Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers
Suspect has died; no trial necessary.
Name: Sarah-Jane Dore.
Died: February 14, 2008.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Western Southland, New Zealand.
Disability: Intellectual disability.
Details:
Sarah-Jane’s father shot her, then killed himself.
Sarah-Jane was a powerlifter who competed in the 2007 Shanghai Special Olympics.
Case status:
Graeme Dore (Father), deceased.
Source:
Father, daughter shot dead
Find a Grave: Sarah-Jane Dore
Name: Francecca “Frankie” Hardwick.
Died: October 23, 2007.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, England, UK.
Disability: Intellectual disability.
Details:
Francecca’s mother locked herself and Francecca into their car and set it on fire. 18-year-old Frankie burned to death.
Francecca’s schoolteachers remember how she loved to jump in puddles, play on swings, and give massages.
Case status:
Fiona Pilkington (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Bullies ‘drove mother and daughter to fireball death’
Francecca Hardwick: portrait of a victim
A Pilkington Malaise? Have We Really Learnt the Lessons for 2020?
Name: Sarah Grupstein.
Died: September 19, 2007.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Disability: Stroke, mobility impaired (Wheelchair user), diabetes, heart disease.
Details:
Sarah was shot by her son in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
Percy Stein (Son), deceased.
Source:
History of euthanasia in Canada
Sarah Grupstein’s Obituary on National Post
Cancer-stricken man commits murder-suicide
`We weep for their pain,’ rabbi says at murder-suicide funeral
Murder or mercy?
Name: Daniel Christopher Benoit.
Died: June 25, 2007.
Age at death: 7.
Cause of death: Suffocated.
Location: Fayetteville, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Fragile X (Disputed).
Details:
Daniel’s father suffocated him in a murder-suicide. He also killed Daniel’s mother, Nancy.
Daniel might not have had Fragile X; a family member reported that he did not, but the media widely reported Daniel’s Fragile X as having been the stressor that drove his father to kill him.
Case status:
Chris Benoit (Father), deceased.
Source:
Christopher Michael BENOIT
Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide – Wikipedia
The tragic family secret Benoit kept from the world
Attorney: Couple argued over care of mentally retarded 7-year-old son
Sandra Toffoloni talks about her sister’s murder at the hands of Chris Benoit
SON’S DISABILITY SUGGESTED AS FACTOR IN BENOIT MURDER-SUICIDE
Chris Benoit Conspiracy Theories Debunked: What Really Happened?
Name: Lorna McCadden.
Died: August 29, 2006.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Penticton, British Columbia, Canada.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.
Details:
Lorna’s husband went to the hospital where she was staying and shot her and then himself in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
John McCadden (Husband), deceased.
Source:
History of euthanasia in Canada
Murder/Suicide Update
Elderly Murder-Suicides Indicate Desperation, not Compassion
Elderly couple shot to death at B.C. hospital
Such an ugly unnecessary way to die: Two old, failing lovers might choose to end it all rather than to live apart
Slaying of wife seen as act of compassion
Name: William Lash IV.
Died: July 14, 2006.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: McLean, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
William’s father killed his son before committing suicide.
William was an active child who was fond of ice-skating, roller-skating, and basketball.
Case status:
William Lash III (Father), deceased.
Source:
William Lash tragedy: Ex-Commerce Dept. official kills son, self
Ex-Bush Aide Fatally Shoots Son, Himself
Two Tearful Goodbyes
Autism Memorial: William Lash IV
Name: Ryan Davies.
Died: April 12, 2006.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, UK.
Disability: Fragile X.
Details:
Ryan’s mother caused him to jump off a bridge, and then jumped off herself.
Ryan knew how to do wheelies on his bike.
Case status:
Alison Davies (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Ryan Davies
Ordeal that drove mum to suicide jump with autistic son
A mother and son smiling at the station. Then two specks on the edge of a bridge
Tragedy of mother and autistic son, 12
Name: Sarah Naylor.
Died: September 29, 2005.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Springdale, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
Sarah’s mother shot her dead and then committed suicide.
Case status:
Jane Naylor (Mother), deceased.
Source:
Autism Memorial: Sarah Naylor
Mother kills autistic daughter, then herself
Name Unknown.
Died: October 9, 2003.
Age at death: 33.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Haifa, Israel.
Disability: Autism.
Details:
This woman was shot by her father in a murder-suicide.
Case status:
Her father, deceased.
Source:
33-year-old female, Name Unknown
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.