Autism Cuts Life Expectancy in Half, to Age 36

This blog was started many years ago to illustrate the point that autism is a life threatening disorder.

It was a very difficult blog to maintain, because each entry was posted through tears over an innocent life lost, often at the hands of those who were entrusted with their care and safety.  Because the emotional toll was heavy, we stopped maintaing the blog, since we felt the point had been made.

Now Columbia University and the American Journal of Public Health have published results that make the point for us:

Injury Mortality in Individuals With Autism
Joseph Guan BS, and Guohua Li MD, DrPH
Abstract:
Objectives. To examine epidemiological patterns of injury fatalities in individuals with a diagnosis of autism.
Methods. We identified individuals with a diagnosis of autism who died between 1999 and 2014 by screening causes of death in the multiple cause-of-death data files in the National Vital Statistics System based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, code F84.0. We used the general US population as the reference to calculate proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results. During the study period, 1367 deaths (1043 males and 324 females) in individuals with autism were recorded in the United States. The mean age at death for individuals with autism was 36.2 years (SD = 20.9 years), compared with 72.0 years (SD = 19.2 years) for the general population. Of the deaths in individuals with autism, 381 (27.9%) were attributed to injury (PMR = 2.93; 95% CI = 2.64, 3.24), with suffocation (n = 90; PMR = 31.93; 95% CI = 25.69, 39.24) being the leading cause of injury mortality, followed by asphyxiation (n = 78; PMR = 13.50; 95% CI = 10.68, 16.85) and drowning (n = 74; PMR = 39.89; 95% CI = 31.34, 50.06).
Conclusions. Individuals with autism appear to be at substantially heightened risk for death from injury.

It is fitting that this be the final entry in this blog.  We hope that the information here will settle the question of whether or not autism is a harmless condition, and whether or not it should be prevented and treated.

Certainly any and all reasonable and ethical people can agree that any condition that poses such a serious threat to a child's life that it cuts their life expectancy in half should be treated and prevented.

CNN's article on the study:

Children with autism 40 times more likely to die from injury, study says
By Susan Scutti, CNN

Updated 4:06 PM ET, Tue March 21, 2017

(CNN)Preventable injuries often lead to death among people with autism, a new study says. They are three times more likely than the general population to die because of injuries, according to the study, published Tuesday in the American Journal of Public Health.

For children and young teens with this developmental disability, the numbers are more striking: They are 40 times more likely to die from injury than the general child population, researchers said. Drowning is the most common fatal injury among children with autism.

People diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, which causes challenges with social skills and communication, die at an average age of just 36, noted the researchers. For the general population, life expectancy is 72.

Two motives drove Dr. Guohua Li, senior author of the study and founding director of the Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention at Columbia University, to research the relationship between autism and injury.

"First, the prevalence of autism has been increasing," Li said, noting that there are an estimated 3.5 million people living with autism in the US, including about 500,000 children under the age of 15. "Second, there is anecdotal evidence that people with autism are at higher risk of injury."
Actual research to provide hard evidence, though, has been difficult to find.

36 years young
For data, Li and Joseph Guan, a master's student at Columbia, turned to the National Vital Statistics System, which records key demographic characteristics for each deceased person alongside information about the cause of death.

The researchers thumbed through more than 39 million death records filed over a 15-year period ending in 2014. By screening the codes entered onto each death certificate, Li and Guan were able to identify those who had been diagnosed with autism. They pinpointed just 1,367 individuals with a recorded diagnosis of autism, 1,043 of whom were male.

Because autism would not be the direct cause of death, it would be under-reported on death certificates, said Li. Working with the available information, he and Guan calculated mortality using the general U.S. population as a reference.

Yearly deaths for people with autism increased nearly sevenfold during the study period, Li and Guan soon discovered.

They found that more than a quarter (28%) of the people with autism died due to injury -- three times the percentage of the general population -- and that more than 40% of these deaths occurred in their homes or residential institution.

The average age when people with autism died due to an injury was about 29, compared with an average of nearly 55 for the general population.

Suffocation (when oxygen cannot enter the body), followed by asphyxiation (when oxygen is lacking in the body) and drowning caused most deaths. Combined, these three causes accounted for nearly 80% of fatal injuries in people with autism.

"Injury deaths in autistic adults are disproportionately due to asphyxiation and suffocation, and injury deaths in autistic children are much more likely caused by drowning," said Li, who is also a professor of epidemiology at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health.

"Autistic children aged 14 years and younger are 40 times more likely to die from injury than the general pediatric population," Li said. Specifically, drowning accounts for 46% of all injury deaths among children with autism, which translates to 160 times the chance of dying from drowning compared to other children.

"The risk of drowning in autistic children peaks at age 5 to 7 years," Li said.

