Status: Other – Disability Day of Mourning

Rashta

No Photo Name: Rashta (Also spelled Riasat).
Died: March 13, 2023.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Injury from edged weapon.
Location: Baldia Town, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Disability: Polio survivor.

Details:
Rashta’s father and brother tried to pressure him into selling his home; when he refused, they allegedly killed him. Rashta was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Rashta worked as a laborer.

Case Status:
Zardar (Father), arrested.
Asim (Brother), wanted for murder; at large.

Sources:
Property dispute father kills disabled elder son along with younger son Pipa News
Polio-disabled man stabbed to death by father, brother over land dispute

Bijay Pradhan

A seated man with brown skin, black hair, and a mustache; he is wearing a collared shirt with blue, red, and white stripes. His expression is neutral. Name: Bijay Pradhan.
Died: February 18, 2023.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Patharapunja Village, Odisha, India.
Disability: Physical disability.

Details:
Bijay wanted to be married; so his uncle arranged a marriage for him. But his stepmother did not want him married because she thought he would inherit all the family’s property, and she did not want a “divyang” (Hindu: a disabled person, lit., “one with a divine body part”) to inherit. She recruited his father and stepbrothers, and together they allegedly beat him and starved him for months. Neighbors found Bijay, rescued him, and rushed him to the hospital; but even after he was transferred for advanced treatment, his injuries proved fatal, and he died.

Bijay was an autorickshaw driver.

Case Status:
Bijay’s stepmother, father, and stepbrothers are under investigation by police, suspected of murder.

Sources:
Stepmother, father allegedly murder physically-challenged son in Nayagarh district
Stepmother, Father Beat Divyang Youth To Death For Expressing Desire To Marry | Odisha
Divyang man beaten to death by stepmother, father for ‘wanting’ to marry
Odisha woman kills stepson for property

14-year-old girl

No Photo Name Unknown.
Died: December 20, 2022.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
This teenage girl’s body was found in her home with her mother. The girl had been strangled. Police say her mother killed her and then attempted suicide.

Case Status:
Her mother (Suspected of murder; hospitalized).

Sources:
Widow Strangles Handicapped Daughter to Death, Attempts Suicide
Bengaluru Woman Strangles Handicapped Daughter, Tries To Die By Suicide

Josiah Green

No Photo Name: Josiah Green.
Died: December 4, 2022.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Burns.
Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Josiah’s father called for an ambulance, medics found the teenager dead, with severe burns over 90% of his body. His father allegedly told authorities that Josiah had accidentally fallen into a bathtub full of scalding water two days before, and he had treated the boy with over-the-counter remedies instead of taking him to the hospital. Police say that the extent of the teen’s burns is not consistent with the brief exposure to hot tap water that his father reported.

Case Status:
Josiah’s death has been ruled a homicide. Police are still investigating the possibility that Josiah was accidentally burned, after which medical care was delayed for two days.

Sources:
Death of special needs Brooklyn teen found burned in apartment deemed a homicide, NYPD says
Special needs teen Josiah Green found burned to death in NYC home
Teenager with special needs found burned to death in bathtub
Brooklyn special needs teen’s death from scalding water burns a homicide, NYPD says

Unnamed Baby Girl

No Photo Unnamed Baby Girl.
Died: September 6, 2022.
Age at death: 1 day.
Cause of death: Abandonment.
Location: Mandya, Karnataka, India.
Disability: Unspecified congenital disability.

Details:
This baby girl, never named, was abandoned by her parents. A pack of wild dogs found her and dragged her onto the grounds of a hospital, where staff rescued her; but she died of her injuries not long after. It is believed that she was abandoned because of her visible disability, because she was born a girl, or both.

Case Status:
Unsolved. Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage and searching for her parents.

Sources:
Karnataka: Abandoned newborn girl dies after being partially eaten by stray dogs in hospital premises; probe on

Steven Earle

No Photo Name: Steven Earle.
Died: April 27, 2022.
Age at death: 59.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: South Bend Township, Minnesota, USA.
Disability: Unspecified disability.

