Status: Other – Disability Day of Mourning

Hershall Creachbaum

Name: Hershall Creachbaum.
Died: July 12, 2025 (Body found).
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Unknown.
Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Autism; wheelchair user.

Details:
Hershall’s parents reported him as kidnapped. Shortly thereafter, his body was found–but he had been dead for some time. His parents are accused of dumping his body and reporting him missing; his cause of death is still under investigation because only skeletal remains were found.

Case Status:
Hershall’s death is considered a homicide investigation.
Ashley Noel Johnson (Mother) is charged with obstruction of justice and failure to report a death.
Michael Deshaun Kendrick (mother’s boyfriend) is charged with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

Sources:
Two people now in custody in connection to the death of 7-year-old boy, police say
7-year-old believed to have been dead for weeks before being found; mother among 2 charged
Autistic 7-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After Vanishing With Wheelchair; Person of Interest in Custody
Missing autistic child found dead in Dayton, mother and man arrested, chief says
Coroner’s report gives new details in investigation into 7-year-old’s death
School staff called Children Services ‘multiple times’ before 7-year-old’s death, 911 calls reveal
Defendant in Hershall Creachbaum case files motion to restrict public records access
Hershall Creachbaum Death: 7-year-old to be remembered with memorial at local school

Yashasvi Pawar

No Photo Name: Yashasvi Pawar.
Died: February 20, 2025.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Poisoned.
Location: Naupada, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Disability: Congenital disability; mobility impaired, nonspeaking.

Details:
Police believe that Yashasvi’s mother, frustrated because Yashasvi’s recent illness caused her to cry out in pain through the night, poisoned her with medication. Yashasvi’s mother, grandmother, and a family friend were captured on CCTV carrying her body into a car, intending to take it to be cremated. All three have been charged with murder.

Case Status:
Snehal Pawar (Mother), charged with murder; at large/wanted.
Surekha Mahangade (Grandmother), arrested on suspicion of murder.
An unidentified family friend, charged with murder; at large/wanted.

Sources:
Woman poisons differently abled, bedridden daughter to death in Naupada

Tegan Fredericks

Name: Tegan Fredericks.
Died: October 28, 2024.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Severe pressure sores.
Location: Port Augusta, South Australia, Australia.
Disability: Physical and intellectual disability.

Details:
Medics were called to Tegan’s home, where she lived with her mother, because she had fallen and could not be put back into her chair. They found her in serious condition and rushed her to the hospital, but she died four days later from severe pressure sores. The home where Tegan had been living was “not fit for human habitation”; authorities say they have found “clear indicators of criminal neglect”.

Case Status:
Tegan’s death has been declared “a major crime”. She lived with her mother, who served as a caregiver, but police are still investigating who exactly was responsible for Tegan’s condition. No one has yet been charged.

Sources:
Death of disabled woman being investigated as major crime
Death of 26yo woman who lived with ‘significant’ disabilities in ‘squalid’ conditions declared a major crime
Woman with disability found dead was in home ‘not fit for humans’

Tylim Hatchett

No Photo Name: Tylim Hatchett.
Died: September 18, 2024.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, deafblind.

Details:
Police found Tylim dead on the floor of his apartment. He weighed only 59 pounds, though he had been recorded as weighing 90 pounds only six months earlier. Tylim had been left alone much of the time leading up to his death by starvation. Police say his mother and caregiver falsified their records to claim they were caring for Tylim when they were nowhere near him.

Case Status:
Sherrilynn Hawkins (Mother) is charged with first- and third-degree murder, neglect of a care-dependent person, and theft by deception.
Vernon Hatchett (Father) is at large. He is charged with manslaughter.
Loretta Harris (Caregiver) pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person and theft by deception.

Sources:
Woman pleads guilty to endangering the welfare of a wheelchair-bound Dresher man with cerebral palsy who died under her care. Glenside father still wanted by authorities
Deaf, Blind 21-Year-Old Was Only 59 Pounds at the Time of His Death – Parents Placed Under Arrest
Montgomery County DA hopes reward lead to arrest of father charged in disabled son’s death
Montgomery County DA’s Office offers $5K reward for father charged with neglecting son who died of starvation
Mother, father and caregiver charged after Pennsylvania 21-year-old with cerebral palsy dies of starvation
Parents, caregiver charged in ‘horrible’ starvation death of man with cerebral palsy
Parents accused of starving 21-year-old son with cerebral palsy to death
Parents, caretaker accused of neglect in death of Pennsylvania man with cerebral palsy
Parents Charged with Murder in Son’s Starvation Death
Police: Parents charged after MontCo man with cerebral palsy starved to death
‘Severely emaciated’ 21-year-old was starved to death by parents, caregiver: Police
3 charged after man with cerebral palsy starves to death in Montgomery County
Young man in Montco left for dead by parents in case of ‘depravity’, district attorney says

Baba Junior

Name: Baba Junior.
Died: September 5, 2023.
Age at death: 4 months.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Berekum, Bono, Ghana.
Disability: Suspected autism.

Details:
Suspecting that the little boy had autism, Baba’s father allegedly hired a fetish priest to suffocate the child. Baba’s parents went to the cemetery at night to bury the body. Neighbors who heard about the incident reported it to the police, who are now investigating.

Case Status:
Dj Poli (Father), wanted and at large.
Madam Paulina (Mother), arrested but later released.
Nana (Hired killer), status unspecified.

Sources:
Man allegedly pays fetish priest GHS800 to kill 4-month-old autistic son, buries him secretly
Man Allegedly Kills His 4-Month-Old Autistic Son
Man allegedly kills and secretly buries his 4-month-old son — Kasapa102.5FM
B/R: Level 200 Legon student allegedly kills four-month-old son for being autistic baby
Autism Memorial: Baba Junior

Rashta

Photo Unavailable 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

Alex

No Photo Name: Alex (Surname unknown).
Died: January 9, 2023.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Anorexia nervosa.
Location: South Island, New Zealand.
Disability: Autism, anorexia, OCD.

Details:
Alex was a transgender boy whose parents refused to accept his identity, insisting that it was an expression of his eating disorder and eventually driving him to leave home at the age of sixteen. Alex died from anorexia at the age of seventeen while living in a hotel room.

Case Status:
No one has been charged. After the publication of an article written by a biased journalist, anti-trans activists have blamed Alex’s death on the support services he used, claiming that they were ignoring his declining health in favor of “playing gender games.” A second journalist, in contact with Alex’s friends, challenged that story and portrayed Alex as a troubled but compassionate young man who had been unable to reach out for help because of a long history of rejection and abuse by parents and professionals.

Sources:
All sources have a content warning for transphobia, deadnaming, and misgendering. Sources from a transphobic viewpoint are specifically labeled.
The Life and Death of Alex
Update: On RNZ and Ruth Hill
Autistic trans teen starves to death
Stop conflating being transgender with being sick
The Weekend: Dignity in death shouldn’t be so hard
Rights Aotearoa Demands Immediate Action Over RNZ’s Unconscionable Misrepresentation Of Deceased Trans Youth
Autism Memorial: Alex
Teenager starves to death alone in emergency accommodation (CW: Transphobic viewpoint.)
The tragic loss of our [son] [Alex] (CW: Transphobic viewpoint.)

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