Status: Sentenced – Page 89 – Disability Day of Mourning

Angelica Auriemma

Name: Angelica Auriemma.
Died: December 5, 2003.
Age at death: 20.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Soon after Angelica was diagnosed with autism, her mother tried to electrocute her; when that didn’t work, she drowned her in the bathtub.

Case status:
Ioanna Auriemma (Mother); convicted of manslaughter; sentenced to up to 5 years and served three years in prison.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Angelica Auriemma
Autistic Brooklyn Woman Is Drowned at Home
McGuire, A. (2016). War on autism: On the Cultural Logic of normative violence. University of Michigan Press.

Photo of Molly Holt, a girl with straight brown hair, cut into bangs and tied back. She is smiling slightly. Name: Molly Holt.
Died: November 10, 2003.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Clarksville, Arkansas, USA.
Disability: Mentally challenged/behaviorally challenged.

Details:
Molly’s parents chained her to her bed at night. When the house caught on fire, she burned to death.

Case status:
Teresa Dick (Mother), false imprisonment and manslaughter, 14 years in prison.
Lloyd Holt (Father), negligent homicide and false imprisonment, one year in jail.

Source:
Girl Chained To Bed Dies In Fire
Jury Convicts Ark. Mother in Death of Child Chained to Bed During House Fire

E. A.

No Photo Name: E. A. (Initials; full name unknown.)
Died: August 29, 2003.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Pneumonia and pyelonephritis.
Location: Mortdale, New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Physical and intellectual disability; likely osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome.

Details:
EA was born disabled, but his parents did not seek medical attention for him because his father did not believe in modern medicine. EA’s neonatal jaundice and cataracts were only treated once child welfare services became involved. His parents did not respond to his failure to thrive, small size, and weakness, believing that God would heal the child without a doctor’s help. At four years old, he was the size of a fifteen-month-old when he died from infections in his lungs and kidneys.

Case Status:
J. A. (Father), charged with manslaughter, died before trial.
H. A. (Mother), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 2 years, suspended for 2 years; released.

Sources:
R v HA
Religious mother admits to son’s death

Terrance Cottrell, Jr.

School photo of a young boy with brown skin and short, curly black hair, wearing a black and white checked shirt. Name: Terrance Cottrell, Jr.
Died: Aug. 25, 2003.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Positional asphyxia.
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Terrance’s mother took him to church for an exorcism, hoping to cure his autism. The boy was pinned to the ground by several adults, and died of suffocation while his mother watched.

Case status:
Patricia Cooper (Mother); not charged.
Ray Hemphill (Pastor); convicted of child abuse; sentenced to 2-and-a-half years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Terrance Cottrell Jr.
Hemphill Sentenced Over Boy’s “Exorcism” Death
Minister Charged In Exorcism Death
Faith Healing Death
Exorcism Death Sparks Debate

Carry-Ann Brown

Photo of a teenage girl with short, curly brown hair and fair skin, wearing a teal-and-white sports jersey. Name: Carry-Ann Brown.
Died: August 17, 2003.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Cumbria, England, UK.
Disability: Developmental disability, epilepsy.

Details:
Carry-Anne’s abusive father hit her brothers and mother, but never her; instead, she was sexually abused. When she became pregnant with his baby, a judge ordered an abortion and a DNA test.

Carry-Anne’s father lured her away from her foster home, put her in the car, drugged her, and tried to kill them both in a deliberate car crash. She died of head injuries five days later; he survived.

Case status:
Sean Brown (Father), pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse and murder; sentenced to 19 years to life.

Source:
Brother speaks out about Dad who murdered and impregnated his sister
Life for man who killed daughter
Father crashed car to kill daughter
Carry Ann’s father jailed for 19 years
Foster home was in ‘her best interests’
‘Dad murdered my sister – but Jeremy Kyle Show made me feel like the criminal’

Jason Dawes

Black and white photo of a smiling boy with light skin and short hair. Name: Jason Dawes.
Died: August 4, 2003.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Suffocated.
Location: New South Wales, Australia.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Jason was suffocated by his mother, who believed there was “no hope for her son”.

Jason communicated by using sign boards.

Case status:
Daniela Dawes (Mother). Convicted of manslaughter; served no jail time.

