In Honor of Disability Day of Mourning (March 1)
“In March 2012, Stephanie Rochester suffocated her six month old son, Rylan.
On May 13, 2006, Karen McCarron killed her 3 year old daughter, Katherine.
[See Mel Baggs’ moving letter to Katherine here].
In July 2010, Saiqa Akhter strangled her 5 year old son, Zain, and her 2 year old daughter, Faryaal, then called a 911 operator to confess. Zain died at the scene and Faryaal died the next day.
In September 2008, Allen Grabe shot his 13 year old son, Jacob.
In September 2013, Kelli Stapleton was charged with attempted murder of herself and her 14 year old daughter, Issy, by carbon monoxide poisoning. Issy was put into a medically-induced coma to treat her injuries, and doctors were concerned about the possibility of brain damage.
In June 2013, Dorothy Spourdalakis murdered her 14 year old son, Alex, with the help of caretaker Jolanta Agata Skrodza.
In March 2012, Elizabeth Hodgins shot her 22 year old son, George.
In April, 2010, Daniel McLatchie shot his 22 year old son, Benjamin*.
These children and young adults have two things in common.
First, they were autistic, or their parent thought they were.
Second, their parents killed them at least in part because they were autistic.”
*Please note that the long list of murders mentioned here is far from complete; it only represents what I could verify within a short period of time. A more complete list can be found here. The most complete autism-specific list is probably the livejournal Autism Memorial.
UPDATE 1/4/2016: Every year, disability groups participate in the annual Disability Day of Mourning on March 1st, to commemorate the lives of murdered disabled people. You can join virtual vigils (and view past years’) here.
