14 – Disability Day of Mourning

Jonathan Kinman

Photo of a young man with light skin and short, dark-blond hair, wearing a yellow shirt. Name: Jonathan Kinman.
Died: October 14, 2025.
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Unknown suspicious death.
Location: Burleson, Texas, USA.
Disability: Russell-Silver Syndrome, autism.

Details:
When Jonathan’s stepfather shared news of his death on Facebook, friends and neighbors grew concerned and requested a welfare check. After some investigation, Jonathan’s body was found buried in the backyard. Neighbors told the police that they had never seen the young man outside the house and did not even know he lived there.

Case Status:
December Marie Mitchell (Mother), charged with tampering/fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse.
Jonathan James Mitchell (Stepfather), charged with tampering/fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Jonathan Kinman
Mom of son buried in North Texas backyard told police he died at a hospital
Neighbors in disbelief after North Texas couple accused of burying son with special needs in Burleson backyard
Burleson couple charged after adult special needs son found buried in backyard
Mom, stepdad accused of burying special-needs son in North Texas backyard
North Texas couple accused of burying son with special needs in Burleson backyard, police say
Their Son with Special Needs Was Found Buried in Yard — and Camera Seemingly Caught Mom Saying, ‘All Me’
Mother, stepfather arrested after police found 26-year-old son buried in backyard
Burleson mom said son died at hospital before his body was found in shallow backyard grave, affidavit reveals

Thomas Clubb

Name: Thomas Clubb.
Died: March 21, 2025 (Body found; died circa 2019).
Age at death: 67.
Cause of death: Unspecified.
Location: Salem, Missouri, USA.
Disability: Quadriplegic, dementia.

Details:
Thomas’s body was found in a trash can about five years after his death. His nephew, who had been his caregiver, had been locking him in the garage for a day or more at a time, leaving him dirty and unable to eat or drink anything. When Thomas died, his nephew hid his body and continued receiving Thomas’s veterans’ benefits, which he spent on himself.

Case Status:
Brian Ditch (Nephew), pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, theft of government property, and being a felon in possession of a firearm; sentenced to 13 years and ordered to repay the government $1.8 million worth of Thomas’s benefits.

Sources:
Missouri man who abused, stole from his disabled veteran uncle sentenced to 13 years in prison, ordered to repay $1.8 million
Missouri man charged with stealing $650K from deceased uncle
Missouri man hid Army veteran uncle’s death for years so he could steal VA disability checks totaling $650,000
Missouri Man Kept Disabled Veteran Uncle in Garage, Then Hid His Death for Years to Collect Benefits

Nicholas Wallwork

Name: Nicholas James Wallwork.
Died: December 27, 2023.
Age at death: 66.
Cause of death: Heroin overdose.
Location: Taylorsville, Utah, USA.
Disability: Dementia.

Details:
Medics found Nicholas on the floor, not breathing, and could not revive him. Nicholas’s niece allegedly poisoned him with heroin; police say she told them that she was trying to “ease the pain”.

Case Status:
Kimberly Wallwork (Niece), charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Sources:
Nicholas “Nick” James Wallwork, Sr. Obituary December 27, 2023
Woman accused of killing uncle who had dementia in Taylorsville
Utah woman admits to giving uncle multiple doses of heroin before his death, police say

Maureen Potter

No Photo Name: Maureen Potter.
Died: December 8, 2023.
Age at death: 80.
Cause of death: Unspecified homicide.
Location: Droitwich, Worcestershire, England, UK.
Disability: Cancer.

Details:
Maureen’s husband tried to kill their son, who has cerebral palsy. He was initially accused of killing Maureen as well, but was acquitted because she had such severe lung cancer that it could not be proved that she had not died a natural death. Maureen’s son was severely hurt but recovered.

Case Status:
Ivan Potter (Husband), charged with murder and attempted murder. Acquitted of murder; convicted of attempted murder and given a 2-year suspended sentence.

