Status – Page 22 – Disability Day of Mourning

Braelyn’ Hines

Photo: Toddler girl with wispy blond hair and pale skin, sticking out her tongue at the camera. A filter has been applied, giving her sparkly freckles across the brdige of her nose and cheeks. Name: Braelyn’ Hines.
Died: May 1, 2022.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Untreated cystic fibrosis.
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Cystic fibrosis.

Details:
Braelyn’ was found dead by paramedics called to her parents’ home, where Braelyn’ and her siblings had been living in poor conditions. Braelyn’ had not been getting treatment for her cystic fibrosis; without treatment, she had been found unconscious on the floor and could not be revived. The family was known to children’s services, and had received instructions on how to properly care for Braelyn’.

Braelyn’ liked to play with her siblings and watch Cocomelon and Super Jojo, and her favorite foods were pizza and Starbucks. Her cousin was her best friend; she loved her two kittens, Yoda and Lucy.

Case Status:
Madyson Conley (Mother), charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, and neglect of a dependent.
Byron Hynes (Father), charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, and neglect of a dependent.

Sources:
Fort Wayne woman charged with neglect, causing death
Man, woman charged with neglect in child’s death
Court docs: Couple charged with neglect in child’s death at filthy home
Infant Braelyn’ Nicole Hynes

Nosipho Mfana

No Photo Name: Nosipho Mfana.
Died: April 30, 2022.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Prosecutors say that Nosipho, who had been adopted at age 13 because her own mother was also intellectually disabled, was sleeping in her home when two men forced open the door and shot her 15 times, killing her. Police became suspicious because the men had used a flashlight to identify and target Nosipho specifically, hurting no one else and stealing nothing; and Nosipho’s father had taken out a large life insurance policy on her. After hearing testimony from one of the alleged hitmen, they believe that Nosipho’s father and his nephew had conspired with two other men to kill her for the insurance payout.

Case Status:
Mboneleli Msila (Adoptive father), charged with conspiracy to commit murder, murder, illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition.
Mbulelo Jack (Adoptive father’s nephew), arrested.
Lungisile Lucas, arrested.
Monde Tshemese, arrested.

Sources:
Plett father ‘masterminded’ hit on disabled daughter for R200 000 life policy
Man arrested for hiring hitman to kill crippled adoptive child
Plett man allegedly arranged hit on disabled adopted daughter

Steven Earle

No Photo Name: Steven Earle.
Died: April 27, 2022.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: South Bend Township, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Unspecified disability.

Details:
Steven called police, asking for help because his son had a knife and was becoming violent. When police arrived, they found that he had been stabbed multiple times, but was still conscious and able to tell them that his son had stabbed him. He was rushed to the hospital, but died during surgery. The morning before the attack, he had texted a friend, saying that his son was becoming more controlling and was taking his phones away.

Case Status:
Travis R. Earle (Son), charged with second-degree murder; declared incompetent to stand trial, hospitalized (civil commitment). Can be tried if competency is restored.

Sources:
Man charged with murder after fatally stabbing father making 911 call
Mankato Stabbing Victim Died During Surgery in Rochester
UPDATE: Civil commitment ordered for son accused of murdering father

Baili Cowell

No Photo Name: Baili Cowell.
Died: April 24, 2022.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Unspecified caretaker neglect.
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA.
Disability: “Functionally impaired”.

Details:
Baili was found dead in her home. Police, who arrested her mother, say she had been left immobile, allowing pressure sores to develop, that she was dehydrated, and that she had not been taken to medical appointments.

Case Status:
Shelly Gantka (Mother), pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to 6 months in jail and 5 years probation.

Sources:
Woman who neglected bedridden daughter gets jail time, 5 years’ probation for death
Toledo woman sentenced to probation in connection to her daughter’s death
Mother charged in April death of daughter in Toledo
Mother arrested, charged with involuntary manslaughter in death of her teenage child
Woman pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter of daughter

Girija

No Photo Name: Girija.
Died: April 21, 2022.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Melamcode, Kerala, India.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Girija was found dead by her son; she had been strangled. Police arrested her husband, whom they suspect of killing her before injuring himself non-fatally.

Case Status:
Sadasivan Nair (Husband), hospitalized; will be arrested when his injuries are treated.

