Memorial Wall
Joylynne Giebel
died on June 5th, 2015
2yo Joylynne from Arizona, USA, lived with her two older brothers, mom, and stepfather. Their mom felt that he was "loving, caring," and said, "Our relationship was awesome. His relationship with the kids was awesome. (...) He never hit me, he never hurt the kids. We never hurt the kids, we love the kids." However, there were at least 5 reports to the Department of Child Safety alleging the adults were dealing drugs and the kids were physically abused and drugged. A caseworker visited the house, but no one was home; she left a business card on their door and didn't follow up.
Joylynne died after her stepfather was "rough housing" with her and "smacked her on the head" to "discipline" her. Joylynne's 4yo brother said 'daddy had hit [her] in the face real hard'. Her head was covered in bruises. Both parents were arrested, the stepfather for manslaughter and the mother for failure to protect her child from abuse and to call for an ambulance while Joylynne was dying. "I sit in my room and cry," said the mother. "I get my bible out, and I pray to God that some light will shine, so that people who know me come forth and tell everybody what a mom I am."
Kalief Browder
died on June 6th, 2015
Kalief was a 22yo man from Bronx, NY, who survived abuse but committed suicide because of its aftermath. He was arrested at 16 andheld at the Riker's Island jail for three years, not convicted of any crime. He was abused by both inmates and staff at Rikers, but refused to plead guilty and be sentenced to time served; he said he wasn't guilty and wanted to go to trial. Once released, Kalief tried to rebuild his life: got a job, went to college, but he couldn't cope with the emotional aftermath of his jail experience, the flashbacks, the anxiety, the hypervigilance, and eventually paranoia and psychosis.
Being home is way better than being in jail, but in my mind right now I feel like I'm still in jail, because I'm still feeling the side effects from what happened in there. I'm trying to break out of my shell, but I guess there is no shell. I guess this is just how I am - I'm just quiet and distant. I don't like being this way, but it's just natural to me now. (...) I might be attacked; I might be robbed, because, believe me, in jail you know there's all type of criminal stuff that goes on. Before I went to jail, I didn't know about a lot of stuff, and, now that I'm aware, I'm paranoid. (...) People tell me because I have this case against the city I'm all right. But I'm not all right. I'm messed up. I know that I might see some money from this case, but that's not going to help me mentally. I'm mentally scarred right now. That's how I feel. Because there are certain things that changed about me and they might not go back.
Kalief killed himself on June 6th, 2015. The day before, he told his mother, "Ma, I can't take it anymore."
Samuel G Porter
died on June 6th, 2004
7yo Sam from Missouri loved being with people, the outdoors, playing basketball, and collecting Yu-Gi-Oh cards. His 8yo sister Lindsey enjoyed being the center of attention, dancing, singing, and sports, especially golf. Both kids loved playing with Bossie, the family bulldog, that used to walk them to school with their dad. On June 6th, 2004, the dad picked them up for a weekend visit, took them to the woods saying he had a surprise for them, blindfolded them, and shot them in the backs of their heads. "People may think I'm strong, but I'm not," Sam's and Lindsey's mom said. "There are good days and bad days. Some days, I just don't want to get out of bed ... when your children are taken from you, there is no normal anymore. Other people hear about bad things happening to someone else, but then they can forget about it. I have to battle this every day."
Rania Alayed
died on June 7th, 2013
Rania was killed by her husband after trying to escape an abusive marriage. The couple was originally from Syria, but moved to Stockton-on-Tees, UK in 2004, and to Manchester five years later. Rania was 21, a mother of three, and her husband abused her physically, sexually, and financially. Once in Manchester, she started reaching out for help, and even hired a lawyer. She started college, made friends of both genders, and confided in them that she was living in a domestic violence situation. In May of 2013 Rania moved out with the kids, filed for divorce, and began dating another man.
Her husband seemed to agree to grant her divorce, but on June 7th he asked to meet her at a neutral territory, so that she could drop off the kids to visit with him for the weekend. Once there, he murdered her, while their kids were in another room, dressed in her clothing and left the building like that (to make it look like she left, on security cameras), and was telling everyone they have divorced and Rania is alive and in Turkey.
