29 – Page 2 – Disability Day of Mourning

Frances Dresser

Black and white photo of a young woman with fair skin, wearing an old-fashioned cocktail dress and sitting on the hood of a car. Name: Frances Dresser.
Died: January 22, 2014.
Age at death: 86.
Cause of death: Gunshot.
Location: Carson City, Nevada, USA.
Disability: Paralysis (from fall).

Details:
Frances fell at home and doctors said she would be paralyzed and need to move to a nursing home. Her husband went home, bought a gun, returned to the hospital and shot her in the chest. She died three days later.

Frances Dresser was a great-grandmother who loved music and nature.

Case status:
William Lyle Dresser (Husband), charged with murder; charges dropped by a judge who said, “William Dresser killed his wife, but he is not a murderer”.

Source:
‘No evil in his act’: DA seeks to drop mercy killing murder charge
Murder charge dismissed against William Dresser

Hayley Bell

Photo of a sleeping fair-skinned toddler girl, draped in cloth. Name: Hayley Dea Bell.
Died: August 1, 2013.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Pneumonia, malnutrition.
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Disability: Developmental disability; tube-fed; epilepsy.

Details:
Hayley’s mother refused services and took her daughter out of school. Hayley died of starvation and pneumonia, weighing 12 kilograms (26 pounds).

Case status:
Elisha Bell (Mother), caregiver. No charges.

Source:
Starved, sick and unschooled: Did child protection fail Hayley?
Bell, Hayley Dea

Heidi Good-Swiacki

Name: Heidi Good-Swiacki.
Died: March 25, 2013.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Location: Solvang, California, USA.
Disability: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Details:
Heidi died when her ventilator failed. At the time, she was in the care of her mother and a hired caregiver. The caregiver left to go shopping, and in the meantime, the ventilator failed. Her mother and caregiver were charged with deliberately sedating her and disconnecting the ventilator, but the jury deadlocked on her mother’s trial, and the caregiver’s conviction was overturned.

Heidi wrote a blog using an eye-based input device. In the introduction to her blog, she said, “I will share my ALS story which will hopefully encourage others. It will show that quality of life comes in many forms… Since I have had ALS I have seen many miracles.”

She was a deeply spiritual woman with two children, and she started a company to set up accounting systems for new wineries. Although non-verbal and ventilator-dependent, Heidi saw her life as “filled with laughter, trust and love”.

Case status:
Marjorie Good (Mother); jury deadlocked on involuntary manslaughter charge; charges dropped.
Wanda Nelson (Caregiver), convicted of involuntary manslaughter; conviction overturned because conspiracy could not be proved.

Source:
Case dismissed for caretaker convicted of involuntary manslaughter of ALS patient Heidi Good
Solvang woman acquitted of murdering her daughter
Case dismissed for caretaker convicted of involuntary manslaughter of ALS patient Heidi Good
Tragic Tale of ALS Patient Heidi Good Swiacki’s Death Emerges in Criminal Grand Jury Transcripts
Good Times

Alayah-Rose Savarese

Name: Alayah-Rose Savarese .
Died: June 25, 2012.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Ruptured stomach.
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Alayah died from a ruptured stomach. Her case was known to social services, and there had been multiple complaints of neglect and reports of bruises on Alayah’s body.

Case status:
Nicole Diggs (Mother) and Oscar Thomas (mother’s boyfriend); charged with neglect, but the charges were dropped. They later inherited $2.1 million that had been placed in trust for Alayah’s care.

Source:
Alayah-Rose Savarese

Regina Wynn

No Photo Name: Regina Wynn.
Died: Early September, 2010.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Bedsores, infection, dehydration.
Location: Cappahosic, Gloucester County, Virginia, USA.
Disability: Alzheimer’s disease.

Details:
Regina was taken out of her nursing home by her niece. Months later, she was taken to the hospital weighing only 80 pounds, with large bedsores. She died soon afterward.

