Memorial Wall : victims of child abuse
Noah Serra-Morrison
died on November 21st, 2015
Noah Serra-Morrison was found dead after suffering 15 fractures to his body, including a six-inch wound across his skull. If he had survived the attack, Noah would have been severely brain-damaged. After sentencing, Detective Inspector Fraser Wylie of Bedfordshire Police said: "Their toxic partnership meant little Noah was never treated with the dignity and love that - as a beautiful, completely dependent baby - he craved and deserved. "...tiny Noah had his life brutally and mercilessly cut short as his mother turned a blind eye to the abuse that her lover was repeatedly inflicted upon him."
Athena Angeles
died on November 23rd, 2011
3yo Athena from Connecticut, USA, was living with her mom, older sister, and mom's boyfriend. In October the man punched Athena in the face because she refused to eat. A family advocate from her preschool was making a home visit on October 18th and noted that her eyes "were both black, and her face was so swollen that Athena could barely open her eyes". In November Athena had to go to a hospital to get staples for cuts on her head that her mom's boyfriend inflicted. And when Athena was discharged, he punched her in the stomach, which resulted in internal bleeding that led to her death.
Andrea Ruth
died on November 24th, 2012
12yo Andrea from Tennessee, USA, died of infected bedsores and gangrene. She had special needs, a history of asthma, hypertension and obesity. Andrea was scheduled to have her legs amputated because of the gangrene, but the family missed that and apparently all subsequent medical appointments. At the time of the Andrea's death paramedics reported that the girl's sores were so advanced that bones in her toes were visible. Her father was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and aggravated child neglect. Her mother and a health care worker were charged with her first-degree murder.
Miranda Crockett
died on November 24th, 2012
Miranda was a 10yo girl from Oregon, USA, who lived with her dad, stepmom, and stepmom's kids. She was homeschooled, and neighbors were surprised to find out she lived there. The stepmother punished Miranda in strange ways, for example - by making her sleep in a closed box that was placed in the bathroom. On November 24th she tied the child up and placed her in an ice bath. Miranda drowned.
Adrian Jones
died on November 25th, 2015
7yo Adrian from Kansas, USA, lived with his dad, stepmom, and 7 sisters. All the children were homeschooled, and the police is investigating allegations of physical abuse, neglect, unsanitary conditions, food deprivation, and torture (Adrian was forced to stand in stress positions for hours at a time). The boy disappeared sometime in September but the police only learned of it when they came to the house because of an unrelated domestic violence call. They believe Adrian's body was fed to pigs the couple purchased around the time of his disappearance. The parents were charged with murder, the surviving children were removed from the house.
"He was so sweet, and these big eyes just filled with wonderment, very inquisitive and begged, begged for love and attention," Adrian's nanny said.
Christopher Valdez
died on November 25th, 2011
4yo Christopher from Chicago, USA, was a happy, appealing boy, who loved Spiderman, according to his grandpa. "He also had this little rabbit that he would squeeze and it would sing a song. He would walk around with it all day," the grandpa said. Christopher lived with his mom and mom's boyfriend, and attended a Thanksgiving family dinner with a black eye covered with concealer, wearing a hoodie, and not eating. The family notified police of suspected child abuse, meanwhile preparing for Christopher's birthday party, with a cake and presents. Police found the boy dead, he was beaten to death on his 4th birthday.
Naomi Hill
died on November 26th, 2007
4yo Naomi from Wales, UK, was drowned by her mom, Joanne, in a bathtub. Naomi had mild cerebral palsy, and Joanne said she was ashamed of her daughter's disability. Joanne was having mental health issues since she was 17, but her treatment was discontinued three months prior to Naomi's death because NHS felt she didn't need it any longer. Naomi's dad said, "Joanne is a non-swimmer with a fear of water. To be held under water is her biggest fear. What she did to my princess Naomi was evil. There's not a minute that goes by without me wishing that [Naomi] was still here. She was my constant companion, she was my best friend, she was my little princess.".
