Status – Page 23 – Disability Day of Mourning

Heather Baynard

Name: Heather Leigh-Anne Baynard.
Died: April 11, 2022.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Gaffney, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Heather arrived at the hospital unresponsive and was soon declared dead. Police who examined her home discovered that she had been kept in filthy conditions; on autopsy, the coroner reported that she had been severely neglected for many months, causing her medical condition to worsen and eventually become fatal.

Heather loved music, especially Mikey Mason and Disney Jr. She liked pretty lights, bright colors, and traveling.

Case Status:
David Eugene Baynard (Father), convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child, sentenced to 20 years to life.
Bobbie Jo Baynard (Mother), convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child, sentenced to 20 years to life.
Edward Baynard (Brother), convicted of murder, felony child abuse, and unlawful neglect of a child, sentenced to 20-60 years.

Sources:
Family Jailed for Killing Girl, 14, With Cerebral Palsy Taken to Hospital With Rotting Legs
South Carolina family neglected disabled daughter — whose rotted legs looked like ‘raw meat’ — so severely she died
Parents, Son Sentenced For Murder After Police Find Rotting Special Needs Daughter In South Carolina House Of Horrors
Disabled teen wasted away in roach-filled crib as parents and brother jailed
‘Worst case of neglect we’ve seen’: Family sentenced for murder of teen with disabilities
Couple, Son Sentenced to Decades in Prison in Death of 14-Year-Old Special Needs Girl
S.C. parents, son convicted of killing daughter who ‘showed extreme signs of disintegration’
Upstate couple and son found guilty in murder of daughter, officials say
Gaffney Family Found Guilty in 2022 Murder of Special Needs Daughter
Unspeakable cruelty of parents who left their disabled daughter to die
Parents, son charged in Upstate girl’s death after she suffered in ‘deplorable conditions,’ warrants say
Family of 14-year-old speaks out after her death, murder charges filed against parents
Girl’s death called ‘horrible,’ ‘worst case’ neglect Upstate officials have ever seen; parents charged
Heather Leigh-Anne Baynard Obituary (2022)

Zada Johnson

Photo of a girl with her head wrapped in striped bedclothes. She has pale skin and curly dark-blonde hair, and is sticking her tongue out slightly. Name: Zada Faith Johnson.
Died: April 10, 2022.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Suffocation; blocked tracheotomy tube.
Location: Lykens, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Details:
Zada needed a tracheotomy tube to breathe and had an oxygen monitor set up, with an alarm that sounded if she didn’t get enough air. According to police, her baby monitor cameras recorded that Zada’s alarm had been ignored for hours the night she died, despite being clearly audible to everyone in the house. Police also say that Zada’s parents regularly left her alone at home with her teenage brother and spent money meant for her medical care on themselves.

Case Status:
Kimberly A. Johnson (Mother), charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.
Jacob K. Snyder (Mother’s partner), charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

Sources:
Police: Couple’s negligence caused 10-year-old girl’s death in 2022
Couple charged for death of disabled 10-year-old girl in Lykens, police say
Zada Faith Johnson Obituary (2022) – Klingerstown, PA – Minnich Family Funeral Homes, Inc. – Williamstown

Helen Lawrie

No Photo Name: Helen Lawrie.
Died: April 4, 2022.
Age at death: 83.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Cromer, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia, mobility impaired, speech impaired, low vision.

Details:
Helen’s husband killed her before taking his own life.

Helen was a member of the Royal Cromer Golf Club. She owned hair salons and taught hairdressing.

Case Status:
Alexander Lawrie (Husband), deceased.

Sources:
Inquest verdict found couple died in ‘unlawful killing and suicide’ – Cromer
Inquests open into deaths at home of Cromer couple
Husband kills wife before taking his own life in tragic dementia pact

Thomas Conley

No Photo Name: Thomas Conley.
Died: March 20, 2022.
Age at death: 63.
Cause of death: Head injury, blood loss.
Location: Sherman, Connecticut, USA.
Disability: Anemia, alcoholic liver disease.

Details:
Thomas’s husband hit him in the head. Already weakened by poor health, Thomas died from blood loss from several scalp wounds.

Case Status:
James Maharg (Husband), convicted of murder and evidence tampering, sentenced to 35 years in prison and 10 years special parole.

Sources:
Sherman man convicted in husband’s death sentenced to 35 years
Sherman man James Maharg found guilty in murder of his husband
Sherman man’s ‘compromised’ health contributed to his death, says expert for defense in murder trial
New details emerge in Sherman murder
Alcohol may have fueled Sherman murder

Kathryn Newhouse

Name: Kathryn “Katie” Newhouse.
Died: March 19, 2022.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Shooting.
Location: Canton, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism, mental illness.

