Status – Page 57 – Disability Day of Mourning

Jordynn Barrera

Name: Jordynn Barrera.
Died: January 31, 2020.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Bay City, Texas, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, cerebral palsy.

Details:
Jordynn was found dead in her bed when police were called for a welfare check to her mother’s house. Her mother had left her and her younger siblings, ages 5 and 3 months, alone to go to a bar, and Jordynn died from neglect. Her mother was arrested, and her two younger siblings were taken into foster care.

Case status:
Lauren Kay Dean (Mother), pleaded guilty to murder and child endangerment; sentenced to life and a concurrent 20 year term.

Source:
Texas mother pleads guilty to the murder and abandonment of disabled, bedridden daughter
Mom Who Left Bedridden Daughter Alone Gets Life Sentence for Murder
Texas mother gets life after bedridden seven-year-old daughter died home alone while she went out to bar
Bedridden girl, 7, found dead after her mom left the house to go partying
What did Lauren Kay Dean do? Texas mom pleads guilty to murder of bedridden daughter
Mother arrested after bedridden daughter, 7, found dead in home
Mother arrested after 7-year-old daughter found dead inside home. She joked about poisoning someone hours earlier: Police
Lauren Kay Dean: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
How you can help grieving family of 7-year-old found dead

Rosalia Garofalo

Blurry photo of a middle-aged woman wearing a black-and-white checked scarf. Her hair is tied back; overexposure of the photo has given her skin an orange tint. Name: Rosalia Garofalo.
Died: January 29, 2020.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Trauma-related pneumothorax and respiratory failure.
Location: Marsala, Sicily, Italy.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Rosalia’s husband allegedly beat her to death over the course of three days. She had been abused by her husband many times over the years of her marriage.

Case status:
Vincenzo Frasillo (Husband), charged with voluntary homicide, domestic abuse, and assault.

Source:
Omicidio Rosalia Garofalo. Rinviato a giudizio il marito Vincenzo Frasillo
Processo femminicidio Mazara del Vallo, sentiti investigatori della Polizia
Man indicted for beating to death disabled wife
Al via processo per l’omicidio della mazarese Rosalia Garofalo uccisa un anno fa dal marito

Ishanth

No Photo Name: Ishanth.
Died: January 28, 2020.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Trauma.
Location: Korukkupeet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Disability: Intellectual disability, mobility impaired, unspecified disorder of the nerves.

Details:
When her son was taken to the hospital, Ishanth’s mother claimed that he had tripped and fallen while playing. He died of his injuries three days later. However, the autopsy and investigation found that he could not have tripped, because he could not walk yet. His mother admitted during questioning that she had beaten him because she did not want a child with a disability.

Case status:
Nadiya (Mother), charged with murder.

Source:
Stressed over son’s learning disability, Chennai mother kills toddler, held after 11 months
Chennai woman admits to murdering 3-year-old son who had disability
Chennai: Mother arrested for special kid’s death after 11 months

James Tate

No Photo
Name: James Tate.
Died: January 19, 2020.
Age at death: 74.
Cause of death: Stabbing.
Location: West Town, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; used a walker after recent arm and heart surgery.

Details:
James and his wife had told their son that he wasn’t allowed in the house if he was drunk. But his son came home drunk anyway, and when they confronted him about it, his son stabbed him to death and tried to kill his wife, who survived.

Case status:
Michael Tate (Son), convicted of murder and attempted murder; sentenced to 32-35 years.

Source:
Man murdered disabled dad, tried to stab mom in in West Town, prosecutors say

Dustin Baggett

Name: Dustin Baggett.
Died: January 18, 2020.
Age at death: 15.
Cause of death: Smoke inhalation and burns.
Location: Florissant, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Dustin was pulled out of his burning house by firefighters, but died a day later in the hospital. The fire was investigated and shown to be arson, and police suspected a man who lived in his house.

Dustin’s neighbors had long been worried about how he and the other children in his house were being treated. They called authorities repeatedly. Dustin, though nonverbal, was a friendly boy and constantly smiling. A neighbor remembers, “We all kind of took him in, knowing he needed our love.”

Case status:
Bobby Copass (Household member), charged with second-degree murder and first-degree arson.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Dustin Baggett
Man suspected of setting fatal fire in Florissant now charged with murder
15-year-old Missouri boy who lived with autism died after arson fire; upgraded charges expected
Police: Boy, 15, with autism killed in arson fire

John Miller III

No Photo Name: John Miller III.
Died: January 17, 2020.
Age at death: 30.
Cause of death: Multi-system organ failure.
Location: Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome with autistic traits.

Details:
John’s parents allegedly neglected him until one day his father called the police and explained that his son was dead. John’s body was found on his bed, extremely emaciated, dirty, and covered in bedsores. He had not seen a doctor in nine years. His death was ruled to be caregiver neglect.

Case status:
John Miller Jr. (Father), charged with second-degree murder and second-degree vulnerable adult abuse.
Maria Miller (Mother), charged with second-degree murder and second-degree vulnerable adult abuse.

Source:
Judge vacates plea deal in neglect, murder case: Aquilina, in rare move, vacates a plea deal for John Miller, Jr.
Autism Memorial: John Miller III
Lansing parents ordered to stand trial on murder charge in adult son’s January 2020 death
Lansing couple charged with neglecting, killing adult son who had Down syndrome

Samantha Roberts

Name: Samantha Roberts.
Died: January 17, 2020.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned.
Location: Nekoosa, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, nonspeaking.

Details:
Samantha was bludgeoned to death by her mother’s boyfriend.

She liked to go on walks with her grandfather. When she was a little girl, she liked Animal Planet and Dr. Seuss books.

