Category: Status

3-year-old girl

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: December 4, 2021.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Townsville, Queensland, Canada.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
This toddler girl’s father, who was the only adult home to take care of her and her two-year-old brother, had been awake for 31 hours, taking and selling methamphetamine. He was sleeping it off when his three-year-old daughter opened the unlocked front door, left the house, and drowned in a storm drain. Prosecutors called his drug use “criminally negligent” and the little girl’s death “entirely preventable”.

Case Status:
Her father pleaded guilty to manslaughter and child endangerment.

Sources:
Father found guilty of non-verbal, autistic daughter’s manslaughter after drowning death

Aston Starkey

No PhotoName: Aston Starkey.
Died: March 2, 2024.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Malnutrition/dehydration.
Location: Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome.

Details:
Aston’s body was found in the motel where he and his mother had been staying. His cause of death was established as malnutrition and dehydration, contributed to by neglect.

Case Status:
Serena Starkey (Mother), wanted on suspicion of murder; found dead a little under 4 months later.

Sources:
Mother sought on Alabama murder charge in death of son with special needs found dead in Texas
Autopsy reveals 13-year-old Birmingham boy with Down Syndrome died of malnutrition and dehydration, mother wanted on murder charges
Media Release 130- Homicide Investigation- Cahaba Park Circle
Hunt for mom after her son, 13, found starved to death in motel
Boy, 13, living in Birmingham motel dies from malnutrition, dehydration; mother sought on murder warrant

Tiffani Scholten

Photo of a small girl with fair skin and blond hair, wearing a large white flowered hat and an oversized blue and yellow sweatshirt. She has her mouth open and is reaching for the camera.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

Brittini Ward

Black and white photo of a young woman with straight dark hair and light skin, smiling for the camera. She has Asian eyes and a broad nose; her teeth are white and straight.Name: Brittini Ward.
Died: May 5, 2010.
Age at death: 23.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Paranoid schizophrenia.

Details:
Brittini’s cousin showed up unannounced at their home, convinced her parents that Brittini was “possessed”, and moved in, saying he would take care of the problem. Only weeks later, Brittini’s family returned home to find her unresponsive. Her cousin had raped her and strangled her.

For a few hours, Brittini’s cousin insisted that she was bloody and unresponsive because she was possessed and needed the demons removed. So the family, under orders from Brittini’s cousin, washed her body and prayed. Nothing happened.

Eventually, Brittini’s mother called her church elders, explaining that her daughter was possessed and they needed help. When one of them came to visit the home, he saw the situation and made Brittini’s mother call 911. Emergency responders arrived to find Brittini had been dead for several hours.

Case Status:
Derek Ward (Cousin) was found unfit to stand trial and hospitalized to restore competency. Competency restored over ten years later, he was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Dawn Wheeler (Mother) pleaded guilty to concealing a death.

Sources:
After he killed his cousin, he moved into her bedroom, Charlotte murder witnesses testify
Mother of slain Charlotte woman takes the stand, directly faces accused killer at trial
Charlotte man found guilty of raping, killing his own cousin in 2010