Sources:
R-v-Ivan-Potter-sentencing-remarks
Pensioner, 81, being quizzed by police after woman, 80, found dead
Man, 81, arrested after woman, 80, ‘murdered’ with second man in hospital
Suspect aged 81 arrested on suspicion of murder after woman found dead
A town in shock – the latest on the Droitwich murder investigation
Man, 81, charged with attempted murder after police called to medical emergency
Maureen Potter (née Bourne)

Ethan Ruiz

No Photo Name: Ethan Ortiz Ruiz.
Died: October 14, 2023.
Age at death: 3.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Sanford, Florida, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Ethan went missing and was found later that day drowned in a pond; he was rushed to the hospital, but could not be resuscitated. At first this was thought to be an unforeseeable accident, since young children, especially those who are autistic, often love water and do not understand the danger of drowning. However, when police investigated, they found that Ethan’s parents had known that he was completely capable of leaving the house unsupervised. He had been lost three times before he died, and no precautions had been taken to prevent it from happening again. His parents were under the influence of marijuana when Ethan left the house for the final time.

Case Status:
Barbara Ruiz (Mother), charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Lester Ortiz (Father), charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Sources:
Autism Memorial: Ethan Ruiz
Toddler wanders from apartment and drowns in pond, Florida cops say. Parents charged
Police: Parents facing charges after 3-year-old found in Sanford pond dies
Florida Parents Arrested After 3-Year-Old Toddler with Autism Drowns in Pond
Autistic toddler drowns while weed-smoking parents were inside apartment

Kristin Rutherford

Photo of a young woman with fair skin and curly, shoulder length black hair. She is squinting into the sun and smiling with just one side of her mouth. She is wearing a Gap T-shirt and holding a wooden stick with two hair clips attached to it. Name: Kristin Brooke Rutherford.
Died: July 25, 2023.
Age at death: 27.
Cause of death: Unknown. Body abandoned; death not reported.
Location: Marion, North Carolina, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
During a welfare check, police looked into a window and found Kristin’s body; her sister and caregiver was absent and later arrested at a hotel, where she had allegedly fled after abandoning her sister.

Kristin was a music-lover who had a favorite stick that she enjoyed playing with.

Case Status:
Casie Lynne McCartha (Sister), charged with concealing a death.

Sources:
Marion woman accused of concealing 27-year-old disabled sister’s death arrested, police say
Kristin Brooke Rutherford Obituary July 25, 2023

Kathy Pinkowski

Photo of a heavyset woman with pale skin and dark-brown hair tied back. She is wearing a white sweater. Name: Kathy Pinkowski.
Died: March 16, 2023.
Age at death: 71.
Cause of death: Unknown suspicious death.
Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Stroke.

Details:
Kathy was found dead on her front porch. Investigators found that her house was filthy and in poor condition. Kathy’s three grandchildren, who had been living in the same poor conditions, were taken into custody. Authorities also found more than a dozen dead animals, including pet reptiles and a rabbit, and rescued several surviving dogs and cats.

Kathy was a retired social service worker, known for being compassionate despite her brusque demeanor. She had served as the caregiver for her own elderly mother, and then her disabled husband and his elderly parents, before having a stroke and needing care herself.

Case Status:
Krystal Pinkowski (Daughter) pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful neglect of a child, one count of neglect of a vulnerable adult with great bodily injury, and one count of ill treatment of animals. She was sentenced to 5 years in prison, suspended to time served, and two years probation.

Sources:
Myrtle Beach woman sentenced in case where police found home in ‘deplorable condition’
911 call shows timeline when grandmother died on Myrtle Beach area porch
Myrtle Beach woman charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty, neglect of a vulnerable adult
Myrtle Beach woman charged with animal cruelty, child abuse now charged with elderly abuse
Kids found living with dead woman, 16 dead animals in home near Myrtle Beach, police say
Woman facing more charges after body, dead animals found in Myrtle Beach area home

Alex

Photo Unavailable Name: Alex (Surname unknown).
Died: January 9, 2023.
Age at death: 17.
Cause of death: Anorexia nervosa.
Location: South Island, New Zealand.
Disability: Autism, anorexia, OCD.

