AL - 13-year old boy with down syndrome starved to death by mother - June 13, 2024

[Clearsky]

Police Say 13-Year-Old Boy with Down Syndrome Was Starved to Death by His Mother Inside Hotel Room

Police are looking for the mother, Serena Starkey, who is charged with murder.

people.com

Birmingham police are now searching for the boy’s mother, Serena Starkey, 53, who is charged with murder in connection with his death.

 

[LadyL]

Throw away the key.

 

[borndem]

Throw away the key.

Indeed.
Hoping she is found quickly, but not betting on it.
Wondering how many news sources have or will publish this horror. The killer needs to be caught asap. Grrrrr.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

"The teen was not enrolled in school and rarely, if ever, saw a doctor. Police said they have have been in Montgomery prior to coming to Birmingham.

Anyone with information about Serena Starkey’s whereabouts is asked to call Birmingham police at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777."

Mom Sought for Murder After 13-Year-Old Boy Dies from Malnutrition, Dehydration

A 13-year-old Alabama boy who was found dead at an extended stay hotel in March died from malnutrition and dehydration, complicated by neglect. Shelby County Coroner Linda Evans contacted Birmingham police on June 6 and told them that she had classified Aston Starkey’s death a homicide, AL.com...

www.crimeonline.com

Poor kid. It seems like no one was looking out for him, his interests and needs. He had only an abusive mother, no one else in his life? What's the situation with his "dad?"

 

[wendybtn]

Something about parents not feeding their children just really makes me feel angry, more than in some other cases. I don't know why. Maybe because it's such a basic need.

 

[tlcya]

she looks rather rough for 53 JMO moving a lot, living long term at a hotel, wonder if there was some drug involvement or mental health issues that were unaddressed.

 

[craftybatchy]

Someone with the same name as the potential accused registered a fundraising account for the deceased approximately two months ago. ** Defunct Fundraiser **

 

[wendybtn]

Someone with the same name as the potential accused registered a fundraising account for the deceased approximately two months ago. ** Defunct Fundraiser **

SMDH.

 

[craftybatchy]

SMDH.

IKR ? Sent this one into AB Crimestoppers already. The fundraising site she used appears to be a faith based alternative to go****me, so maybe not as likely to be a search query for LE.

 

[Clearsky]

Alabama Mother Wanted for Murder of Down Syndrome Son Found Dead in Texas

An Alabama mother wanted in the death of her son in March was found dead last week in Texas. The medical examiner of the Southwestern Institute of Forensics Science in Dallas, Texas, told detectives in Alabama that 53-year-old Serena Starkey died on June 21, WVTM reported. Foul play is not...

www.crimeonline.com

An Alabama mother wanted in the death of her son in March was found dead last week in Texas.

 

[moonriverfarm]

Damn.

 

[airportwoman]

Crazy that this story would pop up shortly after I heard a BBC report on the way home about a female Neanderthal fossil that was found many years ago, and has been confirmed to have belonged to a 6-year-old with Down Syndrome, meaning that someone took care of her despite her having a mental disability, and the ear anomalies indicated that she would also have been deaf and had serious balance issues. RIP, Tina.

Fossil of Neanderthal child with Down syndrome fuels debate over species

Some scientists say a fossil of a Neanderthal child with apparent Down syndrome suggests the species were compassionate caregivers.

www.yahoo.com

 

[SweetDreamsAreMadeOfCheez]

Throw away the key.

and starve her death MOO

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Alabama Mother Wanted for Murder of Down Syndrome Son Found Dead in Texas

An Alabama mother wanted in the death of her son in March was found dead last week in Texas. The medical examiner of the Southwestern Institute of Forensics Science in Dallas, Texas, told detectives in Alabama that 53-year-old Serena Starkey died on June 21, WVTM reported. Foul play is not...

www.crimeonline.com

So she is deceased.
But something needs to change. It shouldn't be that a minor with a disability/medical complexities can be "homeschooled," not receive at least a yearly medical check-up, and no one notices, and they're just invisible to the system/world. A complex issue, I know.