Case status:
Gigi Garner (Niece) and her boyfriend Erick Wilson; charged with abuse; charges dropped. Lawyers argued that Regina’s pressure sores were a sign of inevitable impending death, rather than a cause of death.

Source:
Gloucester man to face elder abuse charges Tuesday
CRIMINAL CHARGES IN VIRGINIA: WHAT IS A KENNEDY TERMINAL ULCER?
Second defendant acquitted of elder abuse charge – Gazette Journal
Arrest in Gloucester woman’s death mirrors trend of elder neglect

Sherre Neal-Lypps

No Photo Name: Sherre Neal-Lypps.
Died: June 23, 2009.
Age at death: 62.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Morro Bay, California, USA.
Disability: Chronic pain, depression, sciatica.

Details:
Sherre was strangled and drowned in her bathtub. Her death was disguised as a suicide, complete with forged suicide notes that claimed she was tired of being in pain. Five years after Sherre died, her husband was arrested because samples taken from her fingernails contained his DNA.

Case status:
James Victor Lypps (Husband), charged with first-degree murder, acquitted.

Source:
Nipomo man arrested 5 years after wife found dead in Morro Bay
‘No way’ death of James Lypps’ wife was a suicide, coroner says
Pathologist testifies Sherre Neal-Lypps’ death was a homicide
Nipomo man killed wife for her Social Security checks, prosecution suggests
Judge to consider removing DA’s Office from Morro Bay murder case
Judge orders Morro Bay murder suspect released
Former Morro Bay man not guilty of murder in death of his wife, jury finds

Maia Comas

Name: Maia Comas.
Died: December 3, 2007.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Sydney, Australia.
Disability: Rett syndrome.

Details:
When Maia was diagnosed with Rett syndrome, her parents wanted to euthanize her. Told this was illegal, they “coincidentally” found Maia drowned in a wading pool and did not attempt to resuscitate her.

Case status:
Pablo Comas and Samantha Comas (Parents) were never charged.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Maia Comas
News of daughter’s illness devastated parents, inquest told
“Why do they keep children with these disabilities alive?”
Maia Coma’s mother says an inability to perform CPR made her feel like a murderer
Coroner unable to say if baby Maia Comas’ death was accidental
Coroner returns open finding into toddler Maia Comas’s pool death
Parents greatly irresponsible over baby Maia’s death: coroner

Abubakar Nadama

No Photo Name: Abubakar Tariq Nadama.
Died: August 23, 2005.
Age at death: 5.
Cause of death: Chelation therapy.
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
In an effort to cure his autism, Abubakar’s parents took him to a doctor for chelation therapy. The doctor administered the wrong medication, too quickly, and Abubakar died.

Case status:
Roy Kerry (Doctor), charged with negligent manslaughter, charges dropped.
Abubakar’s parents (No crime).

Source:
Autism Memorial: Abubakar Nadama
Justice may yet prevail in the case of Abubakar Nadama
5-year-old British autistic boy dies after alternative therapy in U.S.
Abubakar Tariq Nadama – More Quackery Revealed

“Baby C”

No Photo Name: “Baby C” (Female).
Died: May 2004.
Age at death: 5 months.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Nelson, New Zealand.
Disability: Lissencephaly.

Details:
When he learned that her diagnosis would cause lifelong severe disability, Baby C’s father smothered her.

Case status:
Her father; charged with manslaughter but acquitted, even though he confessed during the trial.

Source:
Complaint from family over Baby C

Mia Depaillat

No Photo Name: Mia Depaillat.
Died: April 18, 2004.
Age at death: 21 months.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Cumming, Georgia, USA.
Disability: Developmental delay.

Details:
Mia died of injuries that her mother claimed had been caused when she had accidentally dropped Mia and she fell down a flight of stairs. However, the injuries Mia had sustained matched shaken baby syndrome, not a fall down stairs. Mia died two days afterward.

Case status:
Jill Ellen Depaillat (Mother), charged with murder; hung jury; mistrial.

Source:
Pound Pup Legacy: Mia Depaillat