Source:
Deadly Currents Beneath Calm Waters: Persons with Disability and the Right to Life in Australia
Child murder case highlights lack of services for carers of disabled
When Love is Not Enough
R v Daniella Dawes
Autism Memorial: Jason Dawes

Stephanie Ramos

No Photo Name: Stephanie Ramos.
Died: July 9, 2003.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Undetermined.
Location: Queens, New York, USA.
Disability: Intellectual disability, blindness, cerebral palsy, diabetes.

Details:
Stephanie’s body was found in a garbage truck. Her foster mother had thrown the body in the trash and reported her missing.

Stephanie’s cause of death could not be exactly determined because the garbage truck crushed her body before it could be found. Because of the lack of evidence and Stephanie’s profound disabilities, her death was ruled natural and her mother was only charged with dumping the body. Stephanie’s foster home was filthy, and Stephanie herself weighed only 23 pounds at death. The most likely scenario is that Stephanie died of illness because her foster mother did not want anyone to know how dirty her house was, and so left the illness untreated.

Case status:
Renee Johnson (Foster mother), 60 days in jail for improper disposal of a body.

Source:
Girl Found in Trash Truck Lived in Filth, Officials Say

Christian Ferguson

Name: Christian Ferguson.
Died: June 11, 2003.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Missing, presumed dead.
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Citrullinemia, brain damage.

Details:
In 2003, Christian’s father reported that his car had been stolen with Christian inside. Christian, who was unable to survive without his medication, was declared dead, though his body was never found. Sixteen years later, new information came to light and his father was arrested for murder. How Christian died is unknown, but in the two years leading up to his death, he was allegedly neglected by his father, who did not provide him with proper medication or food. It is known that Christian would not have survived 72 hours without his medication.

Case status:
Dawan Ferguson (Father), convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without parole.

Source:
Byers’ Beat: What’s next for Christian Ferguson’s mother
Dawan Ferguson: Life sentence in murder of STL son
St. Louis County man convicted of killing disabled son now found guilty of molesting children
‘This Child’s Life was Punishment’: Dad of Missing Disabled Boy Convicted of Murder, Abuse
Nearly 20 years later, father convicted in death of boy
Closing arguments in Dawan Ferguson murder trial
Sibling of missing boy with special needs testifies during father’s murder trial
Murder trial begins for father of missing 9-year-old Christian Ferguson
Murder trial to begin for father of St. Louis County boy missing since 2003
19 years later, father of missing North County disabled boy heading to trial
Vanishing Act: Six Years After The Fact, The Disappearance Of Nine-Year-Old Christian Ferguson Remains A Mystery
Christian Ferguson case: Father’s murder charge dismissed but later refiled
Child abuse charge added against St. Louis County man accused of killing disabled son
St. Louis County prosecutor drops then refiles murder charge in death of 9-year-old boy
Bench trial granted for St. Louis County man accused of killing disabled son
Murder trial set for St. Louis County man accused of killing disabled son
Father accused of killing 9-year-old son backs down from speedy trial request
Father charged with son’s murder now facing child sex crime charges
St. Louis County man accused of killing disabled son in 2003 stays in jail; prosecutors plan more charges
Birthday memorial for missing, murdered Christian Ferguson
Disabled boy went missing 16 years ago, now father is charged with his murder
Missouri father charged with murder 16 years after disabled 9-year-old son disappeared
Disabled boy went missing 16 years ago, now father is charged with his murder
‘Justice for Christian’: 16 years later, police charge father for the murder of disabled little boy [Reports]
Man Charged With Son’s Death From 2003
Missouri father charged with murder of disabled boy who went missing 16 years ago

James Orr

Photo of James Orr. He is an adult man with fair skin and black hair, smiling at the camera. Name: James Orr.
Died: May 14, 2003.
Age at death: 32.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Little Elm, Denton County, Texas, USA.
Disability: Wheelchair user (from childhood injury).

Details:
James’s wife set their house on fire, knowing he would burn to death. She intended to collect his life insurance.

Case status:
Rhonda Orr (Wife), sentenced to 88 years in prison.

Source:
Rhonda Orr

Eric Bland

No Photo Name: Eric Bland.
Died: February 24, 2003.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Starvation.
Location: Rialto, California, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Eric’s sister and her boyfriend starved him to death.

Case status:
Delores Johnson (Sister); sentenced to 15 years to life.
Willie Brown (Sister’s boyfriend); sentenced to 18 years.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Eric Bland
Rialto woman sentenced in kin’s death
Varying Degrees of Disgust
Life with Aspergers: Murdering Disabled People