He explained that children with the disorder often feel anxiety, and wandering, especially toward water, is one way they seek relief. With 100,000 children newly diagnosed with disorders each year in the US, he added, "the first concrete step parents and caregivers could take to reduce the exceptionally high risk of accidental drowning is to enroll these children in swimming classes."

Importance of water safety
"Nearly 50% of children with autism wander," said Michael Rosanoff, an epidemiologist and director of public health at Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization. "And children with autism are often attracted to water."

Past studies as well as community discussion have suggested that children with autism have water accidents resulting in tragedy more frequently than other children, Rosanoff said. The higher risk of drowning estimated in the study, then, was "not a surprising finding to us, but it reaffirms the importance of teaching water safety to children with autism," he said.

"We haven't seen a study of this magnitude before. It's a very large study, probably the largest study to date on this topic," he said.

People with autism essentially have half the life expectancy of the general population, Rosanoff said: "Let's take a second to let that sink in."

"Conditions like epilepsy, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia -- these psychiatric and medical conditions are much more common among individuals with autism," said Rosanoff, who observed that another key point of the study is that autism itself is not a cause of death.

"Rather, autism is often a co-occurring medical and psychiatric condition that is likely to play a role in this premature mortality finding," he said.

"Other studies have shown us, including a recent study from Sweden, that, in fact, for example, premature mortality due to suicide is higher among individuals with autism," Rosanoff said. However, that same result was not found in the current study.

Parents should remember that what this study says is "that injuries are often part of the challenge, and injuries can be preventable," he said.

He pointed out that Autism Speaks' website offers resources on water safety issues such as equipping children for being in the water and teaching them how to swim, as well as a toolkit for parents of children who wander.

Higher rate of people with autism
The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Network estimates the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder at one in every 68 children as of age 8.

This rate has more than doubled between 2000 and 2012, according to the network, which is a group of programs that is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and tasked with estimating the number of children with autism and other developmental disabilities living in the United States.

Risk is not evenly spread throughout the population, though.

The disorder is about four times as common in males as in females, for example. And among infants who have an autistic sibling, the risk of developing the disorder may be as high as one in five, while the risk for infants without an affected sibling is just one in 100.

Prevalence also tends to be higher among non-Hispanic white children and among children of highly educated parents.

Dena Burns Drowns in Pond

SWAINSBORO, Ga. -- Emanuel County sheriff's officials say a 6-year-old girl with autism has drowned in a pond.

Sheriff Tyson Stephens said Thursday that foul play is not suspected in the death of Dena Burns.
Investigators say her parents reported her missing Thursday morning and they told authorities they believed she walked away from their home in Swainsboro.

Officials found the girl unconscious in a nearby pond and were unable to revive her.
(Associated Press)

Read here.

A 2-year-old Akron boy drowned over the weekend in southern Ohio.
The toddler, who is autistic, reportedly wandered away from his family as they stayed at a cottage near the Muskingum River about 8 p.m. Saturday.
The family found the little boy, Andrew “Drew” Howell, in the river.
The Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office reported that the boy was transported by the Dresden Fire Department to Genesis Good Samaritan Medical in Zanesville, where he later was pronounced dead.
The family administered CPR on the boy for 10 minutes before the fire department arrived.
Laurie Cramer, director of the Autism Society of Greater Akron, said Drew wandered away from the cabin and must have headed straight to the river — about 100 yards away.
Cramer, who was asked to speak to the media on behalf of the family, said Drew’s mother, Kelly Howell, shared that her “worst fears happened.”
“It only took 30 seconds of my attention being somewhere else” for her son to wander off, the mother told Cramer in an email.
Cramer said drowning is a constant worry for parents of autistic children.
“Wandering-related accidents are the No. 1 killer of children with autism,” she said.
Cramer added that in the past week alone there have been three drowning deaths in the U.S. of autistic children.
“[These] children are prone to wandering,” Cramer said. “It is one of the big stresses of having a child with autism.”
Cramer said another factor: Autistic children often are attracted to water.
Drew was described as “always happy” with a “contagious smile” in his obituary in today’s Beacon Journal.
“He loved to snuggle especially with his Mommy and Daddy,” the obituary said. “He was rarely upset unless he was hungry.”
Calling hours will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Bacher Funeral Home, 3250 Greenwich Road, Norton. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home, followed by burial at Greenlawn Memorial Park.
Drew is survived by his parents, Andrew and Kelly Howell and a sister, Katelyn.
Memorial donations can be made to the Autism Society of Greater Akron at 2858 W. Market St., Suite I, Fairlawn, 44333, in Drew’s memory.
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.

Owen Black

An 8-year-old autistic boy missing since Friday on Perdido Key has been found dead in the water, authorities on the scene confirm.

