Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Parents, foster parents, stepparents, parents’ significant others.
Name: Shuji Sanada.
Died: October 7, 2018.
Age at death: 49.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified physical disability; bedbound.
Details:
Mr. Sanada’s mother allegedly strangled him as he slept.
Case status:
Kayoko Sanada (Mother), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Source:
73-year-old woman arrested for killing disabled 49-year-old son
Name: Sadhana Muneeswaran.
Died: October 6, 2018.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Disability: Mentally ill; bedbound.
Details:
Sadhana’s parents took her to a temple, where they allegedly forced her to drink poison. Bystanders saw her resisting and then falling unconscious and called the police, and Sadhana was taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, it was too late; the girl died two days later.
Case status:
S Muneeswaran (Father), arrested and sentenced to 15 days in jail for the poisoning, then charged with murder when Sadhana died.
Revanthi (Mother), charged with murder.
Sources:
Find a Grave: Sadhana Muneeswaran
Mentally-ill girl dead, parents booked for murder
Name: Mustafa “Musti” Mehmetaliogullari.
Died: September 30, 2018.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Medication overdose.
Location: Sedlescombe, East Sussex, England, UK.
Disability: “Severe physical and mental disabilities”.
Details:
Mustafa died three days after being brought to the hospital; autopsy showed that he had died from an overdose of non-prescription medication, and his mother was convicted of poisoning him.
Case Status:
Pembe Mehmetaliogullari (Mother), convicted of administering a noxious substance; sentenced to 2 years, suspended for 18 months.
Sources:
Devoted mother from Hove spared prison after poisoning late son
Sussex mum cleared of attempting to murder disabled son
Mother accused of giving her son pills is cleared of attempted murder
Husband said ‘baby or me’ after tot rescued from dustbin found to be disabled, court hears
Hove mum accused of murdering disabled son pleads not guilty
Mum charged with murder of severely disabled 10-year-old son
Mother charged with murdering 10-year-old disabled son
East Sussex mum charged with murder of severely disabled son
East Sussex: Mother charged with murdering severely disabled 10-year-old son
Mum charged with murdering disabled son, 10, after he dies in hospital
Name: Zamira Domínguez.
Died: September 29, 2018.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Internal bleeding.
Location: Monte Grande, Argentina.
Disability: Deaf.
Details:
After being beaten by her mother’s boyfriend, Zamira was brought to the hospital, severely injured and bleeding internally, and died shortly afterward. During trial, her mother and stepfather claimed that it was her fault she had been beaten, because she couldn’t tell them she felt pain.
Case Status:
Brenda Fernández (Mother), convicted of neglect of a relative resulting in death, sentenced to 18 years.
Brandon González (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of murder, sentenced to life in prison.
Sources:
Así fue el calvario de Zami, la niña sordomuda golpeada por sus padres hasta morir
Zamira was 5 years old, she was deaf and dumb and they lived beating her: her mother and stepfather beat her to death
Update on the case of Zamira Dominguez, a deaf and mute girl who was beaten to death by her mother and stepfather
Name: Jonathan “JJ” Schmoyer.
Died: September 29, 2018.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Explosion.
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Suspected autism.
Details:
JJ’s father rigged his car to explode. He put JJ in the car seat, lured 66-year-old family friend David Hallman into the car, and set off the explosives. All three were killed.
In suicide letters left behind, the killer mentioned that he “had something against autism, which he suspected JJ had.”
From JJ’s obituary:
“JJ was a loving, intelligent and inquisitive child who loved to explore, laugh, take walks, roller skate and play patty-cake. JJ also loved to eat Subway meatball sandwiches and he adored Thomas the Tank [Engine] and his Spider-Man and SpongeBob t-shirts.”
Case status:
Jacob Schmoyer (Father), deceased.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Jonathan Schmoyer
View Jonathan Schmoyer’s Obituary on mcall.com and share memories
Cops: ‘Miserable’ dad rigged car to explode, killing 2-year-old son, friend and himself
Allentown car explosion: Jacob Schmoyer committed murder-suicide using homemade explosives, ATF says
Allentown Car Bomb: Mystery Surrounds Grisly Deaths of 2 Men and Child in Explosion
Allentown car explosion: Toddler’s mom searching for answers, too
Name: Logan Starling.
Died: September 28, 2018.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Heat stroke.
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Logan’s father remembers him as “my little Logo on the go go”, a hyperactive child who would hop around like a kangaroo. He liked watching the SunRail trains and pretending they were Thomas the Tank Engine. He went to school in a pre-K class.
Logan’s father’s fiance left him locked inside her van on a hot day in Florida, parked outside the school. He died of heat stroke and wasn’t found until 2:30 in the afternoon.
Logan’s great-aunt says that Logan was not the sort of quiet child who could be forgotten in a van by accident; if he wasn’t there, you would notice it.
