Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Parents, foster parents, stepparents, parents’ significant others.
Name: Yat-ming Lai.
Died: September 2, 2022.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Beating.
Location: Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Disability: Developmental disability.
Details:
Yat-ming was found dead, his body covered in bruises.
Case Status:
Shing-tai Lai (Mother), charged with murder.
His aunt, charged with child neglect.
Sources:
Mother of murdered 5 year old boy was remanded in a mental health facility in Hong Kong
Name: Leon Apler.
Died: August 29, 2022.
Age at death: 6.
Cause of death: Drowning, head injury.
Location: St. Johann, Tirol, Austria.
Disability: SYNGAP1.
Details:
Leon’s father claimed that he had been mugged, and that Leon had fallen into the River Ache, where he was found dead from drowning and a head injury. However, investigators believe Leon’s father faked the mugging in order to cover up Leon’s murder.
Leon’s favorite toy was a huge stuffed lion. He loved bubbles and “everything that spins”.
Case Status:
Florian Apler (Father), charged with murder.
Sources:
Drowned in Ache – Leon (6) begins his last journey
Dad who claims he was mugged has been arrested for murder of his disabled son
Austria tragedy as disabled boy, 6, drowns after his father was ‘knocked unconscious’
Name: Amora Lou Milbourne.
Died: August 27, 2022.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Heat stroke.
Location: Cary, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Chromosome deletion; prematurity, developmental delay, congenital heart disease, feeding difficulty, stroke.
Details:
Amora’s mother allegedly left her and her little sister Trinity in her car parked outside a gambling establishment, while she spent six hours gaming inside. The sisters died from hyperthermia; when their mother returned to find them unresponsive, she reportedly took 30-45 minutes to get them to the hospital, where they were declared dead. Their mother had been previously investigated by child protective services, who sent social workers to make sure that Amora and Trinity were being taken to medical appointments and properly supervised. The family was getting 40 hours of home health services per week for Amora.
Case Status:
Launice Shanique Battle (Mother), charged with two counts of murder.
Sources:
Cary mom admitted to leaving girls in hot car while gambling; autopsy reveals death by hyperthermia with decaying present
Cary mother charged with murdering 2 children had multiple previous reports of neglect
NC mother charged with murder after children die in hot car, police say
North Carolina mom admitted to leaving girls in hot car at play; Autopsy shows death from hyperthermia with decomposing gift – North Carolina News
Autopsies released on two Cary toddlers found in hot car. Mother charged with murder.
‘Something ain’t right’: Family of mother accused of killing daughters hadn’t heard from her in weeks
Name: Brayden Aaron Butcher.
Died: August 12, 2022.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma to head and torso.
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Autism, scoliosis, rheumatoid arthritis.
Details:
Brayden died of blows to the head and torso. His parents were arrested on suspicion of child abuse.
Brayden was a Star Wars fan who loved Darth Vader.
Case Status:
Joshua Aaron Butcher (Father), charged with murder and child abuse.
Mercedes M. Caho (Mother), charged with murder and child abuse.
Sources:
Pima County couple accused in death of special needs child
GoFundMe: Brayden’s Funeral
Brayden Aaron Butcher
Autism Memorial: Brayden Butcher
Name: Hsieh (Family name; given name unknown).
Died: August 4, 2022.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Disability: Developmental delay, poor balance.
Details:
When three-year-old miss Hsieh refused to take her bath, her father beat her and then forced her to stand on a stool, from which she fell. She died of a brain injury; her body showed signs of regular beatings.
Case Status:
Mr. Hsieh (Father), convicted of child abuse resulting in death, sentenced to 9 years.
Sources:
Court sentences man for abuse, death of daughter
Supreme Court upholds man’s 9-year sentence for causing daughter’s death
Name: Driti Balakrishna.
Died: August 4, 2022.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Fall.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability, hearing loss.
Details:
Driti died after falling from her fourth-floor balcony. After watching CCTV footage, police arrested her mother, who was allegedly upset because she had to care for Driti instead of working.
Case Status:
Sushma Bharadwaj (Mother), charged with murder.