Owen Black, who was visiting from Louisiana, was found by someone on the beach shortly after 1 p.m. in the water in the Gulf of Mexico behind Shipwatch Surf & Yacht Club on Perdido Key Drive, less than a half a mile away from where he was last seen, authorities said.

He likely drowned, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said, though the Medical Examiner's Office has yet to perform an autopsy. ...

Mikaela Lynch, Autism, Drowns

Searchers found the body of a missing 9-year-old San Francisco girl in a creek near her family's Lake County vacation home Wednesday, authorities said.

Mikaela Lynch, who had autism and the mental capacity of a 1-year-old, was last seen in the backyard of the home on Harbor Drive in Clearlake on Sunday around 1:30 p.m. She had been playing on a trampoline with her younger brother but was left alone briefly when he ran inside to avoid a bee, police said.

Her body was found in nearby Cache Creek by dive team members just before noon, said Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen. Foul play is not suspected. Clausen said it appears she wandered into the creek.
"It's really tragic," said police Sgt. Nick Bennett, adding that Mikaela was "a sweet little girl. We had hopes it might turn out differently."

Searchers had looked in the marshes near the home because Mikaela, who did not speak but could communicate through basic hand signals, was "attracted to water," police said.

Mike Dowling, Mikaela's godfather, described her as a "sweetheart" with an "ever-present smile."
"She loves running, playing," Dowling said. "Extremely gregarious. Just a great laugh, a fantastic laugh."
According to the National Autism Association, about half of children with autism are prone to wandering away from their homes, and a third cannot communicate their name, address or other helpful information.
Autistic children are also commonly drawn to water. Of those found dead after wandering in recent years, 91 percent had drowned, according to the association.

Mikaela was a student at Sunset Elementary School in San Francisco, district officials said.
Her teacher and six current and former teachers' aides drove up to Clearlake earlier this week to help in the search, said district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe.

Counselors were at the school Wednesday to help students needing assistance, and the school is expected to honor Mikaela in the coming days, Blythe said.

"Our heart goes out to the family of Mikaela Lynch," Blythe said in a statement. "The Sunset Elementary community has been eagerly awaiting her safe return and is shocked and saddened by today's news. The principal will be sharing the news with the school community and has assembled a crisis response team that is prepared to respond to the emotional needs of students."

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Jill Tucker contributed to this story.

Ellen Huet is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ehuet@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ellenhuet

Autistic boy, 11, dies after hit by SUV

An 11-year-old boy who had autism died when he was hit by a sports utility vehicle as he tried to cross the Interstate 10 service road in west Houston Wednesday night.

The collision happened about 7:40 p.m. in the 11300 block of the westbound Katy Freeway service road near Kirkwood, according to the Houston Police Department.

Police identified the child as Desmond Thomas, of Houston. Police said the boy reportedly had autism.
Police said Thomas ran into traffic on the service road and the driver of a Lincoln Navigator that was traveling westbound on the roadway hit him. Thomas was rushed to Texas Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said The SUV driver was unable to avoid hitting Thomas and stopped after the collision. The driver, police said, showed no signs of intoxication or impairment. He was questioned at the scene and released.
The boy has special needs and was in the care of his father when he wandered away as the father was doing laundry, said Estella Olguin, spokeswoman for state Child Protective Services.

"He was being watched," Olguin said, "but he just wandered away. It's tragic."

Olguin said CPS is investigating the case, which is agency protocol whenever a child dies. The agency is also helping the boy's family members with counseling for their grief.

Police were still investigating the case.
dale.lezon@chron.com
facebook.com/DaleLezon

Jeremiah Conn, Age 5, Wanders and Drowns

Even as the community celebrated that young Scott Myer of Wisconsin was found safely, another family is grieving for a young life lost to autism by drowning.  From Wisconsin State Journal:

Stoughton police and firefighters found the body of a missing 5-year-old boy in a rainwater retention pond Tuesday evening.

The body of Jeremiah Conn, of Madison, was found after firefighters drained a retention pond near the Stoughton Fire Department building on East Main Street, Sgt. Rick Helstad of the Stoughton Police Department said.

The boy was reportedly spotted in or near the pond by a 911 caller at around 4:12 p.m., Helstad said. When officers arrived at the pond, though, they couldn't find the boy.

Shortly thereafter, they were flagged down by a person who was looking for a missing autistic boy. They began searching the murky pond and the surrounding area with help from the Stoughton Fire Department, he said.

The boy's shoes were found near the edge of the pond, Helstad said.

While the pond was being searched, almost 100 volunteers joined with police and fire officers to do a block-by-block search of the area, Helstad said.

But ultimately, the boy's body was found at around 7 p.m. after the pond had been "substantially" drained, he said.

Helstad said the boy was autistic, "almost nonverbal" and "was attracted to water." His family had brought him to Stoughton for the Stoughton Junior Fair, he said.