Zeenat Rafiq
died on June 8th, 2016
16yo Zeenat from Pakistan was in love with a boy she met in school. Her family didn't approve and rejected several marriage proposals, so the young couple eloped (i.e. ran away from home and got married without family consent). Zeenat's mom said it was OK, invited Zeenat for a visit to celebrate her marriage, and assured her that she would not be harmed. When Zeenat came to her mom's house, mom beat her, strangled her, and then burnt her alive, for "dishonoring" her family. "I don't have any regrets," she said.
Suhair Al-Bataa
died on June 9th, 2013
13yo Suhail from Egypt died of FGM, Female Genital Mutilation, a practice that 90% of Egyptian girls are subjected to, that consists of partial or full surgical removal of external genitalia. Suhail's dad took her to a clinic for this procedure, and she died during it. Her grandfather said, "It is God's will. We are not angry with the doctor. The doctor does not want to kill anyone. We are all sorry, and definitely we regret this." While her uncle said, "It has been done in the countryside for a long time. People here are used to it. Without circumcision, girls are full of lust."
Sophia ONeil
died on June 10th, 2015
Baby girl Sophia died at the hands of a violent man lacking the temperment to care for a child, even though he was in a position of trust. After savagely beating her, because she wouldn't stop crying, he attempted to give her a bath as she was slipping away. When he finally went to get help 911 it was too late. Feran-Baum was always tearful about his crime and had no words to express how sorry he is. As we know, apologies cannot bring back the dead... and now the world has lost another child so valuable and full of promise, and loved.
Kami Ring
died on June 10th, 2013
10yo Kami from Maryland, USA, was a straight-A student who loved to laugh, sing, and dance. "She loved everything about life," her godmother said. On the first weekend of her school break, Kami attended a local carnival and was staying the night at the home of people she considered her grandparents. She disappeared from her bedroom in the middle of the night, and her body was found the next day just 60 yards in front of their home. Kami was raped, beaten, and strangled to death by their relative who was living in the house at the time. "They would never have even had Kami around him if they knew he was this sick," her godmother said. "We have taught her to scream at the top of her lungs if something ever happened," her stepdad said. "Kami's a model 10-year-old. She was staying somewhere she felt safe."
Christian Pearson
died on June 11th, 2017
Friends, family and his former teachers gathered Saturday night with hundreds of others in Chino Valley's Memory Park to remember Christian Pearson a 10-year-old boy. Christian died on Sunday, June 11, 2017, after being taken off life support. Initial reports indicate he died from injuries associated with multiple cracks to his skull and severe burns to his body. His former teachers describe Pearson as a smart boy who had an infectious smile. And as a sponge, eager to soak up all the learning they could dish out. He was very good at math, his favorite subject. So good that his fourth-grade teacher had to call him out into the hall and tell him to quit shouting out all the answers to questions...to let the other students have a try once in a while. Christian's mother, Juliana Moreno, and her boyfriend, Daniel Terry, have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Maleeya Marie Murley Avalon
died on June 11th, 2011
17-month-old Maleeya from Tennessee, USA, lived with her mom and visited with her dad. During one of the visits she was raped, bitten, and thrown against the table by her dad's girlfriend; dad was not involved in any of it. Maleeya died of brain injury.
Carly Sawyer
died on June 11th, 2009
Carly was a 5yo girl from Virginia, USA, whose parents fought for her custody for 2.5 years. At the end Carly stayed with her dad and stepmom. They punished her for bed wetting by spanking, withholding food, tying her hands (so that she couldn't get food from the fridge while they weren't looking), and keeping her tied up in a cardboard box. Carly died of blunt-force trauma with contributing factors that included starvation, ligature restraint and medical neglect. Her dad set up an obituary where he referred to Carly as "God's newest angel," and the stepmom said that Carly caused herself the brain injury by throwing herself on the floor because she was upset. Both pleaded guilty to first degree murder.