Details:
Steven called police, asking for help because his son had a knife and was becoming violent. When police arrived, they found that he had been stabbed multiple times, but was still conscious and able to tell them that his son had stabbed him. He was rushed to the hospital, but died during surgery. The morning before the attack, he had texted a friend, saying that his son was becoming more controlling and was taking his phones away.

Case Status:
Travis R. Earle (Son), charged with second-degree murder; declared incompetent to stand trial, hospitalized (civil commitment). Can be tried if competency is restored.

Sources:
Man charged with murder after fatally stabbing father making 911 call
Mankato Stabbing Victim Died During Surgery in Rochester
UPDATE: Civil commitment ordered for son accused of murdering father

Girija

No Photo Name: Girija.
Died: April 21, 2022.
Age at death: 68.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Melamcode, Kerala, India.
Disability: Unspecified; bedridden.

Details:
Girija was found dead by her son; she had been strangled. Police arrested her husband, whom they suspect of killing her before injuring himself non-fatally.

Case Status:
Sadasivan Nair (Husband), hospitalized; will be arrested when his injuries are treated.

Sources:
Woman’s death turns out to be murder

Lacey Fletcher

Name: Lacey Fletcher.
Died: January 3, 2022.
Age at death: 36.
Cause of death: Medical neglect; pressure sores.
Location: Slaughter, Louisiana, USA.
Disability: Autism; catatonia or locked-in syndrome.

Details:
Lacey’s body was found sitting on a filthy couch at home. She had multiple pressure sores and infections, and was underweight. According to the coroner who ruled her death a homicide, she had suffered “at least a decade of neglect”.

Case Status:
Sheila Fletcher (Mother), charged with second-degree murder.
Clay Fletcher (Father), charged with second-degree murder.
Charges dropped on a technicality and will be re-filed.

Sources:
Parents re-indicted for murder of daughter found ‘melted’ to couch.
Charges against parents accused of letting daughter die on fetid couch thrown out — for now
Photos expose Lacey Ellen Fletcher’s AGONY, despite parents’ home stocked with cleaning products
Pictured: Parents of neglected daughter found dead and fused to family sofa
Parents to be hit with murder charges after daughter ‘melted into couch’
Grand jury to decide parents’ fate after coroner finds daughter’s body sitting on couch with feces around it
After ‘horrific’ death at home, parents of Louisiana woman may soon face murder charges
‘Worst case of neglect’: Parents face murder charges after neglect of disabled child
‘Something you make HORROR movies about’: Parents face murder charges after disabled daughter’s gruesome death
Autism Memorial: Lacey Fletcher
Woman, 36, with Locked-in Syndrome was found dead FUSED to a living room couch | Daily Mail Online
Neglected woman who died on parents’ sofa starved to death, had not seen doctor in 20 years

Bobby Laws

No Photo Name: Bobby Laws.
Died: December 15, 2021.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Pressure ulcers, malnutrition.
Location: Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Unspecified.

Details:
Bobby was brought to the emergency room emaciated with severe pressure sores and lacerations. He died 10 days later in the hospital. After a coroner’s investigation, police arrested Bobby’s daughter on charges of having neglected him and denied him adequate food and medical care.

Case Status:
Dianna Laws (Daughter), charged with neglect and exploitation.

Sources:
Woman arrested for elder abuse, coroner investigating death of father
Death of disabled Augusta man being investigated by coroner’s office for neglect

Catherine Jones

Name: Catherine Jones.
Died: November 21, 2021.
Age at death: 90.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Buffalo, New York, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Catherine lived with her granddaughter. She was found dead in her home, shot in the chest; unregistered guns were found in the house, and her granddaughter was arrested.

Case Status:
Jamien Harris (Granddaughter), pleaded guilty to having an “unregistered illegal weapon”, sentenced to 5 years probation. Primary suspect in Catherine’s murder.

Sources:
Buffalo Woman Sentenced on Gun Charges While Homicide of Her Grandmother Remains Under Investigation | Erie County District Attorney’s Office
90-year-old Buffalo woman killed, granddaughter called ‘strong person of interest’ in case
Woman arraigned in investigation of fatal shooting of her grandmother in Buffalo
Buffalo Woman Arraigned on Gun Charges as Investigation Continues into the Fatal Shooting of Her Grandmother