The police chaplain was called out to help comfort the boy's family and the officers, firefighters and volunteers who helped with the search, Helstad said.

There is no fence around the pond where the boy's body was found.

Helstad said the investigation into the incident has been closed and the death ruled an accidental drowning.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_71f3a5c2-c5e3-11e1-8769-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1zm3RlBs4

The family of a 5-year-old drowning victim tried many times to teach her the danger of water

BRADENTON, Fla. - A Bradenton family is mourning the loss of a 5-year-old autistic girl who drowned Monday afternoon in the retention pond behind their home.

According to police, the Kesia Kearce slipped out through the home's sliding glass door. Her family never even noticed she was gone.

"First I saw her, then I saw her in the water, then she was gone," said neighbor, Les Shedek.

Shedek jumped in to save her.

"I thought maybe I had her at one point but it was just a big log or something, a branch," he cried.

Brian Byrket, who'd come to the Braden River Lakes subdivision to mow lawns, also dove in.
    
"It was hard because you want to find her but you don't want to find her at the same time," he explained. "We were hoping for a better outcome but that's what we got."

Norman Kearce admits his daughter loved water. They'd tried many times to teach her its dangers but to no avail.

"They like the feeling of water. In fact, a lot of children with autism may feel more calm in the water. They seem more focused in the water," explained pediatrician Dr. David Berger.  "A child with autism may very well run away from the family."

Dr. Berger calls water a constant attraction and threat for all children, even if they don't suffer from autism. He recommends at least two barriers between a child and water, as well as a door alarm system, as well as the Pool Angel Anti-Drowning Alarm.

Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_sarasota_manatee/bradenton/the-family-of-a-5-year-old-drowning-victim-tried-many-times-to-teach-her-the-danger-of-water#ixzz28NbbsO2G

4-year-old autistic boy Aiden Bower drowns in Pasco swimming pool

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=257905 

Aiden wandered from his home in Florida.


Holiday, Florida - The family of Aiden Bower is devastated after losing their little four-year-old little boy. The child, who suffered from autism, drowned in a neighbor's pool Sunday night around 9 p.m. in the 4200 block of Sail Drive in Holiday. "It was heartbreaking," said Richard Coulett, who lives next door to where the little boy drowned. Coulett watched and prayed as paramedics and deputies tried to breathe life back into the child. "They started working on him, and they worked for about 30 minutes. My heart was in my throat," said Coulett. Sadly, the child got out of his bedroom somehow after his parents tucked him in around 8pm. When they went back to check on him around 9pm, Aiden was gone. The family called 911 immediately and within minutes, deputies arrived to search the area. They began going house to house looking for the little boy. After 15 minutes, one deputy made a heartbreaking discovery. Aiden's body was found floating in an elderly woman's pool, a place he had never visited. Somehow, his parents say, the child was able to open his window and push the screen to the ground. "The woman was devastated. She said she had never seen the boy, and he had never swam in her pool," said Pasco Sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin. Aiden was not the type to wander off, his mother and father told deputies. But, he did suffer from autism. "Everyone is devastated in this case," said Tobin. "The parents, I'm told, did everything they could. The one thing they didn't think of that their child would go through the window." The parents say they did everything they could to keep their son safe, including putting latches on doors. The little boy was airlifted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, but it was too late. He was pronounced dead just before midnight. It is widely known that children who suffer from autism are said to be drawn to water. Psychiatrists say the only problem with that is the children do not understand the dangers and often can not swim. Aiden Bower would have turned five years old in July.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120513/NEWS/120519809/1116

WESTBORO —  A 4-year-old who was found in the swimming pool at a condominium complex today has died, according to Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.'s office.

Alexie Lepoer, who had been reported missing shortly before 5 p.m., was found in the murky water of the pool at Park Village West Apartments, 135 E. Main St., shortly after 5:30 p.m., said Timothy Connolly, spokesman for Mr. Early, in a statement late tonight. The boy lived in Apartment R4 at the complex, the statement said.

Resuscitation efforts were made at the scene and the boy was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he was pronounced dead, the statement said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death, the statement said.

Before the boy was found, Westboro police and firefighters, a dive team and the state police and a search dog were dispatched to look for a missing boy, who was said to have autism and was non-verbal, according to the Westborough Patch. The boy's father had reported him missing at 4:55 p.m., the Patch said. The report said the boy was believed to have gone out a window of a building at the complex.

The boy's diaper and a house phone were found near the pool, according to the Patch.

The pool was fenced in and had not opened for the season, according to Channel 25 news. The TV station said the boy must have walked 300 to 400 feet to get to the pool from his unit.

