26 – Disability Day of Mourning

Ekadashi Swain

No Photo Name: Ekadashi Swain.
Died: July 4, 2021.
Age at death: 38.
Cause of death: Beaten.
Location: Khasadi village, Kendrapara, Odisha, India.
Disability: Unspecified; physically challenged.

Details:
Ekadashi was on his way home from the field when his cousin and some accomplices allegedly ambushed him and bludgeoned him to death with a plank. Police say the motive was a property dispute.

Case Status:
Santosh Swain (Cousin), wanted for murder.
Nidhiram Swain (Relative), wanted for murder.
Unnamed woman, wanted for murder.

Source:
Disabled Person Beaten To Death By ‘Cousin’ In Kendrapada | Odisha (Caution: Censored graphic image.)
Differently-abled man stoned to death over land dispute

Manu Savaliya

No Photo Name: Manu Savaliya.
Died: January 27, 2021.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Mauled by a leopard.
Location: Amrutpur, Gujarat, India.
Disability: Blind, intellectual disability.

Details:
Manu’s family allegedly chained him to his bed because he had fallen into a well when unattended, because he had bitten people, and because he “bothered the neighbors”. One night, Manu’s family had gone to a wedding, and the one relative left behind went with their domestic helper to go water their fields in the early morning. Manu, a strong man even at the age of 75, was attacked and killed by a leopard, unable to escape or fight back because of the chain.

Case status:
Police are investigating a complaint of wrongful confinement against Manu’s family.

Source:
Gujarat: Chained at farm for attacking villagers, 75-year-old blind man killed, eaten by leopard
Blind man chained to bed killed by leopard in Gujarat (Caution: graphic image of body)
Leopard mauls to death 75-year-old chained by family in Gujarat’s Amreli

Mary Smith

Photo of Mary Smith, a heavyset woman with dark-brown skin and shoulder-length hair in ringlets. She is wearing lipstick and a white blouse, and squinting at the camera. Name: Mary Jane Smith.
Died: May 22, 2018.
Age at death: 88.
Cause of death: Sepsis.
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA.
Disability: Dementia, Parkinson’s disease.

Details:
Mary Jane’s daughter took her out of her nursing home and took her home. There, Mary was severely neglected. She didn’t get enough food to eat or adequate medical care, and she developed bedsores. Doctors repeatedly informed Mary’s daughter that she needed care. Finally, Mary was brought to the hospital, weighing only 72 pounds, and died days later.

Mary Jane owned a beauty shop, ran a day care, and worked as a nurse’s aide.

Case status:
Death declared homicide.
Gladys Smith (Daughter), status unknown.

Source:
Denver coroner rules 88-year-old woman’s death a homicide due to neglectful care
88-year-Old Woman’s Death In Denver Declared Homicide
Mary Jane Smith Obituary – Denver, CO

Adeline Hill

Name: Adeline Hill.
Died: January 29, 2018.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Unspecified; wheelchair user.

Details:
Adeline and her daughter Renee Cosom, age 42, were shot dead. Police found her daughter’s boyfriend at the house and took him in for questioning.

Case status:
Daughter’s boyfriend; suspect, no charges.

Source:
Adeline Hill, age 66
Victims in Northeast Philadelphia shooting identified
Boyfriend Questioned in Murders of Woman and Her Mother
Man questioned after mother, daughter killed in NE Philly

Kakoli Das

No Photo Name: Kakoli Das.
Died: January 9, 2018.
Age at death: 46.
Cause of death: Abuse.
Location: Behala, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Disability: Deaf; schizophrenia, physical disability.

Details:
When Kakoli’s niece died of dengue, Kakoli’s sister and her husband blamed her for the death. Neighbors reported that she and her mother, also disabled, were often beaten and starved, until one day Kakoli was found dead.

Case status:
Keya Mullick (Sister) and her husband, detained by neighbors, under investigation.

Source:
Deaf-mute woman killed in ‘assault’ by kin at Behala
Woman death sparks unrest

Herlene Narosa

No Photo Name: Herlene Narosa.
Died: May 4, 2017.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury.
Location: Banga, Aklan, Philippines.
Disability: Depression (Rape survivor).

Details:
Herlene was beaten to death by her younger brother.

She left behind a 6-month-old baby.

Case status:
“Laboy”, her 14-year-old brother; exempt from criminal liability due to his age.

Source:
Shocking: 14-year-old boy beats 22-year-old sister to death
Banga boy ‘slays’ 22-year-old sister
14-year-old boy beats elder sister to death in Aklan

Shobhana Kunnath

Name: Shobhana Kunnath.
Died: September 26, 2016.
Age at death: 55.
Cause of death: Neglect.
Location: Edappal, Malappuram, Kerala, India.
Disability: Mentally disabled.

Details:
Shobhana and her daughter Shruthi, who both had a mental disorder, were living in a house by themselves. Their family lived nearby and were wealthy but apparently made no effort to ensure their welfare. Unable to care for themselves, Shobhana and Shruthi went hungry. After a week of starvation, Shobhana died and Shruthi was found weak from hunger.

Case status:
Her family is under investigation.
The Human Rights Commission has registered a case.

Source:
Mentally challenged woman starves to death
Woman found starved to death at Edappal
Mentally disabled woman starves to death in Edappal
Mentally unstable woman found dead
Did mental illness and social neglect cause these two Kerala families to starve?

Stella Hamilton

No Photo Name: Stella Hamilton.
Died: July 31, 2016.
Age at death: 72.
Cause of death: Undetermined.
Location: Malanda, Queensland, Australia.
Disability: Dementia, terminally ill.

Details:
Stella’s family talked to staff at her nursing home, asking whether she could be euthanized, and were told that this was illegal. They also requested that 24 hours’ worth of morphine be left in her room, and were refused. One of her children said another had told them that if they covered her face, she would “go quicker”. Shortly after the family’s request for euthanasia, Stella was found dead with a blanket over her face. She could not have pulled the blanket up herself, but other residents theoretically had access to her room. Her family was seen celebrating that she had died, though this could have been relief that she was no longer in pain.

Case status:
Inquest determined that, despite the troubling factors in Stella’s death, her cause of death could not be determined because she was already terminally ill.

Source:
Inquest into the death of Stella Hamilton
Mystery surrounds aged care resident found dead with blanket over head
Daughter asked doctor to euthanase terminally ill mother, inquest hears

Janelle Johnson

Name: Janelle Abriana Johnson.
Died: July 2, 2016.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Port Arthur, Texas, USA.
Disability: Paralyzed; wheelchair user.

Details:
Janelle’s father put her in the tub for a bath; then he allegedly left the room. Janelle, who could not hold her head out of the water, drowned.

Case status:
Jermaine Johnson (Father), under investigation.

Source:
Police investigating drowning death of 5-year-old Port Arthur girl
4-year-old drowns in bathtub in Port Arthur apartment
Special needs girl, 5, drowns in bathtub
Port Arthur child dies due to apparent drowning
Janelle Abriana Johnson

Adrian Parmana

No Photo
Name: Adrian Parmana.
Died: April 12, 2016.
Age at death: 16.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia.
Disability: “Mentally handicapped”.

Details:
Adrian was kept locked in his room by his family. When a short circuit caused a house fire, Adrian burned to death.

Case status:
H Dadang (Grandfather), grandmother, mother, and father, interviewed during inquest. No charges.

Case status:
Mentally handicapped teenager dies in fire because he was locked inside his room