Sources:
Woman’s death turns out to be murder

Cameron Forrest

Photo of a young man with pale skin and dark-brown hair, a wispy mustache on his upper lip, smiling. He is wearing a flannel shirt over a black T-shirt. Name: Cameron Paul Forrest.
Died: April 16, 2022.
Age at death: 24.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Gladstone, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Autism, OCD.

Details:
Cameron’s mother and brother allegedly conspired to kill him–first by medication overdose, then by stabbing him with a knife. Cameron died from his injuries. After being treated for self-inflicted injuries and discharged from the hospital, Cameron’s mother and brother were arrested. Police say Cameron’s brother said Cameron would be better off dead because the family’s financial hardships were insurmountable.

Case Status:
Lee-Ann Rae Forrest (Mother), charged with murder.
Alex William Forrest (Brother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Disturbing details emerge of ‘horrific’ Gladstone death after murder charges laid against mother and son
Mother and brother charged over man’s stabbing murder

Richard Rutherford

Name: Richard Judson Rutherford.
Died: April 15, 2022.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Mobility impaired, cognitive decline.

Details:
Richard died the victim of homicide; his husband was arrested and charged with his murder, which is being called a “mercy killing”.

Richard was a former principal dancer in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet who worked with the Canada Council for the Arts after he retired as a dancer. In his elder years, he tended his garden and watched the birds and chipmunks that came to his feeder.

Case Status:
Philippe Hébert (Husband), charged with second-degree murder.

Sources:
The ‘tragic and profoundly human’ story of Richard Rutherford and Philippe Hébert
Bail granted to Ottawa man charged with second-degree murder in the death of his spouse
Ottawa man charged with murder after elderly man found dead on Good Friday
Richard RUTHERFORD Obituary (1935 – 2022)

Mr. Chen

No Photo Name: Chen (Surname); given name unknown.
Died: April 15, 2022.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Ershui, Changhua County, Taiwan.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Mr. Chen was strangled, and his brother was arrested for the crime. Police say he had killed Mr. Chen and attempted to kill himself because he was tired of caring for his brother.

Case Status:
Mr. Chen (Brother), arrested.

Sources:
Changhua man found dead, brother injured – Taipei Times
彰化二水凶殺案老翁疑勒斃弟弟再割腕1死1傷
 彰化命案！哥哥勒斃中風弟　兄弟檔1死1命危｜蘋果新聞網｜蘋果日報

Nellie Sullivan

No Photo Name: Nellie Sullivan.
Died: April 14, 2022 (Body found).
Age at death: 92.
Cause of death: Unknown homicide.
Location: Candler, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Dementia; frail elder.

Details:
Nellie’s granddaughter and her boyfriend took her out of the nursing home where she was living and brought her to live with them at their trailer. Shortly afterward, Nellie disappeared, though her caregivers continued cashing her social security checks and filling her prescriptions. Suspicious police arrested and charged the couple with fraud, animal cruelty, and concealing a death; but Nellie’s body was not found for two years, until a neighbor’s pet duck ran under the trailer and led police to the shallow grave where Nellie was buried.

A neighbor remembers Nellie as a kind woman who once made her daughter a Halloween costume out of a shower curtain.

Case Status:
Angela Wamsley (Granddaughter), charged with first-degree murder.
Mark Barnes (Granddaughter’s boyfriend), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Couple arrested for murdering grandmother after the elderly woman’s pet duck led police to her body | Daily Mail Online
Pet duck leads to discovery of woman’s body under home; suspects charged with murder
Sheriff’s Office Says N.C. Couple Charged with Killing Grandmother Sent Deputies on a ‘Wild Goose Chase’ That Was Solved by a Pet Duck
Couple charged in 2020 concealing death case lived at home where human remains found
‘I just hope this is her’: Woman hopeful human remains confirmed to be missing neighbor

Megumi Yamada

No Photo Name: Megumi Yamada.
Died: April 13, 2022.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Megumi’s mother turned up at the police station and allegedly confessed to killing her, saying that she was “tired of taking care of” Megumi. Police investigated and found Megumi dead in her home; she had been strangled and smothered with plastic wrap.

Case Status:
Fumiko Yamada (Mother), charged with murder.

Sources:
Japan woman arrested for allegedly attempting to kill ‘bedridden’ daughter who later died
‘I’m tired of taking care of her’: Japanese woman, 68, surrenders after suffocating bedridden daughter