Hannah Ross, Age 7

***UPDATE SUNDAY, APRIL 29TH, 4:55 P.M.** We have a tragic update to bring you on the story of the missing 7 year old at Fort Gordon. Dive teams discovered the girl's body around 3:15 Sunday afternoon at the lake behind the girl's home. We will have more on this story tonight on WJBF News Channel 6 at 6. _________________________________________________________________ The Augusta Richmond Dive squad is still searching for a missing 7-year-old girl at Fort Gordon. The dive team is looking for Hannah Ross, who investigators say went missing near her home, Saturday evening. The Ross family moved into Fort Gordon from California just last week. A PIO for Fort Gordon says Ross has no shoes on, and was last seen wearing a purple shirt and white shorts. Investigators at Fort Gordon police, the Columbia County Sheriff's office, the Richmond County Sheriff's office, as well as hundreds of volunteers spent Saturday night looking for Ross. K-9 units also assisted with the search. Investigators searched for Ross behind the Lakeview housing area on Fort Gordon. Several hundred volunteers, mostly soldiers, combed the area and searched into the night. A helicopter crew also assisted with search efforts. Ross suffers from autism and was last seen behind her home on Fort Gordon at approximately 6:45 p.m. Saturday evening. Hannah is 4 foot 8 inches tall, 80 pounds. Anyone with any information on Hannah's whereabouts, please contact Fort Gordon authorities at 706-791-9747. WJBF News Channel 6 will have much more on this story tonight at 6, 10 (CW) and 11.

Woman pleads not guilty to murder in death of 4-year-old son

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A Carmel Valley woman accused of drowning her 4-year-old autistic son in their apartment bathtub pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and assault charges.

Patricia Corby, who faces 25 years to life behind bars if convicted, was ordered held on $10 million bail by San Diego County Superior Court Judge Michael Smyth.

A bail review and status conference is scheduled for Tuesday at the downtown San Diego Courthouse.

Corby, 36, flagged down a patrol sergeant driving out of a parking lot at the precinct house about 9:30 a.m. Saturday and asked for help with her son, Daniel, who was unconscious and not breathing in her car, said San Diego police Lt. Ernie Herbert.

Daniel Corby, who turned 4 last week, was pronounced dead by medics near a San Diego police substation on El Camino Real in Carmel Valley about 30 minutes later.

After questioning Corby, detectives arrested her on suspicion of murdering the child.

An autopsy was conducted, but a cause-of-death ruling was on hold pending completion of further postmortem tests, the medical examiner reported.

Police disclosed no suspected motive for the crime, which occurred in the 4600 block of Torrey Circle in the Torrey Hills area of Carmel Valley. The boy's father was at work at the time of his son's death, Herbert said.

A neighbor said Patricia Corby was a stay-at-home mom who was attentive to the needs of her son, who had some form of autism.

9 Year OId Ariyanna Pivachek: Wandered, Drowned. Autism.

While the world dithers with blue buildings and "experts" fiddle with official numbers and scientists dream of their DNA payday, people with autism are dying:

Hillsborough County Florida:

After a desperate three-hour search by scores of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies — including about eight divers working multiple ponds at the same time — a missing 9-year-old girl with autism was found in the bottom of a pond behind the home where she attended a party.

Deputies began searching for Ariyanna Pivachek shortly after 3:30 p.m. when a call came in that she walked away from a party at 11159 Golden Silence Drive in Riverview, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesman Larry McKinnon.

The preliminary cause of death at this time appears to be an accidental drowning however a final ruling will be determined by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office, according to McKinnon.

Ariyanna had gone missing about 20 minutes earlier in an area that has several ponds, said McKinnon.

"We had deputies fanning out in ponds, taking their gun belts off to go in," said McKinnon, adding that about 50 deputies in all, including those flying in a helicopter, were involved in the search.

Deputies searched the party house, where there were eight adults and eight children, several times, according to McKinnon.

"We wanted to make sure she wasn't hiding," he said.

After searching the pond about 40 feet behind the home where the party took place for about an hour, Ariyanna was found about 15 feet from the shoreline in about 6 to 8 feet of water.

"There was zero visibility in those ponds," said McKinnon.

Ariyanna was living in a foster home at 309 Greenview Drive, Brandon, according to McKinnon.

The girl was picked up from that home by a family who was considering adopting her, according to McKinnon. The family brought her to the Golden Silence Drive home to attend the party.

A man answering the phone at the Greenview Drive home declined comment.

Maryland Psychiatrist allegedly murders 13 year old with autism, self.

This story is from MyFoxDC . Our condolences to the child's father and other family. We'll discuss this in further detail soon. For now, just pray. For Benjamin, Margaret, all of us.

By BOB BARNARD/myfoxdc

WASHINGTON - Montgomery County Police say a well-known psychiatrist and author shot and killed her teenage son, then turned the gun on herself in a murder-suicide inside their Kensington home.

