Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Suspect arrested and/or charged; trial pending or no trial information.
Name Unknown.
Died: August 25, 2014 (Body found).
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Hypothermia.
Location: Arkhangelsk, Russia.
Disability: Paraplegia.
Details:
This four-year-old boy died when his drunken parents allegedly stuffed him into the freezer and left him there.
Case status:
Karp and Uliana Ulyanov (Parents), charged with murder.
Source:
Murder Charges for Couple who ‘Forgot they Put Disabled 4-Year-old Son in Fridge’
Name: Linda Kelley.
Died: August 4, 2014.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Acute and chronic bedsores.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Spina bifida.
Details:
Linda died after she was left without care on her kitchen floor for long periods of time. She developed bedsores which worsened and eventually killed her.
Case status:
John Kelley (Father), charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury.
Lavonne Kelley (Mother), pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, sentenced to 1 year in prison and 5 years in community corrections.
Source:
Mother sentenced in death of her paralyzed daughter
Indianapolis couple charged with neglect in death of paralyzed daughter
Name: Sayane Kishimoto.
Died: June 15, 2014.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan.
Disability: Congenital myopathy.
Details:
Sayane died from malnutrition. On autopsy, non-food items were found in her stomach, and she weighed half of what she should have.
Case status:
Yuki Kishimoto (Father), convicted of negligence, 18-month suspended sentence.
Her mother, arrested; charges unknown.
Source:
Parents arrested for starving 3-year-old daughter to death
High court overturns ruling on death of disabled child
Name: Rebecca Cotten.
Died: May 29, 2014.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.
Details:
Rebecca was allegedly abused and starved by her mother. She died weighing 40 pounds.
Case status:
Jennifer Cotten (Mother); charged with abuse and aggravated assault.
Nicholas Newquest, charged with abuse.
Source:
Second arrest made in death of 24-year-old woman with disabilities
Abused woman who weighed 40 pounds dies
Mother charged in death of disabled daughter, 22, who weighed 40lbs
Name: Magdalena Nunyango Amunyoko.
Died: May 9, 2014.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Sharp force injury.
Location: Ongwediva, Namibia.
Disability: A “rare condition that restricted her body functions”; speech impediment, wheelchair user.
Details:
Magdalena’s mother allegedly hacked her to death with a panga (a type of machete), and then burned her body.
Case status:
Magdalena’s mother, arrested.
Source:
No right to end another’s life – youth
Teacher Accused Of Barbecuing Disabled Daughter: Report
No right to end another’s life – youth
Teacher kills, burns daughter on braai stand
Name: Billy Ray Young.
Died: March 11, 2014.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Malnutrition.
Location: Belleville, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Physical and mental disability, blindness.
Details:
Billy was allegedly starved to death by his brother and sister-in-law.
Case status:
Richard R. Young (Brother); charged with criminal neglect of a person with a disability.
Elizabeth R. Young (Sister-in-law); convicted of reckless conduct with great bodily harm; sentenced to 1 year.
Source:
Belleville couple charged with neglecting disabled man found dead in home
Couple pleads not guilty in deadly neglect case
Billy Ray Young Obituary (2014) Belleville News-Democrat
Name: Lucas Braman.
Died: February 13, 2014.
Age at death: 23 months.
Cause of death: Unknown; possibly restraint-related.
Location: West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, USA.
Disability: “Autistic-like behaviors”; born addicted to narcotics.
Details:
Lucas was found dead wearing a helmet and wrapped in a weighted blanket much too heavy for him; the autopsy was inconclusive. His caretaker had been abusive in the past.
Case status:
Sheryl Erb (Caregiver), no charges.
Elizabeth Cavallini (Caregiver); charged with child rape, assault and battery on a child, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and intimidation of a witness, juror, police, or court official.
Source:
Barnstable grand jury indicts woman, 29, on child rape and assault charges
Autism Memorial: Lucas Braman
How did Lucas Braman die?
Report details pattern of abuse in toddler’s death
Lucas: Two families, two portrayals of Yarmouth toddler
Grieving mother of tot under DCF watch: ‘I want to know how he died’
More questions than answers in death of 2-year-old on Cape Cod
No resolution in Yarmouth child’s death
Name: Skyler Craighead.
Died: November 18, 2013.
Age at death: 5 months.
Cause of death: Starvation/dehydration.
Location: La Vergne, Tennessee, USA.
Disability: DiGeorge syndrome, feeding tube, heart defect.
Details:
Skyler died of starvation and dehydration while in the care of her parents.
Case status:
Sinead Omer (Mother) and Terry Craighead (Father), both charged with aggravated child neglect, felony murder in perpetration of aggravated child neglect, aggravated child abuse and felony murder in perpetration of aggravated child abuse. First trial ended in mistrial; second trial proceeding.
Source:
Sinead Omer, mother accused of killing infant in 2013, faces new child abuse charges
Mother Charged with Starvation Death of Baby in 2013 Accused of Faking Illness in Infant in 2018
La Vergne parents face trial in infant’s starvation death
La Vergne Parents Charged In Baby’s Death Go To Trial
Name: Yu (Family name unknown).
Died: September 9, 2013.
Age at death: 16 months.
Cause of death: Poisoned, smothered.
Location: Shenyang, Liaoning province, China.
Disability: Club foot.
Details:
Yu’s father allegedly poisoned him with pesticides, then smothered him and threw his body off a bridge. The police concluded that the boy’s disability, along with an unhappy marriage, had caused the father to become depressed and become unable to resist the impulse to murder his son.
Case status:
Feng (Father); charged with homicide.
Source:
Young father poisons toddler, smothers him and throws him from bridge
Name Unknown.
Died: April 22, 2013.
Age at death: 40.
Cause of death: Drugged and asphyxiated.
Location: Poissy, France.
Disability: Autism, hypoxic brain injury.
Details:
This 40-year-old man was found dead, drugged and smothered with a plastic bag over his head. His father was found unconscious but alive in a similar state.
Case Status:
His father was charged with murder.
Sources:
Poissy : désespéré, il tue son fils autiste
Autisme : les entendre vivants, ou les comprendre… morts ?