Details:
Katie’s father shot her, and then killed himself. When she was sixteen, her father had been arrested and charged for holding her down on her bed by her throat.

Kathryn’s friends remember her as a kind young woman who was always smiling, even when life became difficult.

Case Status:
Howard Newhouse (Father), deceased.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Kathryn Newhouse
Candlelight Vigil April 4 for Kathryn Newhouse, Trans Teen Murdered by Her Father in Georgia
Autistic Asian-American Teen Trans Woman Kathryn Newhouse Murdered by Her Father in Georgia
Son reacts after Cherokee County dad kills his daughter before shooting himself

Tre-Shaun Brown

Name: Tre-Shaun Brown.
Died: March 18, 2022.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Beckley, West Virginia, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Tre-Shaun’s mother’s boyfriend attacked Tre-Shaun with a hammer and stabbed his mother. Tre-Shaun’s mother ran to a neighbor, who was able to save Tre-shaun’s little sister but couldn’t save Tre-Shaun.

Neighbors remember Tre-Shaun as a nice kid who used to ride his bike around the apartment building.

Case Status:
Rashad “Rico” Thompson (Mother’s boyfriend), convicted of first-degree murder, malicious wounding, child abuse resulting in death, and two counts of domestic battery; sentenced to 35 years to life.

Sources:
Beckley man sentenced to lengthy prison term after killing 7-year-old boy
Rashad Thompson found guilty of first degree murder after beating child to death
Mother testifies in Rashad Thompson murder trial
Jury visits scene of Beckley murder
Jury shown crime scene photos depicting child’s death
Neighbors mourn boy, show support for mom
TRE’SHAUN “BUBBY” BROWN
Autism Memorial: Tre-Shaun Brown

Rosemary Webster

No Photo Name: Rosemary Webster.
Died: March 16, 2022.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: La Quinta, California, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Rosemary died from a severe beating. Police say her daughter called them and reported that Rosemary had wanted to go visit a relative, though it was no longer safe for her to drive, and that she had “snapped” and beaten Rosemary severely, tied her up, left her, and found her dead in the morning.

Case Status:
Sally Martha Webster (Daughter), charged with murder.

Sources:
Prosecutors say La Quinta woman, overwhelmed and angry over mother’s dementia, killed her

5-year-old boy

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: March 15, 2022.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Incheon, South Korea.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
This five-year-old boy was strangled by his father, who was his sole caretaker.

Case Status:
His father; sentenced to 5 years in prison and an 80-hour child abuse prevention program.

Sources:
Single father gets 5-yr imprisonment for choking intellectually disabled son to death

Gopichand

No Photo Name: Gopichand.
Died: February 26, 2022.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead; drowning.
Location: Nalgonda, Telangana, India.
Disability: Blind, mentally ill.

Details:
Witnesses who were part of a “huge crowd” of bystanders report seeing Gopichand’s mother push him into a canal because “he was troubling her too much”. Several people tried to rescue the boy, but he was swept away by the strong current and is presumed dead.

Case Status:
N Shailaja (Mother), charged with attempted murder.

Sources:
Boy dies as mom pushes him into canal
Telangana: Mother pushes blind teenage son into canal
Mother took a dreadful step in Telangana, pushed the minor son into the canal, know what was the reason

Bryleigh Klino

Name: Bryleigh Klino.
Died: February 25, 2022.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Unspecified; death in the setting of neglect, severe bedsores.
Location: Auburn, New York, USA.
Disability: Rett syndrome.

Details:
When Bryleigh died, hospital personnel noticed that she had severe, untreated bedsores and called the authorities, who arrested Bryleigh’s parents.

Bryleigh leaves behind three younger brothers and two younger sisters. She loved the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants and would watch it as much as she could. Many of her things were SpongeBob-themed.

Case Status:
Jennifer M. Klino (Mother), charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Brian T. Burns (Mother’s fiancé), charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

Sources:
Court docs detail what nurses discovered after Auburn teen’s death
Auburn man pleads not guilty in court after death of developmentally disabled teenager
Court Records: Auburn couple charged in 17-year-old’s death neglected health concerns
Two charged after investigation into disabled Auburn teen’s death
Autism Memorial: Bryleigh Klino
Couple charged in connection to death of 17-year-old with disabilities
Auburn couple charged in connection with death of disabled 17-year-old daughter
Bryleigh Klino Obituary (2022) – Auburn, NY – The Citizen