Megan Frix

Photo of a young woman with fair skin and short brown hair, laughing; she is wearing a black and white blouse.Name: Megan Frix.
Died: January 8, 2023.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Cumming, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Megan was killed by her father in a homicide-suicide.

Case Status:
Jerry Frix (Father), deceased.

Sources:
Days after alleged murder-suicide of father and disabled daughter, FoCo service group sheds light on larger issue
Ga. Father Murdered Adult Daughter with Special Needs Before Killing Himself
Forsyth County father and daughter dead in murder-suicide, deputies say
Adult with special needs allegedly killed by father in murder-suicide in Forsyth County
Megan Frix Obituary
Autism Memorial: Megan Frix

Cora Laszkiewicz

No PhotoName: Cora Laszkiewicz.
Died: January 4, 2023.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Cora died of malnutrition under the care of her mother.

Case Status:
Amy Laszkiewicz (Mother), charged with recklessly subjecting an at-risk individual to abuse causing death.

Sources:
Mother charged in malnutrition death of autistic daughter
Mother allegedly allowed her daughter with “severe autism” to starve herself to death
Pewaukee woman charged in death of malnourished autistic adult daughter
Autism Memorial: Cora Laszkiewicz

Arya Smith

Photo of a girl with brown skin and black hair done in small braids, decorated with barrettes, wearing a blue sleeveless shirt; she is smiling for the camera.Name: Arya Smith.
Died: December 27, 2022.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Miami Beach, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Arya’s mother called 911 and reportedly confessed to killing Arya; when she couldn’t strangle the girl, she stabbed her to death instead. Family said she was “stressed” due to Arya’s possible autism and a recent eviction notice.

Case Status:
Jellisa Baxter (Mother), charged with aggravated child abuse and first-degree murder.

Sources:
‘She loved her baby,’ says dad of J’can held for killing 3-y-o in US | Loop Cayman Islands
Mother charged in stabbing death of daughter, 3, in North Miami Beach apartment
Stepfather of mother who stabbed, killed daughter says woman was ‘stressed’
Autism Memorial: Arya Smith

Jessie Pickle

Photo of a smiling boy with fair skin and short brown hair, dressed in a brown coat over a red flannel shirt, pointing toward the camera. He is smiling, mouth open.Name: Jessie Pickle.
Died: December 26, 2022.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Untreated infection.
Location: Athens, Texas, USA.
Disability: Autism, fetal alcohol syndrome.

Details:
Jessie died from an untreated infection while in the care of his stepmother. Videos provided to the police by his father, who spent long periods away at work and monitored his children with video cameras, show Jessie’s stepmother responding to his obvious illness by locking him in his room for the night; in the morning, she found Jessie dead.

Case Status:
Shonna Pickle (Stepmother), charged with injury to a child.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Jessie Pickle
Athens woman arrested in death of 10-year-old autistic non-verbal stepson
Affidavit: Athens woman’s abuse, neglect led to death of child

14-year-old girl

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: December 20, 2022.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This teenage girl’s body was found in her home with her mother. The girl had been strangled. Police say her mother killed her and then attempted suicide.

Case Status:
Her mother (Suspected of murder; hospitalized).

Sources:
Widow Strangles Handicapped Daughter to Death, Attempts Suicide
Bengaluru Woman Strangles Handicapped Daughter, Tries To Die By Suicide

6-year-old girl

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: December 17, 2022.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Bau, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This six-year-old was allegedly beaten to death by her mother’s boyfriend. Her body was found a few weeks later, stuffed into a sack and hidden in some bushes.

Case Status:
Her mother, arrested on suspicion of murder; now helping the prosecution.
Then Chiew Yern (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with murder.

Sources:
Man charged in Bau with murder of girlfriend’s disabled 6-year-old daughter
One child with disability murdered is one child too many
Couple remanded in connection with seven-year-old girl’s murder in Kuching
Lovebirds in remand over murder of six-year-old girl
Nancy orders protection for family of murdered Sarawak girl
Nancy instructs ministry to assist murdered disabled girl’s family in Bau
The evil that men do: Disabled girl, 6, killed, stuffed into a sack and thrown into the bushes by mother’s boyfriend

4-year-old girl

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: December 14, 2022.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Beating.
Location: Geumjeong-gu, Busan, South Korea.
Disability: Blind.

Details:
This 4-year-old girl was taken to the hospital, dead on arrival. A doctor called the police, who suspect the girl’s mother of severely beating her when she woke her mother up asking for food.

Case Status:
Her mother, charged with murder.

Sources:
Mother apprehended over murder of blind 4-year-old daughter

Yu Hau-ching

No PhotoName: Yu Hau-ching.
Died: December 11, 2022.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Bludgeoning; head injury.
Location: Wong Tai Sin, Hong Kong, China.
Disability: Chronic illness, bedridden.

Details:
Yu’s parents allegedly bludgeoned her to death with a hammer. Police say that the motive for the killing was the “unbearable pressure” of taking care of her.

Case Status:
Leung Yuet-mei (Mother), charged with murder.
Yu Ping (Father), charged with murder.

Sources:
Hong Kong elderly couple arrested over suspected murder of ill daughter, 47
Elderly couple charged with killing ill daughter with hammer
Hong Kong elderly couple charged with murdering chronically ill daughter

Josiah Green

No PhotoName: Josiah Green.
Died: December 4, 2022.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Josiah’s father called for an ambulance, medics found the teenager dead, with severe burns over 90% of his body. His father allegedly told authorities that Josiah had accidentally fallen into a bathtub full of scalding water two days before, and he had treated the boy with over-the-counter remedies instead of taking him to the hospital. Police say that the extent of the teen’s burns is not consistent with the brief exposure to hot tap water that his father reported.

Case Status:
Josiah’s death has been ruled a homicide. Police are still investigating the possibility that Josiah was accidentally burned, after which medical care was delayed for two days.

Sources:
Death of special needs Brooklyn teen found burned in apartment deemed a homicide, NYPD says
Special needs teen Josiah Green found burned to death in NYC home
Teenager with special needs found burned to death in bathtub
Brooklyn special needs teen’s death from scalding water burns a homicide, NYPD says

Edwin Colleson

No PhotoName: Edwin Colleson.
Died: December 4, 2022.
Age at death: 45.
Cause of death: Undetermined.
Location: Hitchcock, Texas, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Edwin was admitted to the hospital in critical condition, covered in scars and bedsores and with multiple injuries as well as evidence of having been tied up. He weighed 70 pounds, and died six days later. His parents claimed they had been trying to cure his disability with “holistic treatment” that, police say, amounted to torture.

Case Status:
Billie Jean Barnes (Mother), charged with injury to a disabled person.
Timothy Ray Ellis (Stepfather), charged with injury to a disabled person.

Sources:
A 45-year-old man police say was abused by his mother and step-father died on Sunday
45-year-old with intellectual disability dies 5 days after Hitchcock police find him disfigured
Disabled man dies from injuries after subjected to torturous ‘holistic’ procedures by mother, stepfather, Hitchcock police say