Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Suspect has died; no trial necessary.
Name: Dustin Hicks.
Died: November 5, 2015.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Dawsonville, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Autism, Crohn’s disease.
Details:
Dustin was shot by his mother in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
Nina Hicks (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Autism memorial: Dustin Hicks
Was the murder of Dustin Hicks committed by a biomed mom?
Woman, son dead in apparent Dawson Co. murder-suicide
Dawsonville mother shoots disabled son, self in possible mercy killing
Name: Vishal Gaikwad.
Died: October 27, 2015.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Pashan, Pune, India.
Disability: Unspecified physical disability.
Details:
Vishal’s father killed him and his mother (Arati Gaikwad, age 35) with an axe before hanging himself.
Case status:
Raju Laxman Gaikwad (Father), deceased.
Name: Alfonso Rafael Jr.
Died: October 26, 2015.
Age at death: 56.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Westchester, Florida, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.
Details:
Alfonso Jr. was shot by his father in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
Alfonso Rafael (Father), deceased.
Source:
Father and Son Found Shot to Death in Westchester: Police
Name: Emily Jean Kaminski.
Died: October 14, 2015.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Prescription drug overdose.
Location: La Mesa, California, USA.
Disability: Multiple disabilities, including blindness.
Details:
Emily’s grandmother gave her a fatal overdose of prescription drugs, then killed herself.
Case status:
Marshelle Marie Newby (Grandmother), deceased.
Source:
Police: California Grandmother Gave Disabled Teen Fatal Overdose in Murder-Suicide
Name: Kathryn “Katie” Burroughs.
Died: September 22, 2015.
Age at death: 35.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Barrington, Illinois, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, intellectual disability.
Details:
Katie’s father suffocated her, then committed suicide.
Katie enjoyed attending summer camp.
Case status:
Harry Burroughs (Father), deceased.
Source:
Barrington father, daughter dead in apparent murder-suicide, coroner says
Name: Gurneer Chaddha, also spelled “Gunoor” or “Gurneet”.
Died: September 14, 2015.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Rajouri Garden, West Delhi, India.
Disability: Liver disease, asthma, intellectual disability, from aspiration of amniotic fluid during birth.
Details:
Gurneer’s mother spent a lot of money at private hospitals to try to cure her daughter. She strangled Gurneer before killing herself; in her suicide note, she said that she had killed her daughter because Gurneer’s illness could not be cured.
Case status:
Vidhi Chaddha (Mother), deceased.
Source:
‘Please cremate me along with my daughter’: Heartbroken mother kills her two-year-old girl and herself over child’s serious illness | Daily Mail Online
New Delhi: Woman kills daughter, commits suicide over disease
Delhi woman kills child, self over deadly disease
Name: David Swallow.
Died: September 9, 2015.
Age at death: 49.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Dunston, England, UK.
Disability: Intellectual disability.
Details:
David’s mother burned their house down in a murder-suicide; David was taken to the hospital and died there sixteen days later. His father, who tried to rescue him, was hurt but survived.
Case status:
Audrey Swallow (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Desperate attempt to save disabled man from blaze
‘She’d never have hurt him’ – Coroner’s verdict on fire which killed mother and son
Fatal Dunston house fire started deliberately
Double death fire ‘started by woman who wanted to kill herself’
Double fire death inquest set to be held today
Name: Jessica Hagan.
Died: September 8, 2015.
Age at death: 19.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Cranston, Alberta, Canada.
Disability: Down syndrome.
Details:
Jessica’s mother allegedly poisoned her with a fatal drug overdose.
Jessica loved the Alberta Ballet and collected Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Her brother, a bodybuilder, names her as his biggest supporter.
Case status:
Christine Hagan (Mother). Never charged; died months later of natural causes.
Source:
Homicide unit investigating suspicious death in Cranston
Calgary police declare Jessica Hagan’s death a homicide, but no charges
Name: Sze-ming Chan.
Died: September 5, 2015.
Age at death: 10.
Cause of death: Poisoning.
Location: Hong Kong, China.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Sze-ming’s father killed him and kept the body in his apartment. About five or six days later, he killed himself and Sze-ming’s eight-year-old brother Sze-ho by filling the apartment with charcoal smoke.
Case status:
Chun-hing Chan (Father), deceased.
Source:
Hong Kong father who killed his sons in murder-suicide ‘saw his fortune disappear after inviting dishonest relative to run his business’
Triple murder-suicide: Hong Kong father took son for breakfast before returning to flat to burn charcoal
Autism Memorial: Sze-ming Chan
Name: Meryl Parry.
Died: September 2, 2015.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Ainstable, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia.
Details:
Meryl’s husband allegedly drugged her with sleeping pills, then put a plastic bag over her face and smothered her with a pillow.
Meryl was a retired teacher.
Case status:
Michael Parry (Husband); charged with murder, let out on bail, and committed suicide.
Source:
Murder of Meryl Parry by husband Michael ‘could not have been predicted’