Police were called to the rented townhouse on Simms Court Tuesday afternoon. They say Dr. Margaret Ferne Jensvold, 54, was found in her bedroom with a gunshot wound. 13-year-old Benjamin Barnhard was found in his bedroom also suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. The Maryland Medical Examiner's Office has ruled the case a murder-suicide.

FOX 5 News spoke with the boy's father, James Barnhard, who calls his ex-wife a lovely person who likely killed their only child out of desperation and love.

Barnhard says Ben was tormented by bullies at school for being extremely overweight and on the autism spectrum.

Statement from James Barnhard, ex-husband and father of victims:

"I loved my son and ex-wife, and I was proud of both of them. My son was a successful graduate of Wellspring Academy. He was featured on "Too Fat for Fifteen: Fighting Back," and lost 160 pounds in the last year, due to his hard work and determination.

I do not understand this tragedy, and I do not know why this has happened.

I will hold them in my heart, and they will be sorely missed by all who loved them. Please keep us in your prayers."

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

A psychiatrist specializing in women's health and her 13-year-old son were found dead in their home in suburban Washington in a likely murder-suicide, police said Wednesday.

The bodies of Margaret Ferne Jensvold, 54, and her son, Benjamin Barnhard, were found Tuesday afternoon in their respective bedrooms. Police were called after one of Jensvold's co-workers reported being unable to contact her for several days. Jensvold was divorced and lived with her son in the upper-middle-class suburb of Kensington, Md.

Both bodies had signs of trauma, but police did not elaborate. Capt. Paul Starks, a Montgomery County police spokesman, said officers had obtained a search warrant for the home and were continuing to investigate but believe that the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide. He would not elaborate on what led police to that conclusion, and said autopsy results were still pending.

"We of course still have to gather all evidence," Starks said.

Jensvold was most recently working with Kaiser Permanente in Kensington, said her ex-husband James Barnhard, Benjamin's father. He said he was still in disbelief and had not yet heard a timeline from police as to what they believed happened. He said he had last spoken with Jensvold several days ago to arrange a time to pick up his only son from her house.

"Ben was a very sweet and loving child. I mean, he was just one of the kindest and sweetest kids a parent could ever wish to have," Barnhard said. He said his son had spent the last year at a weight-loss program in North Carolina and had shed more than 100 pounds and loved sailing and other water activities.

He said he had no indication of any problems between his son and ex-wife.

"She was always nice to Ben. Sometimes she could get a little frustrated with him, but she was always nice to Ben," he added.

In 1990, Jensvold filed a federal lawsuit against the National Institutes of Mental Health, where she had been a medical staff fellow.

She alleged that a male superior harassed her because she was female and fired her in 1989 before she could complete the third year of her fellowship program. An eight-person jury found in Jensvold's favor, but that decision was rendered moot in 1996 when a judge held that she did not have the right to a jury trial and called her version of events an "illusion" and "widely exaggerated and skewed."

"She's an incredible person. I know she struggled against significant adversity, personally and in her career, and overcame a lot of hurdles to do some wonderful research and be a really good practitioner," said Lynne Bernabei, an attorney who represented Jensvold in her case.

"I think she had a great compassion for women and improving the lives of women through good health research, and she had a real passion for that," Bernabei said. "It wasn't just a 9-to-5 job for her. She really cared."

Read more: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/maryland/maryland-mother-son-dead-in-apparent-murder-suicide-080311#ixzz1U58rl6bn

John Burton, Age 7

AURORA, IN (FOX19) -

It's a tragic ending for a 7-year-old boy who went missing on Sunday afternoon.

Officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources found the body of John Burton Jr., 7, in North Hogan Creek on Monday morning just after 9 a.m.

Police say Burton was playing with his dog Sunday afternoon in area of Park Avenue in Aurora near a creek. The dog returned to the boy's home at 451 Park Avenue and was wet, but the boy was not with the pet.

The family had just moved to the Aurora neighborhood this weekend, meaning it was a new environment for the child.

Over 150 people were out at one point looking for Burton on Sunday. People who did not even know the family searched for hours.

"Everybody wants the same thing, to find a healthy, happy 7-year-old," said Jennifer Gallagher. "We are a very close-knit community and we just had to band together to help out."

John's parents say he would sometimes hide from people he believes are looking for him.

The search for Burton on Sunday ended around 9 p.m. when conditions became too dark for volunteers.

The search resumed Monday morning, but search crews were called back shortly after heading out after officers found the body.

Copyright 2011 FOX19. All Rights Reserved.

Kristina Vlassenko, Age 10

http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=969912910001



ARVADA - Authorities are working to figure out what caused the death of a missing girl with autism found on Tuesday morning at a construction site. Arvada Police also want to know why a tracking device on the girl did not work properly.