Phoenix Sinclair
died on June 11th, 2005
Phoenix was a 5yo girl from Manitoba, Canada, who was murdered by her mom and stepdad. When she was born, both of her parents had a history with Child Protective Services, and initially she was removed from them right after birth, as they were deemed unprepared to care for a baby. They were allowed to visit with her, and six months later they took her home. There was domestic violence in the household, and Phoenix' little sister died of respiratory infection, but Phoenix wasn't removed from the house. Her parents broke up, she stayed with dad, and there were multiple abuse and neglect reports; for example, once Phoenix was taken to a hospital because she had a piece of styrofoam in her nose for three months, and the doctors weren't sure her dad would consistently give her antibiotics to cure the resulting infection; she mostly stayed with a family friend. When Phoenix was four, her dad moved to another province, and soon her mom took her from the family friend. Her mom had a new husband by then, with one child they had together and two more children the man had from a previous marriage. A year later Phoenix died of physical abuse and neglect. She was made to sleep in a cold basement, was given very little food, forced to eat her own vomit, shot with a BB gun, and played a "game" with, in which her stepdad strangled her till she passed out. On the day Phoenix died, the man was beating her continuously for over 15 minutes while her mom looked on. When the couple finally left the house, Phoenix' 12yo brother checked if she was OK, and discovered she was dead. The couple didn't report her death, and continued to claim her welfare benefits for another 8 months; they were arrested when they tried to pass another girl as Phoenix, after the boy reported her death to police.
Barbara Bodine
died on June 12th, 2016
Mrs Barbara Bodine fell and struck her head after arguing with her son at her house, in Cooper Township, on April 24, 2016. She died 49 days later, on June 12. Her nephew, told police he could heard Mrs Bodine and her son arguing in the kitchen, then heard a thud. He went into the kitchen and found Mrs Bordine on the kitchen floor. A Sheriff's Deputy said in a report that her son "didn't seem emotionally distraught and didn't ask about his elderly mother's condition. Instead, he was straight faced and had no remorse for his actions."
Enrique L Rios
died on June 12th, 2016
25yo Enrique from Brooklyn, NY, was one of the Orlando shooting victims. He was a social work student, working as a coordinator at a home healthcare agency, and active in his church. On June 12th 2016 a gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 others inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, USA. Enrique was visiting Florida for a friend's birthday, and was one of the 49 killed. "Enrique was a wonderful person. He loved everybody and everybody who knew him loved him," said his mom.
Tyler Gene McMillan
died on June 12th, 2008
13yo Tyler from North Carolina, USA, enjoyed reading, fishing, karate, playing outdoors with his cousins, being a Boy Scout and watching Professional Wrestling. He was homeschooled by his dad and stepmom (after his mom died of cancer several years prior). On June 11th Tyler's dad died him to a tree in the backyard, with his hands and feet restrained by zipties, because Tyler was "being disobedient". He released him the next morning, but tied him back to the tree again a few hours later. According to local news, it was 90 degrees outside, and "the area was blanketed in dense, acrid smoke from the Pocosin Lakes wildfire to the east. State officials had warned residents to stay indoors because of the smoke's health threat." Tyler died of cardiac arrest.
Adrianna Maria Cram
died on June 13th, 2005
4yo Adrianna from Oregon, USA, was removed from her mom's home due to neglect when she was one year old. Her mom was only 17 at the time, and struggled with a drug addiction. Adrianna spent three years in foster care, and then sent to her paternal aunt and uncle in Mexico, weeks before her fourth birthday. Adrianna was beat and tortured to death. Both adults were sentenced for the murder.
Remie Palmero
died on June 14th, 2015
11yo Mimi from Philippines had autism and struggled communicating, but she was a cheerful and affectionate girl who was loved by her family and neighbors. On June 14th, 2015, Mimi's neighbor and relative took her to a remote location, raped her, strangled her, and mutilated her body. The neighbors saw him playing with Mimi earlier, and started searching for them. Two days later they found Mimi's body. "When I arrived there, I realized that it really is my child. I found her blue slippers, her yellow shorts, her orange spaghetti dress."