Sources:
Autism Memorial: Driti Balakrishna
Bengaluru woman charged with murder for throwing her child off apartment
Bengaluru: Police charge dentist with murder for throwing autistic child from apartment
Caught on Cam: B’luru woman throws deaf and mute daughter to death from 4th floor
Woman throws 4-year-old daughter to death in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: 4-year-old dies as dentist mother throws her off fourth floor
Name: Tejaswini.
Died: August 1, 2022.
Age at death: 1.
Cause of death: Drowning and/or fall injury.
Location: Jangaon, Telangana, India.
Disability: Intellectual disability.
Details:
Tejaswini’s mother claimed that a robber had tried to steal her gold necklace, and that when she refused, the robber had thrown the baby into a water sump. Neighbors rushed the child to the hospital, but she was dead on arrival. Police, who checked CCTV camera footage, say that there was never a robber, and Tejaswini’s mother threw the baby into the sump herself because she was frustrated that Tejaswini’s disability was not being cured, and tired of the financial burden of caring for her. At the police station, Tejaswini’s mother allegedly confessed to killing her.
Case Status:
Prasanna (Mother), charged with murder.
Sources:
Jangaon woman kills 1-year-old disabled daughter
Woman kills her infant girl child in Jangaon
Telangana: Big twist in Janagama child death case.. Police shocked to hear mother’s truth..!
Name: Jackie Thrasher III.
Died: July 22, 2022.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Frederick, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Autism, epilepsy.
Details:
Jackie was brought to the hospital with a major head injury and died shortly afterward. When authorities saw the bruises on his body, they arrested his mother and her boyfriend.
Case Status:
Catherine Thrasher, charged with child abuse resulting in death, assault, child neglect, and child sexual abuse.
Timothy Lee Haselden II, charged with child abuse resulting in death, assault, and child neglect, and child sexual abuse.
Sources:
Washington County man charged with first-degree child abuse and death of 5-year-old boy
Md. couple accused of sexually assaulting and abusing autistic 5-year-old child, resulting in death
Washington County mother charged in death of 5-year-old son
Man and Woman Charged With Death Of 5-Year-Old Boy In Hagerstown
2 adults face numerous child abuse, sex abuse charges after 5-year-old dies
Cases of two charged in fatal child abuse moved to circuit court; rape charges dropped
Washington County couple face new charges in child abuse case that left boy dead
Autism Memorial: Jackie Thrasher III
Name: Adam Kortes.
Died: July 21, 2022.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Asphyxia; torso compression.
Location: Danville, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: “Special needs” (Multiple disabilities).
Details:
Adam died from being restrained, his chest compressed so that he could not take a breath. Police say his parents would restrain him when he had “episodes”, and that his father had sat on Adam. The death was registered as a homicide and his parents were charged.
Neighbors remember Adam as a young man who used to walk around the neighborhood, and never bothered anyone.
Case Status:
Kristine Kortes (Mother), charged with neglect of a dependent person and involuntary manslaughter.
Richard Kortes (Father), charged with neglect of a dependent person and involuntary manslaughter.
Sources:
Parents face charges after son’s death in Montour County
Parents charged after death of son with special needs
Parents of Danville man charged for his death
Parents charged in son’s July death
Name: Dominic Landon Paddock-Wood.
Died: July 15, 2022.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Cocaine and Fentanyl poisoning.
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Epilepsy.
Details:
Dominic was found unresponsive in his mother’s house, in a dangerously filthy environment. He was declared dead, and an autopsy revealed he had died from poisoning with cocaine and Fentanyl. His mother and her boyfriend were arrested and charged with child neglect.
Case Status:
Noel Wood (Mother), charged with neglect of a dependent causing death.
Jonathan Mulvihill (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with neglect of a dependent causing death.
Sources:
Police arrest couple in connection to death of 4-year-old
Police searching for couple wanted in child neglect death
Couple arrested in connection to death of four-year-old
Fort Wayne couple arrested on neglect charges after death of 4-year-old child
Dominic Paddock-Wood Obituary – Fort Wayne, IN