Status: Arrested/Charged – Disability Day of Mourning

Melony Granados

No Photo Name: Melony Granados.
Died: January 23, 2025.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Tempe, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Myoclonic atonic epilepsy, intellectual disability.

Details:
Medics responded to Melony’s house to find her unresponsive, covered in bruises and sores. Her grandmother told the doctors that Melony had fallen down the stairs. Melony was taken to the hospital but died the next morning.

Further investigation revealed a makeshift cage made from a bunk bed. Police say her family admitted to keeping Melony in the cage, which was extremely dirty.

Case Status:
Virginia Lujan (Grandmother), charged with felony child abuse.
Jami Hodges (Mother), charged with felony child abuse.

Sources:
Grandmother Charged In Disabled Teen’s Death After 13-Year-Old Was Kept In A Cage
Mother, grandmother arrested in connection to death of 13-year-old girl
Teen with mental age of toddler dies after being forced to live in cage
Grandmother Charged In Disabled Teen’s Death After 13-Year-Old Was Kept In A Cage
Tempe 13-year-old dead after being found in cage; grandmother suspected in death
Police probe caged Tempe teen’s death

Helen Witter

Name: Helen Kay Witter.
Died: January 17, 2025.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Lombard, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Helen died from a gunshot; police say her husband called 911, admitting to having shot his wife, and was arrested. Her husband’s lawyer is arguing that Helen’s husband shot her because her dementia made her irritable.

As a young woman, Helen was a business secretary; then she became a homemaker to raise her four children. She is survived by seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Case Status:
Charles Witter (Husband), charged with murder.

Sources:
Lombard man accused of murdering wife says he ‘went nuts’
Helen Witter Obituary (1944 – 2025) – Evansville, IL
81-year-old husband accused of shooting his wife to death in their bed

Jayden Dixon

No Photo Name: Jayden Dixon.
Died: January 5, 2025.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Meridian, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Jayden wasn’t seen outside for several days and his trailer was eerily quiet, his neighbors grew worried. One of them approached Jayden’s mother, who argued with the neighbor. The trailer park manager saw them and called the police because Jayden’s mother appeared intoxicated. Police responding to the disturbance found Jayden’s body in the trailer; he had been suffocated, and their three dogs were also dead.

Jayden was good friends with a neighbor’s child; both were autistic, so they understood each other very well. Jayden was known for giving hugs to his friends.

Case Status:
Meagan Dixon (Mother), charged with murder, child abuse resulting in great bodily injury, and three counts related to cruelty toward animals.

Sources:
Homicide investigation at Lovey’s Landing in Sutter County: New details emerge
Meridian mother accused of killing 11-year-old son
Police Say Calif. Mom Was Causing Disturbance. Then They Found Boy, 11, and 3 Dogs Dead
No plea is entered in death of child, 11

Caterina Whitten

Name: Caterina Whitten.
Died: January 3, 2025.
Age at death: 29.
Cause of death: Unspecified neglect.
Location: Lowell, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Fraser syndrome; blind, autism.

Details:
Caterina was found dead in a filthy home.

One of six adopted siblings, Caterina was born in Russia. As a child, she loved swimming and playing on her swing set. Her five siblings, who had also allegedly been neglected, were rescued when her father was arrested after Caterina’s death.

Case Status:
David Whitten (adoptive father), charged with negligent homicide and six counts of endangering the welfare of an incompetent person.

Sources:
Arkansas police arrest 72-year-old man for negligent homicide in disabled daughter’s death
Lowell man accused of negligent homicide, endangering welfare
Lowell man faces negligent homicide charge after death of disabled daughter
‘A really sad story’: Neighbors react to tragic death of Lowell woman
Horrifying way disabled woman died in Ozarks house of horrors she shared with ‘dad’ and 5 handicapped siblings

Addison Carr

Name: Addison Rebecca Carr.
Died: December 26, 2024.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Greenville, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Perinatal hypoxia; feeding tube, limited mobility.

Details:
Addison’s mother’s boyfriend was babysitting when she suffered what an arrest warrant called “non-accidental trauma.” Addison was taken to the hospital, where she died four days later from her injuries.

Addison’s mother mourns the loss of her smile, remembering that “she was just a sweetheart and a joy to be around.”

Case Status:
Tyler David Ternberg (Mother’s boyfriend), charged with homicide by child abuse.