Kristina Vlassenko, 10, was reported missing by family members Monday afternoon. She was last seen at 3:30 p.m. Her parents contacted police within one hour, said Arvada Police spokesperson Susan Medina.

Medina says a construction worker found the girl's body near 58th Avenue and Oak Street around 7 a.m. Tuesday. Police say she may have fallen into a water-filled hole excavated for the foundation of a new recreation center.

Investigators do not believe foul play was involved. The coroner's office has yet to determine her cause of death.

"It's never easy. You just want to bring that child home and in this case we didn't get to do that," Medina said.

Medina says the girl was equipped with a Life Trak system, which is a transmitter about the size of a wrist watch used to locate at-risk people when they go missing. They are similar to those used for people with Alzheimer's and autism. Arvada began using the program in 2008 at no cost to families that qualified.

According to officers, Kristina's Life Trak had never been activated before, since she did not have a history of wandering off. They were not able to get a signal from it when it was activated Monday.

"We never were able to get a solid ping from that," Medina said.

9NEWS contacted six law enforcement agencies that use Colorado Life Trak. All reported that the technology is reliable - with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office reporting its success rate at 100 percent.

Michael Chylewski, vice president of Illinois-based Care Trak International, says this is the company's first reported fatality in its 26-year history.

"We were very sad to hear about the incident," he said. "We are sending company representatives out to aid the local police and sheriff's office in their investigation."

Jefferson County Sheriff's Public Information Director Jacki Kelley says the key is to report the missing person quickly.

"It should be up and running within ten minutes of the missing child," Kelley said.

Cmdr. Jeff Satur with Longmont Police sys his agency used Life Trak on May 13 to find a missing man with autism. The search took less than 30 minutes once the technology was activated.

"It helps us locate the people that we are looking for very quickly," Satur said. "We're very happy with its success."

Officers suspect Kristina's transmitter probably wasn't emitting a traceable signal because it was under water. They have contacted the manufacturer, Illinois-based Care Trak, to address the issue.

9NEWS left a message with the company after business hours Tuesday.

Kristina's former school bus driver, Liz Garcia, says the girl could have easily wandered into a dangerous situation.

"She is very nonverbal. I just can't imagine her being lost and not being able to cry out for help," Garcia said.

Garcia says Kristina loved to play in dirt and that could have been a reason she went into the construction site.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen the girl from the time she was reported missing to the time she was found to call police at 720-898-6900.

(KUSA-TV © 2011 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)

Elkhart, Indiana: Tristan Guffey, age 15, dies after lighting himself on fire.

Tristan Guffey at a younger age

By Clifton French (cfrench@wsbt.com)
WBST
7:41 p.m. EDT, April 22, 2011

An Elkhart teenager has died after suffering severe burns in a fire that happened Thursday evening in the 1200 block of Rice Street.

Tristan Guffey, 15, was air-lifted to a hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The victim had a severe form of autism. According to fire investigators, he was playing with matches and lighter fluid when he caught himself and his home on fire.

Despite the efforts of some strangers who managed to put out the fire that was burning the teen, on Friday he passed away.

"I wish I could have actually got here sooner to help him out. Maybe I could have saved his life," said Drake Newton. "I really don't know him, but I care for him."

Drake Newton and his nephew Derek were driving by, becoming two of the first to help Tristan when he ran out of his house, his entire body covered in flames.

Drake and Derek ripped his burning clothes off, stopping the fire that was burning him.

Now that Drake knows the boy has died, he wishes he could have done more.

"I wish I could have taken that pain myself instead of him going through that."

The tragedy has hit the entire Elkhart neighborhood. People who knew Tristan remember a happy boy who loved Legos and Transformers.

"He was really nice, because he would always say hi to me and we didn't even know each other," said Hannah Duncan.

Duncan and her friend were walking around the neighborhood when they saw the fire, catching the chaos on their phones.

"We saw him and he was on a stretcher…and he was completely black. We saw his mom screaming…"

Now, for those who witnessed the fire, they are still shocked that the young boy is gone.

"I can't even put it in words right now."

Tristan and his guardian, who he called his mother, were the only two who lived in the house. WSBT talked to a friend of the family who told us Tristan's guardian is back from Kalamazoo, but she does not want to speak to the media right now.

Cushing, Oklahoma: Blake Murrell, age 4, drowns in duck pond

Blake Murrell, age 4

Cushing Police: Body Found In Pond Is Missing Autistic Child
Body Pulled From Pond
POSTED: 1:48 pm CDT April 19, 2011

CUSHING, Okla. -- Cushing police confirmed to Eyewitness News 5 that the body found in a local duck pond was that of an autistic boy who was reported missing on Tuesday.

