Short sentence – Page 20 – Disability Day of Mourning

Taariq Cross

Name: Taariq Cross.
Died: July 11, 2012.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Hit by car.
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Taariq was left unsupervised and was fatally hit by a car. He had often been left to fend for himself, and just days previously had nearly been hit by a car while unsupervised.

Case status:
Latasha Kendrick (Mother). Not charged.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Taariq Cross
Innocents lost: Taariq Cross, 7
FHP: Autistic boy run over, killed
Taariq Cross: Family wants answers after autistic boy’s tragic death
Petition: Kendrick should face criminal charges for death of Autistic 7yr old son

Alayah-Rose Savarese

Name: Alayah-Rose Savarese .
Died: June 25, 2012.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Ruptured stomach.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Alayah died from a ruptured stomach. Her case was known to social services, and there had been multiple complaints of neglect and reports of bruises on Alayah’s body.

Case status:
Nicole Diggs (Mother) and Oscar Thomas (mother’s boyfriend); charged with neglect, but the charges were dropped. They later inherited $2.1 million that had been placed in trust for Alayah’s care.

Source:
Alayah-Rose Savarese

James Thompson

No Photo
Name: James Thompson.
Died: June 12, 2012.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Starvation, medical neglect.
Location: The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism, intellectual disability.

Details:
James was starved to death by his niece. He died with a fractured arm and leg, weighing less than half of the 142 pounds he had weighed two years earlier.

Case status:
Naisia Norman (Niece), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 2-6 years in prison.

Source:
Inmate Lookup » NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
Prosecutors: Woman let uncle starve
Autism Memorial: James Thompson
Niece Accused of Starving Autistic Uncle Worked as Home Health Aide
Bronx Woman Held in the Death of Her Uncle
AUtism Memorial: James Thompson

Perry Jones

Photo of Perry Jones, an adult man in a red sweater; he has brown skin, black hair, and a mustache. Name: Perry Edward Jones.
Died: April 19, 2012.
Age at death: 51.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Matoaca, Chesterfield County, Virginia, USA.
Disability: “Severely disabled”.

Details:
Perry was strangled by his mother, who also killed his father.

Case status:
Estelle Virginia Jones (Mother); sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Source:
Estelle Virginia JONES

Linda McNeely

No Photo Name: Linda McNeely.
Died: March 14, 2012.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Bothell, Washington, USA.
Disability: Brain cancer.

Details:
Linda’s husband shot her in the head, killing her.

Case status:
Donald McNeely (Husband), pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree murder, sentenced to 2 years.

Source:
Washington Man Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison For Killing Terminally Ill Wife
Washington Husband Killed Wife Who Had Brain Cancers
Bothell man gets 2 years for slaying terminally ill wife
Bothell man sentenced to 2 years for killing terminally ill wife

Michael Elkins

Photo of Michael Elkins, a young man with brown hair and a short beard; he is wearing a black hoodie with the hood up. Name: Michael Elkins.
Died: January 4, 2012.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, malnutrition, sepsis.
Location: Waynetown, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Spinal cord injury, quadriplegia.

Details:
Michael fell off his bike and broke his neck when he was 13 years old. When he was 21, his mother was arrested for neglecting his care and he spent a year away from her. But he was returned to her custody, and at age 25, he died of pneumonia, malnutrition, and blood poisoning from infected bedsores.

Michael watched cartoons with his small nieces and nephews. He liked to go camping.

Case status:
Tammy S. Elkins (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in death, sentenced to 6 years of house arrest.

Source:
Michael Elkins Obituary
Woman faces felony neglect charge
Elkins pleads guilty to neglect
Elkins sentenced in neglect case

Joseph Adams

No Photo Name: Joseph Maoping Adams.
Died: December 3, 2011.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Vinegar poisoning.
Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Disability: Hirschsprung’s disease; colectomy.

Details:
Joseph had eaten some sprinkles, chocolate, and butter, which he was not allowed to have. In an attempt to force Joseph to vomit, his adoptive parents made him drink so much vinegar that he died from vinegar poisoning.

Joseph was born in Hangzhou, China and was an international adoptee.

Case status:
Deah Daniele Adams (Adoptive mother), pleaded guilty to abuse, sentenced to 6 months probation.
Rick Adams (Adoptive father), not charged.

Source:
Sudden death due to forced ingestion of distilled white vinegar
Joseph Maoping Adams
Details emerge in hearing about 2011 death linked to vinegar
Chinese adoptee Joseph Maoping Adams case-Child Death

Matthew Degner

No Photo Name: Matthew Degner.
Died: September 8, 2011.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Pneumonia.
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Matthew was neglected by his mother. He died of pneumonia.

Case status:
Lydia Price (Mother), charged with neglect, cruelty to animals; sentenced to probation and forbidden from owning animals.

Source:
Woman Gets Probation in Berwyn Squalor Death
What went wrong in disabled Berwyn teen Matthew Degner’s death?
WATCH: Boy Found Dead Outside Squalid Home With More Than 200 Animals
Disabled teen found dead at suburban Chicago home, mother charged
Dead teen Matthew Degner lived with over 100 animals in squalid conditions, authorities say
Boy, 14, found dead in squalid bungalow housing more than 200 animals riddled with disease

Jori Lirette

Photo of Jori Lirette, a young boy with fair skin and short blond hair in a buzz cut, wearing an orange striped polo shirt. Name: Jori Lirette .
Died: August 15, 2011.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Decapitation.
Location: Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Jori Lirette was killed and decapitated by his father, who had been talking about killing him to “put him out of his misery” since Jori was born.

Case status:
Jeremiah Wright (Father); not guilty by reason of insanity.

Source:
Hundreds mourn murdered boy, 7
Court: Dad threatened to kill slain son as baby
Man Who Decapitated 7-Year-Old Son, Left His Head In Driveway Learns His Fate

Christina Sneary

Portrait photo of a solemn teenage girl with brown skin and black hair, wearing large hoop earrings and a black-and-white outfit. Name: Christina Sneary.
Died: August 3, 2011.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Ferry Pass, Florida, USA.
Disability: Developmentally disabled.

Details:
Christina’s older foster sister shot her.

Case status:
Elena Rendell (Foster sister, age 17), convicted as a youthful offender of manslaughter, sentenced to 1 year in jail and 5 years probation.

Source:
Former Northview Student Convicted Of Killing Younger Adoptive Sister; Will Serve One Year In Jail