Sources:
Mother’s boyfriend accused of killing 4-year-old with special needs: ‘She was my entire world’
Simpsonville man in custody, accused of causing death of four-year-old with special needs
SC man charged in death of 4-year-old with special needs, deputies say
Sobbing mom confronts boyfriend ‘for murdering her disabled daughter’
Mom rages at boyfriend accused of shaking and beating disabled daughter to death

Kul Acharya

black and white photo of an older southeast asian man wearing glasses and traditional headwear Name: Kul Prasad Acharya.
Died: December 23, 2024.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Blunt trauma.
Location: Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi, Khotang, Province 1, Nepal.
Disability: Depression.

Details:
Neighbors grew worried about Kul and his son, 22-year-old Prabin Acharya, and called the police to check on them. Police found their bodies in the home; both had been fatally bludgeoned, and Kul’s other son was missing. After a brief time on the run, the surviving son turned himself in. Police say that he confessed to killing his father and brother because his father had depression, his brother had become addicted to drugs and wasn’t doing well at school, and he believed they were better off dead.

Mr. Acharya was head of the Khotang District Post Office.

Case Status:
Milan Acharya (Son) is charged with murder.

Sources:
Milan Acharya surrenders and confesses he killed father and brother
Balkot double murder suspect surrenders to police
Curb Rising Homicides

Princeton Jones

Name: Princeton Nicholas Jones.
Died: November 30, 2024.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Compton, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Princeton was staying with his grandfather when his father allegedly fatally shot him.

A bright, funny boy, Princeton was very close to his mother.

Case Status:
Nicholas Jones (Father), charged with murder and child abuse resulting in death.

Sources:
West Rancho Dominguez father pleads not guilty in son’s shooting death
Father arrested after his 9-year-old son shot and killed in Compton
Father Arrested In Shooting Death Of Autistic Boy, 9
Father Arrested in Fatal Shooting of 9-Year-Old Autistic Son in Compton

Gael

No Photo Name: Gael (Surname unknown).
Died: November 17, 2024.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Unspecified abuse and neglect.
Location: Sete Lagoas, Brazil.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Gael died, his mother called a funeral director to remove the body; but when the funeral home sent an employee, they saw the condition of Gael’s body and called police. He was lying in a damp room, on a dirty mattress; he had injuries on his body, was very malnourished and dirty, and had rotten teeth.

Case Status:
Gael’s mother and stepfather were arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Tragic Death of Child with Cerebral Palsy Reveals Shocking Signs of Violence
Criança com paralisia cerebral é encontrada morta e mãe e padrasto são presos em Sete Lagoas
Criança com paralisia cerebral é morta em MG; casal é preso por suspeita de maus-tratos
Casal é preso após criança com paralisia cerebral morrer com sinais de maus-tratos e desnutrição
Criança com paralisia morta em casa vivia em situação ‘lamentável’, diz tia

Joyce Gaskins

a middle-aged dark skinned Black woman looks to the right, appearing to be mid-conversation Name: Joyce Elizabeth Gaskins.
Died: November 15, 2024.
Age at death: 64.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Disability: Unspecified mental illness.

Details:
Joyce’s neighbor found her dead in her bedroom and called the police. Her son was arrested on suspicion of strangling her and then putting some of her mental health medication in her mouth to try to pass it off as an overdose.

Joyce was a devout Christian who liked sewing, debate, and watching horror and mystery movies. She was the oldest of seven children and had five children of her own.

Case Status:
Ajay Wiggins (Son) was charged with murder. He has been hospitalized for a psychological evaluation and treatment.

Sources:
Joyce Elizabeth Gaskins – View Obituary & Service Information
FOX45: Police say son tried to stage overdose in mother’s death on Druid Hill Avenue
Baltimore man charged with murder of his mother, police say – CBS Baltimore
Baltimore man charged with first-degree murder of his 64-year-old mother in West Baltimore

Selena Kellum

Name: Selena Kellum.
Died: November 15, 2024.
Age at death: 13.
Cause of death: Unspecified abuse and neglect.
Location: Sebring, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Selena was found dead in her mother’s garage, wearing only a diaper. She was extremely malnourished and covered in injuries in multiple stages of healing, and had been tied to the garage door.

Case Status:
Diana Natasha Mack (Adoptive Mother), charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and destroying evidence.

Sources:
Hernando mother remains worried about 12-year-old daughter’s whereabouts after other daughter’s murder
Former DCF employee accused of abusing, killing adopted daughter in Sebring: ‘Horrific crime’
Birth mother of 13-year-old believed to be murdered shares concern for other child adopted by suspect
Woman charged with abuse and first-degree murder of adopted daughter