Conner Conley
died on November 28th, 2009
10yo Conner from Indiana, USA, was killed by his 17yo brother who wanted to be like Dexter, a fictional serial killer from a TV show. He choked Conner, dragged him into the kitchen unconscious, strangled him there for 20 minutes, and then wrapped Conner's head in two plastic bags and sealed them with electrical tape. Conner might have been alive at that point. The brother then put him in his truck, drove to his girlfriends house, and they watched a movie about a man on death row for murdering a child. Here's how he explained what happened: "Like I had to… like when people have something like they are hungry and there is a hamburger sitting there and they knew they had to have it and I was sitting there and it just happened." The teen was obviously mentally unwell, and yet the parents were comfortable leaving the 10yo alone with him. Moreover, when he dumped Conner's body in the fields, he explained to the parents that Conner is visiting with grandparents and will be spending the night - and the parents didn't think to double-check.
Trevion Winningham
died on November 29th, 2016
7yo Trevion from Arkansas, USA, and his 9yo brother were staying with their mom's cousin and another woman she shared household with. The brothers were malnourished and regularly tied up and severely beaten with extension cords, belts, and shoes. When other children in the house were allowed to have something to eat, the brothers were told "you can't have crap." Trevion died of severe malnutrition and injuries "too numerous to count" according to medical examiner. "These children, these babies almost didn't even look human," said the judge, while comparing them to the Holocaust victims. "This is not me, I am not a monster," the defendant said. "I'm not a criminal, I don't have a criminal record, I'm not messed up in the head. I got plenty of sense, sir."
Roderick RJ Arrington, Jr
died on November 30th, 2012
RJ was a 7yo boy from Las Vegas beaten to death by his parents, Dina and Markiece Palmer, because he didn't finish his homework and lied about reading the Bible. Investigators said that his mom "stood by and let her husband" shake and beat RJ to death. When admitted to the hospital, he had extensive bruising and abrasions all over his body, from previous beatings (some of which were inflicted by his mom as well), and brain swelling. RJ died the following afternoon.
Jeffrey Baldwin
died on November 30th, 2002
Jeffrey was a 5yo boy from Toronto, Canada who died of neglect. There's a bronze statue in Greenwood Park, Toronto depicting Jeffrey dressed as Superman, a superhero he loved. When he was 1yo, his parents lost custody due to allegations of abuse, and he and his older sister went to live with their grandparents.
According to later court testimony, Jeffrey and his sister were kept in a locked room at night with furnace vents shut, and when released were forced to eat with their hands from a mat on the floor. The boyfriend of Jeffrey's aunt who also lived in the house, declared that Jeffrey's grandmother did not love him or his sister, and that they were purely a "dollars and cents" matter, as his grandparents received social assistance for their care.
Jeffrey was covered in sores, bruises, and cuts, and died of septic shock. His weight at death was slightly less than his weight at his first birthday, almost five years earlier.
Daniil Podchapko
died on December 3rd, 2016
1yo Daniil from Ukraine lived with his mom and 2yo sister Anna. Their parents divorced, mom was dating a new boyfriend, and just gave birth to a third child. On November 27th she took the baby to her boyfriend, and left Daniil and Anna home alone for nine days. They had no food except for some candy. Neighbors heard them crying and called the police, but the police had no authority to break the door to rescue the children. Their grandma came by with food, but also couldn't get into the apartment. The children tried to eat wallpaper, and tore off linoleum floor by the entrance door, trying to escape from the apartment. Daniil died on December 3rd. Anna stayed in the apartment with his dead body for three more days, spent some time in ICU, but survived and is now in foster care.
Macy Grace Ditty
died on December 4th, 2015
Macy Grace, was covered in bruises and medical staff determined the child had suffered life-threatening injuries consistent with child abuse. She was transferred to UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill where police said it was determined her injuries were inflicted within 24 hours of the child being taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Macy Grace died from her injuries Dec. 4. Her mother Jeanie Ditty, and her boyfriend Zachary Keefer, were both charged with first-degree murder and negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury for the death of Ditty's daughter, Macy Grace.