Case status:
Mariah Butler (Father’s girlfriend), pleaded guilty to child neglect, sentenced to 5 years probation.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Logan Starling
Woman pleads guilty to child neglect in Logan Starling death – Orlando Sentinel
Happening today: Woman accused of leaving 4-year-old boy in hot car to die to be sentenced
Woman accused in death of 4-year-old boy released on bond
After boy’s hot-car death, 4-year-old Logan Starling’s family seeks answersl
Name: Dante Mullinix.
Died: September 15, 2018.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Head injury, strangulation.
Location: Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Developmental disability, nonverbal, autism.
Details:
Dante was a happy baby. He had a developmental delay, and had difficulty chewing and swallowing. He could say a few words, like “ew” and “yeah”. He was being evaluated for autism.
His aunt called him “Monkey Man” because he had a favorite blanket with a monkey on it which he carried everywhere. Before he went to sleep, he rubbed his face against his blanket.
Dante’s mother left him with her friend; shortly thereafter, Dante was brought to the hospital, unresponsive, with bruises, a compressed neck, and a brain injury, and died a few days later. The babysitter was charged with murder, but acquitted; Dante’s mother, who admitted to not seeking medical care for him, was sentenced to 5 years probation.
Case status:
Leah Mullinix (Mother), pleaded guilty to child endangerment, sentenced to 5 years probation.
Tyree Bowie (Mother’s friend), charged with first- and third-degree murder; acquitted.
Source:
Mother won’t serve jail time for neglecting Dante Mullinix before his death
Autism Memorial: Dante Mullinix
Police charge aunt for sharing documents about abused nephew’s death: ‘I’m exposing the truth’
‘This poor kid was doomed from the beginning:’ The tragic life and death of Dante Mullinix
Name: Warren Lee Raymond Jr.
Died: September 13, 2018.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Head trauma.
Location: Catawba County, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Warren’s father bludgeoned him to death with a sledgehammer and beat and stabbed Warren’s mother to death.
Case Status:
Warren Lee Raymond Sr. (Father), pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, sentenced to 40-50 years.
Source:
Dad Pummels Autistic Son With Sledgehammer, Stabs Wife To Death
Warren Lee Raymond, JR. Obituary – Visitation & Funeral Information
Autism Memorial: Warren Raymond Jr.
With a sledgehammer, the father pummels his autistic son, stabbing his wife to death.
Catawba man likely to die in prison after convicted of killing wife, son
Catawba County Man Pleads Guilty To Murdering Wife, Son, Receives Lengthy Prison Term
Catawba County man who killed wife and son sentenced
64-year-old man sentenced to 40-50 years in prison for killing wife, son with autism in Catawba Co.
Name: Jalen Goldsborough.
Died: September 2, 2018.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Hopewell, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Shaken baby syndrome; required 24-hour care.
Details:
Jalen was abused by his father when he was a baby. He survived and his father went to prison, but Jalen was left with severe disabilities.
At 13, Jalen was found starved to death, his mother having been deliberately reducing his food intake for several months.
Case status:
Amy FaJohn (Mother), pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Anthony Saunders (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to child neglect, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Source:
Woman sentenced for son’s starvation death
Starved teen weighed 24 lbs at time of death, mother pleads no contest to murder
Mother Pleads Guilty in Starvation Death of Son with Severe Disability
Hopewell mother convicted of murder in starvation death of son, 13, who weighed 24 pounds when he died
Virginia mother convicted over starvation death of 13-year-old son
Medical Examiner: Murdered Hopewell teen with special needs starved to death
2 charged in death of Hopewell 13-year-old
Murdered Hopewell teen was victim of severe abuse as infant
Mother charged with murder in death of severely disabled 13-year-old
Name: Mason Jordan.
Died: August 20, 2018.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Bend, Oregon, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus.
Details:
Mason’s mother shot him to death.
Mason liked reading, watercolor painting, music, and playing with toy cars. He was curious about everything. Despite medical problems that put him in the hospital on a regular basis, friends and neighbors remember him as a very happy child.
Case status:
Tashina Aleine Jordan (Mother); charged with aggravated murder, pleaded guilty to murder, conviction reduced to first-degree manslaughter; sentenced to 10 years in prison and 20 years in the Oregon State Hospital.
Source:
Oregon mother pleads guilty to killing son with disabilities
DA won’t seek death penalty in Bend mother’s murder case
Police: Bend mother kills special needs son, 7, before attempting suicide
2016-17
Single mother shoots her severely disabled 7-year-old son to death and attempts to kill herself by overdosing on pills
Correction: Disabled Child Shot story
Mother Accused Of Killing 7-Year-Old Disabled Son Before Attempting Suicide
Mother believed to have killed son expected to recover
Bend mother arraigned on aggravated murder charge in son’s shooting
Bend woman arraigned in alleged killing of son, 7
Mother indicted for murder in shooting death of son with severe disability
Bend woman charged with killing disabled son back in court