Princeton Jones

Photo of an African American boy with light-brown skin, his dark-brown hair in tight curls. He is wearing a blue dress shirt and smiling for the camera.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 PhotoName: 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

Selena Kellum

Photo of a young girl sitting in a car. She has light-brown skin, and her brown hair is done in two braids. She is wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt. She is smiling broadly, showing gaps between her teeth, and her eyes are squinted almost shut.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

Esther Nakakande

No PhotoName: Esther Nakakande.
Died: November 9, 2024.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Starvation, torture.
Location: Mairye Village, Wakiso District, Central Region, Uganda.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
When one of Esther’s relatives came to visit her, he was horrified to find her dead. Esther’s relatives found that her body was covered in wounds, and she was emaciated. They believe her father and stepmother, who have been arrested, tortured Esther and did not feed her enough in the four months she stayed with them before she died.

Case Status:
Elemiya Kibirige (Father), arrested on suspicion of murder.
Justine Zalwango (Stepmother), arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sources:
Wakiso Couple Netted for Starving Disabled Daughter to Death
Couple Held Over Death of Disabled Girl

7-day-old girl

No PhotoName Unknown.
Died: October 10, 2024.
Age at death: 7 days.
Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Location: Cheongju-si, South Korea.
Disability: Congenital disorder of the arms.

Details:
In the hospital where she was born, and only a week after her birth, this baby girl was found dead from suffocation with her face down. Her parents said they had put her to bed face-up, but woken to discover her face-down. Since she was too young to have rolled over by herself, investigators were suspicious.

The baby’s parents were initially charged with manslaughter, but police say that evidence found on the parents’ phones proves that they had deliberately planned to kill the child, upgrading the charge to murder. They also say that the couple complained to their gynecologist that they should have had a prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound, and that the gynecologist responded by telling them where the care home had no CCTV cameras and offered to issue the infant’s death certificate.

Case Status:
Her parents and their gynecologist are all charged with murder.

Sources:
In connection with the mysterious death of a one-week-old disabled infant at a postpartum care center
Infants in postpartum care center died. Mother in her 30s arrested
Cheongju disabled child murder case
A biological mother in her 30s accused of killing a baby born with an arm disability has been arrested

Carmel McDougall

Photo of an older woman in a lacy white dress, wearing a corsage of red roses on her wriest. She is smiling. Her skin is brown, and her short black hair is curly. There are balloons in the background.Name: Carmel McDougall.
Died: September 18, 2024.
Age at death: 85.
Cause of death: Brain trauma.
Location: Roosevelt, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Carmel died from head injuries sustained after a fall. According to video recordings from their home security system, the fall happened because Carmel’s son put her in a headlock and swung her around, causing her to lose her balance; police say he was “frustrated with [her] declining health”. Videos from two weeks before show her daughter “constrict[ing] her mother’s ability to move and breathe”.

Carmel was born in Jamaica and had lived in Canada before moving to New York. Her passion for cooking invigorated her career as a hospital dietician. Along with her own four children, she fed and cared for many children in her community. She was a devoted Christian who spent much of her time after retirement doing volunteer work for the Most Holy Rosary Church.

Case Status:
Michael Rainford McDougall (Son), charged with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree endangerment of a vulnerable person, and criminally negligent homicide.
Nichole McDougall Mullings (Daughter), charged with first-degree endangerment of a vulnerable person.

Sources:
LI Son Charged After Abuse Of Mother Leads To Her Death: DA
Roosevelt siblings indicted in elder abuse case, mother dead.
Obituary of Carmel McDougall

Elijah Hale

Photo of a small boy with light-brown skin and brown eyes. He is grinning. He is wearing a red coat with a fuzzy black hood.Name: Elijah Anthony Hale.
Died: September 5, 2024.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Hot water burns.
Location: Walkertown, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Elijah suffered severe burns, believed to have been inflicted when he was put into a bathtub full of scalding hot water. Elijah’s stepfather was arrested for child abuse, and Elijah was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with third-degree burns. He lived for 46 days before dying from his injuries.

Elijah loved animals and loved his family. An active, energetic child, he spent his days singing, running, and playing ball.

Case Status:
James Wilford Huff (Stepfather), charged with first-degree murder.

Sources:
Stepfather charged with first-degree murder in death of 5-year-old autistic boy in Walkertown
Autistic boy, 4, dies after being severely burned in bathtub
Walkertown man charged with murder after death of child, Forsyth County deputies say

Jimmy Cardwell

No PhotoName: Jimmy Lamar Cardwell.
Died: August 28, 2024.
Age at death: 71.
Cause of death: Sepsis, osteomyelitis.
Location: Rockledge, Florida, USA.
Disability: Hemiparesis after stroke.

Details:
Paramedics responded to Jimmy’s house to find him thin, filthy, and with multiple infected wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors tried to save his life with emergency surgery, but died later that day. Police say his son admitted to bathing him only every few months and not seeking help for his father’s medical conditions, including the pressure sores that eventually became infected and killed him.

Case Status:
Alton Cardwell (Son), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Brevard County man charged with manslaughter of his father, deputies say
Rockledge Man Arrested for Aggravated Manslaughter of Disabled Father
Son accused in death of elderly father, found smelling of rotting flesh

Consuelo Gonzalez

No PhotoName: Consuelo Gonzalez.
Died: August 21, 2024.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Infected bedsores, untreated broken hip, dehydration/malnutrition.
Location: Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Disabled elder.

Details:
Consuelo was found at her home, having been badly neglected. She had severe, infected bedsores and a broken hip that had gone untreated for a long time. She was taken to the hospital, but died a day later.

Case Status:
Salvador Gonzalez Rivera (Son), charged with murder.

Sources:
Charleston man charged with murder after bedridden mother dies at hospital
Son’s charges upgraded to murder after bedridden woman dies at Charleston hospital

Nuraina Rosli

Black and white photo of a dark-skinned child in a white headscarf, looking off to the side with a concerned expression.Name: Nuraina Humaira Rosli.
Died: August 17, 2024.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Neck injuries.
Location: Sungai Siput, Malaysia.
Disability: Deaf.

Details:
Nuraina, a Primary Four student, went outside to play and was reported missing. The next day, her body was found in a nearby swamp, and a post-mortem determined she had been raped and killed.

Nuraina was one of the Orang Asli, the indigenous population of Peninsular Malaysia.

Case Status:
A 17-year-old boy (close relative, unspecified) has been charged with murder.

Sources:
Teen charged with murder of disabled 10-year-old girl
Teen charged with murder of disabled girl [WATCH]
Missing 10-year-old found dead in Pos Kuala Mu swamp
Teen charged with murder of 10-year-old Orang Asli girl Nuraina Humaira
Ministry to provide support, counselling to Nuraina Humaira’s family, says Nancy