Investigators said the child, who was unable to speak, was reported missing sometime after noon.
Blake Murrell, 4, was last seen wearing blue pants with a green stripe down the side.

Cochise County, Airzona: 12 year old boy dies in fire, found under bed

12 year-old killed in overnight house fire
Posted: Apr 02, 2011 2:46 PM EDT
Updated: Apr 02, 2011 2:46 PM EDT
KGUN9
Brian Pryor

COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN9-TV) - Authorities are investigating a house fire that claimed the life of a 12 year-old boy overnight.

Carol Capas with the Sheriff's Office said that they responded to the trailer home in the 400 block of Purdy Lane after 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Crews from the Naco, Bisbee, and San Jose Fire Department responded, as they arrived they observed two subjects outside the home. The father was seen trying to re-enter the burning home searching for his 12 year-old autistic son.

Once the fire was under control, firefighters searched the scene and found the 12 year-old partially under the bed deceased. The father told investigators that the son evacuated with the family but became confused and ran back into the burning home.

The American Red Cross is providing emergency aid to the family and provided them a place to stay. The Bisbee Fire Department also provided the family a care back with necessities and a pre-paid credit card.

Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire but are looking at the electrical system as a possible cause.

BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) — An autistic Arizona boy is said to have alerted his father about a fire in their mobile home early today, but then ran back inside after everyone had safely escaped. The father says his 12-year-old son appeared to be confused. Sheriff's officials say the home in Bizbee was fully engulfed by the time fire crews arrived.

Ida Township, Michigan: Jackson Kastner, age 4, drowns after wandering from home

Boy wanders from home, drowns in river
by Ray Kisonas , last modified March 28. 2011 11:36AM

IDA TOWNSHIP — An intense search and a dramatic helicopter rescue attempt ended in tragedy and sorrow Sunday afternoon when a missing 4-year-old boy with autism drowned in the River Raisin after he wandered from his home.

Counselors were on hand this morning for the students and staff at the Riverside Early Learning Center where Jackson Kastner was a student.

“It’s just tragic,” said Donald Spencer, superintendent of the Monroe County Intermediate School District. “We’re sick about it. The staff works so closely with the kids and their parents. They’re just devastated.”

An autopsy was scheduled for this morning but Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said there was nothing suspicious involving the boy’s death, which he expects to be ruled as an accidental drowning. That’s why there was no Amber Alert issued.

“There was no reason for it,” the sheriff said this morning. “It was never a case of suspected foul play.”

Jackson was outside playing in the back yard of the family home on S. Custer Rd. west of Raisinville Rd. when his mother reportedly went inside the house for about four or five minutes, said Sgt. Jeff Kemp. The river is about 300 yards behind the house, police said.

“When she came back out, he was gone,” Sgt. Kemp said.

Jackson apparently enjoyed a neighbor’s playscape and that’s the first place his mother looked. But when he wasn’t there, she called 911 and that launched a search involving 40 to 50 volunteers from area fire and police departments, including three tracking dogs.

Paul Metz, chief of the Ida Township Volunteer Fire Department, coordinated the firefighters’ search. Jackson’s autism was such that he did not respond to his name and he often liked confined spaces, he said.

Chief Metz said firefighters, neighbors and others looked along the river bank.

“The whole time we were totally optimistic,” Chief Metz said, who wanted to thank the community for the effort. “We thought he was going to be fine. There were real high emotions.”

Around the same time, the sheriff’s aviator unit was deployed and searching from above. Pilot Joe Schumaker and deputies Don Duncan and Brian Francisco were in the Raptor about 300 feet above the ground when the two deputies spotted something yellow in the water, which was relatively clear.

It was part of the boy’s clothing.

“You could tell it was him,” Deputy Duncan said.

The boy’s body was spotted at a small island in the middle of the river across from Carrington Farms about 1½ miles downstream from the family home. Mr. Schumaker carefully landed the helicopter on the island.

“It took some fantastic flying skills to get there,” the sheriff said.

Just as he touched down, the two deputies jumped out of the chopper and retrieved the boy. They began life-saving efforts, then decided the best course of action was to fly him across the river to a waiting ambulance.

While police closed traffic on S. Custer Rd. in both directions, Mr. Schumaker landed the chopper in the middle of the road and the boy was taken to the ambulance, which rushed him to the hospital.

Doctors could not save him.

“It’s always extra difficult when it’s a young one,” Deputy Duncan said. “It’s tough.”

The sheriff said that although the rescue ended in tragedy, at least the boy was found quickly. The river’s currents were strong and there is no telling how long it would have taken for a recovery.

“It’s important that we were able to retrieve him and have quick closure for the family,” the sheriff said. “If it hadn’t been for the helicopter and the crew we would not have found him. It was a tremendous effort, but it’s sad.”