Case status:
Paul M. Carter (mother’s boyfriend), convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, sentenced to 20 years to life.

Source:
Nekoosa man gets life without the possibility of release for killing woman unable to walk or talk
Trial dates set next month for man charged with disabled woman’s death
Nekoosa Man Charged with Murder in Disabled Woman’s Death
‘I’ll miss that girl forever’: Family, friends remember Nekoosa homicide victim Samantha Roberts
Nekoosa man accused of killing disabled woman
Wisconsin man held in connection to disabled woman’s death
Carter admitted to hitting disabled woman before her death

Thomas Valva

Name: Thomas Valva.
Died: January 17, 2020.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Long Island, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Thomas lived with his father and his father’s fiancee. He and his brother were starved and made to sleep in the unheated garage. One freezing night, Thomas died, and medical examiners determined he had died from hypothermia.

Thomas was a friendly, well-liked second-grader who enjoyed playing outside. When he was two, he spoke his first words–“Ball” and “go”–while playing with a therapist, rolling a ball back and forth. He also liked puzzles.

Case status:
Michael Valva (Father), convicted of second-degree murder and child endangerment, sentenced to 25 years to life.
Angelina Pollana (Father’s girlfriend), convicted of second-degree murder and child endangerment, sentenced to 25 years to life.

Source:
‘Pure Evil’: Angela Pollina Found Guilty In Death Of Thomas Valva, 8
Stepmom Guilty of Murder in 8-Year-Old Long Island Boy’s Freezing Death
Thomas Valva: Ex-Cop’s Former Fiancée GUILTY in Death of His 8-Year-Old Son
Angela Pollina gets 25 years for murder in hypothermia death of 8-year-old autistic boy Thomas Valva
Thomas Valva Froze In Icy Garage ‘For The Sin Of Being Autistic’: ADA
Murder trial of woman accused in 8-year-old Thomas Valva’s hypothermia death begins
Ex-cop Michael Valva, found guilty of killing son with autism, sentenced
‘Truly sorry’: ex-NYPD cop Michael Valva WEEPS after 25-year sentence for killing autistic son Thomas Valva
Ex-cop Michael Valva gets maximum sentence for murder of son, 8, in freezing LI garage
Former New York Police Officer Convicted in Freezing Death of Son
Educators Testify In Trial Of Ex-NYPD Cop Accused Of Son’s Freezing Death: ‘He Told Me His Heart Was Pounding’
Thomas Valva: Detective Says Autopsy Results Changed Case from Non-criminal to Murder for Cop Dad Accused of Killing Autistic Son
Court Denies Immunity To Child Protection Workers Who Allowed An NYPD Officer To Abuse His Son To Death
Judge rules parts of $200M Thomas Valva death lawsuit can go forward
Thomas Valva’s Mother Can Press $200M Wrongful Death Suit
Autism Memorial: Thomas Valva
NYPD Officer Michael Valva, charged with murder after his autistic son froze to death in garage, quits police force
Thomas Valva’s brother details brutal life with NYPD cop dad accused of murder
A Dozen Calls to Child Abuse Hotline Did Not Save 8-Year-Old Boy
House of Horrors Boy ‘Made the Ultimate Sacrifice’
NYPD officer and fiancée charged with murder of cop’s 8-year-old autistic son who froze to death in garage
NYPD Dad Charged In Frigid-Garage Death Of Boy, 8: Cops
NYPD cop Michael Valva abused son Thomas Valva for years before his death, mom claims
‘I’m Not Surprised,’ Nanny Says Of 8-Year-Old’s Horrific Death
Child services ignored complaints about cop before his son died
NYPD officer Michael Valva, fiancée charged with murder in death of cop’s 8-year-old son
Father, His Fiancée Face Murder Charges In Death Of 8-Year-Old Long Island Boy
NYPD Cop & Fiancee Accused of Killing 8-Year-Old Boy

Henko Naudé

Name: Henko Naudé.
Died: January 16, 2020.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Secunda, South Africa.
Disability: Muscular dystrophy.

Other victims: Lizelle Naudé, 52; Tina Naudé, 83.

Details:
When 17-year-old Henko researched the symptoms of his disability, his father got angry. He shot Henko, his mother, and his grandmother in their beds and then killed himself.

Henko was a gifted high school student and an excellent chess player.

Case status:
André Naudé (Father), deceased.

Source:
Secunda family murder: Dad couldn’t cope with son’s illness

Megan Todt

Name: Megan Todt.
Died: January 13, 2020.
Age at death: 42.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Celebration, Florida, USA.
Disability: Lyme disease, depression.

Details:
Megan was found dead in her home, along with the bodies of her three children, Alek, 13; Tyler, 11; Zoe, 4; and her dog Breezy. Her husband was arrested and charged with murder. During trial, his defense was that Megan had committed the murders and then killed herself because she was tired of having chronic illness.

Case Status:
Anthony Todt (Husband), convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty; sentenced to life without parole.

Sources:
Florida father Anthony Todt convicted of killing his wife and 3 kids
Florida Dad Convicted of Apocalypse-Fueled Murder Spree
Celebration man accused of killing family found guilty, sentenced to life in prison without parole
Father accused of killing his kids blames wife for their deaths
‘I came home and my kids were dead’: Celebration man accused of killing family testifies
Anthony Todt Claimed He and Wife Had Murder-Suicide Pact: Prosecutor
Trial begins for Florida man accused of killing wife, 3 children
Jury sees Anthony Todt’s confession in family’s killings: ‘I needed to save her soul’ – Orlando Sentinel
Anthony Todt trial: Celebration man accused of killing wife, 3 kids testifies
Dad Accused of Murdering Family, Dog in Florida Home Thought Apocalypse Was Coming: Prosecutors