newhouse Murdered by Her Father in Georgia
Son reacts after Cherokee County dad kills his daughter before shooting himself

Tre-Shaun Brown

Name: Tre-Shaun Brown.
Died: March 18, 2022.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Beckley, West Virginia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Tre-Shaun’s mother’s boyfriend attacked Tre-Shaun with a hammer and stabbed his mother. Tre-Shaun’s mother ran to a neighbor, who was able to save Tre-shaun’s little sister but couldn’t save Tre-Shaun.

Neighbors remember Tre-Shaun as a nice kid who used to ride his bike around the apartment building.

Case Status:
Rashad “Rico” Thompson (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of first-degree murder, malicious wounding, child abuse resulting in death, and two counts of domestic battery; sentenced to 35 years to life.

Sources:
Beckley man sentenced to lengthy prison term after killing 7-year-old boy
Rashad Thompson found guilty of first degree murder after beating child to death
Mother testifies in Rashad Thompson murder trial
Jury visits scene of Beckley murder
Jury shown crime scene photos depicting child’s death
Neighbors mourn boy, show support for mom
TRE’SHAUN “BUBBY” BROWN
Autism Memorial: Tre-Shaun Brown

5-year-old boy

Photo Unavailable Name Unknown.
Died: March 15, 2022.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Incheon, South Korea.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
This five-year-old boy was strangled by his father, who was his sole caretaker.

Case Status:
His father; sentenced to 5 years in prison and an 80-hour child abuse prevention program.

Sources:
Single father gets 5-yr imprisonment for choking intellectually disabled son to death