Details:
Alex was a transgender boy whose parents refused to accept his identity, insisting that it was an expression of his eating disorder and eventually driving him to leave home at the age of sixteen. Alex died from anorexia at the age of seventeen while living in a hotel room.

Case Status:
No one has been charged. After the publication of an article written by a biased journalist, anti-trans activists have blamed Alex’s death on the support services he used, claiming that they were ignoring his declining health in favor of “playing gender games.” A second journalist, in contact with Alex’s friends, challenged that story and portrayed Alex as a troubled but compassionate young man who had been unable to reach out for help because of a long history of rejection and abuse by parents and professionals.

Sources:
All sources have a content warning for transphobia, deadnaming, and misgendering. Sources from a transphobic viewpoint are specifically labeled.
The Life and Death of Alex
Update: On RNZ and Ruth Hill
Autistic trans teen starves to death
Stop conflating being transgender with being sick
The Weekend: Dignity in death shouldn’t be so hard
Rights Aotearoa Demands Immediate Action Over RNZ’s Unconscionable Misrepresentation Of Deceased Trans Youth
Autism Memorial: Alex
Teenager starves to death alone in emergency accommodation (CW: Transphobic viewpoint.)
The tragic loss of our [son] [Alex] (CW: Transphobic viewpoint.)

Alyssa Sanderfer

Teen girl with brown hair held back with butterfly clips. She is wearing a red sweater and smiling for the camera, showing large front teeth. Name: Alyssa Renee Sanderfer.
Died: April 11, 2018 (Body found; died February 2, 2018).
Age at death: 26.
Cause of death: Unknown suspicious death.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
When Alyssa died, her family stuffed her body into a plastic tote and put it in the back of a U-haul truck; then they moved and left the truck at the depot, where workers found Alyssa. She was so small they initially thought they had found an infant’s body. The landlord who cleaned the house the family left behind reported that Alyssa had lived “in squalor” before her death.

How Alyssa died is unknown.

Case status:
Deeanna McKain (Mother) and Kristin Sanderfer (Sister) were investigated, but no charges were imposed due to the difficulty of determining the cause of Alyssa’s death.

Source:
Family friend says mom of woman found dead in U-Haul claims victim died of natural causes
Woman With Special Needs Found Dead in U-Haul Allegedly Lived in Filthy Home
Disabled girl’s body found stuffed in plastic bag inside van family hired
Emaciated body of special needs woman found in abandoned U-Haul: Coroner
Neighbor sheds light about woman’s body found in U-Haul

Dylan Davis

Photo of Dylan Davis, a boy with short brown hair and fair skin, photographed outdoors. He is grinning at the camera. Name: Dylan Martin Davis.
Died: November 17, 2017.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Positional asphyxia.
Location: Georgetown, Ohio, USA.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
When Dylan had a meltdown, his step-grandfather–a very large man–sat on him to restrain him and suffocated him to death.

Case status:
Donald Martin Jr. (Step-grandfather), pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, but was then allowed to withdraw his plea; found innocent because the court decided he had not known his actions would be fatal.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Dylan Davis
Police arrest and charge 400-pound man in death of 11-year-old autistic step-grandson
28-stone man ‘killed his ‘autistic’ step grandson, 11, by SITTING ON HIM’
400-pound man pleads guilty in step-grandson’s pinning death
Ohio boy crushed by 28-stone grandad
400-pound Ohio man pleads guilty to accidentally smothering step-grandson
400-pound man admits accidentally crushing step-grandson, 11, to death
400 lb grandpa pleads guilty to suffocating 11 year old autistic boy
Ohio granddad pleaded guilty in pinning death of grandson. Then a judge cleared his name
400-Pound Man Who Crushed Grandson To Death Found Not Guilty