Marcus McGhee

Marcus McGhee (2007-2016)

Marcus "Stink" McGhee was 9 years old and had autism. He was born on July 9, 2007, and lived in South Windsor, Connecticut. Hundreds of volunteers searched for Marcus McGhee after he went missing on Thanksgiving Day. On November 26, 2016, his body was found near a body of water in Pearland, Texas near Houston. When he went missing, Marcus was in Texas visiting family for the Thanksgiving holiday at the home of his uncle Marcus Camby, an ex-NBA player. Marcus McGhee and Mia Camby are Marcus' parents.

Tribute to Marcus McGhee:   

"Despite having Autism he was special in so many ways. The pictures and videos will keep him visible in our minds, his smile will keep him alive in our hearts and we are grateful for the treasure called "Stink" whom God allowed us to share for the past nine years. Marcus attended preschool at Eli Terry in South Windsor, CT then excelled and moved to Coltsville-River Street Autism Program. He was excited to go to school and learn his communication skills via songs, Pecs and sign language (From Marucs McGhee's Obituary)."

Links about Marcus McGhee:

Obituary: Obituary at Carmon Community Funeral Homes (Windsor, CT)

News:

• Missing Boy, 9, with Autism Found Dead in Pearland (Click 2 Houston, November 26, 2016)
• Young Nephew of ex-NBA player Marus Camby found dead in lake near Houston (Dallas News, November 26, 2016)

Deonn Carter

Deonn Carter (1984-2016)

Deonn Rashod Carter was 31 years old and had autism. He lived in Columbus, Georgia. He was born on November 2, 1984, in Nuremburg, Germany. Deonn Carter died on August 20, 2016, as a result of gunshot wounds he sustained 11 days earlier during a robbery at his apartment complex on August 9, 2016.  He graduated from Columbus High School. Deonn Carter was employed by Piggly Wiggly as a bagger and stocker since 2003 and he served as a deacon at Love Revolution Church. His parents are Freddie Carter and Suzette Ragland.

Tribute to Deonn Carter:  

We are saddened by the tragic loss of hometown hero Deonn Carter, a kind soul who loved and supported public safety. pic.twitter.com/9ZkZtnqPBu

— CSU POLICE (@CSUPOLICE) August 20, 2016

Links about Deonn Carter:

Obituary: Obituary at McMullen Funeral Home (Columbus, GA)

News:

• Police, Firefighters Shocked to Discover Shooting Victim is Autistic Friend (Ledger-Enquirer, Alva James-Johnson, August 10, 2016)

• Deonn Carter Passes Away, Shot During Armed Robbery on Aug. 9 (WTVM.com, Tanita Gaither, August 20, 2016)  

• Mother of Autistic Shooting Victim Always Believed He Could Succeed (The Telegraph, Alva James-Johnson, August 24, 2016) 

• Deonn Carter Remembered as an 'Angel' at Celebration of Life Service (Ledger-Enquirer, Alva James-Johnson, August 26, 2016)  

Damion Davidson

Damion Alexander Davidson (2007-2016)

Damion Alexander Davidson was 8 years old and had autism. He lived in Duncan, Oklahoma. He was born  on September 30, 2007, and had just finished 2nd grade as a student at Mark Twain Elementary School in Duncan, Oklahoma. Damion liked thunderstorms and he wandered away from his home in the middle of the night on June 12, 2016 during one. For two weeks volunteers and officials helped search for Damion. On June 25, 2016, his body was found under storm debris in Clandy Creek in Duncan, Oklahoma. He died as a result of drowning. Richard and Joketta Davidson are Damion's parents.

Tribute to Damion Davidson:  "Damion loved to go swimming, play outside, watch the trains taht passed by his home and watching Mickey Mouse Club House on television. He loved when it was dark outside so he could look up and watch the stars (Damion Davidson's Obituary)."

Links about Damion Davidson:

Obituary: Whitt Funeral Services Obituary for Damion Davidson

News:

• Family Planning Memorial after 8 year-old Boy's Body Found (KFOR.com, Dallas Franklin, June 28, 2016)
• Medical Examiner Identifies Body as that of 8 year-old Duncan Boy, Releases Cause of Death (KFOR.com, June 29, 2016) 

Kreed Joshua

Kreed Joshua (1997-2016)

Kreed Joshua was 18 years old and had autism. He lived in Colorado. Kreed Joshua was born on September 9, 2007 and died on May 12, 2016, following a prolonged battle with several complicated health conditions besides autism, including hypothyroidism, epilepsy, SCAD, Adrenal Insuficiency, and CVID. Kreed had become known in the autism community for sharing his life with us as the star of several videos on his popular YouTube Channel called Kreed's World. Kreed Joshua's mother is blogger Erin Polk. You can read more information about the life of Kreed Joshua and his family's memories on her blog called Kreed's World.

The following is a tribute video made on YouTube for Kreed.

Links about Kreed Joshua:

Blogs:

• The Autism Site Blo
• Kreed's World 

Social Media

• Facebook Page for Kreed's World
• YouTube Channel for Kreed's World 

Joshua Titus

Joshua Titus (1990-2016)

Joshua Titus was 25 years old and had autism. He lived in Auburn, Maine. He was born in Romania on October 14, 1990 and was adopted as an infant by Andrew and Carolyn Titus. Joshua Titus passed away on April 6, 2016, from cancer. He served as the manager of the Edward Little High School Basketball Team and became a national inspiration when he entered the final home game of the season and scored 9 points. His story became one of the top 10 high school sports stories on ESPN in 2009 and he inspired the Maine McDonald's Games Spirit of the Game Award that is named after him. Joshua Titus worked for Bates College. He is survived by his parents Andrew and Carolyn Titus and his brother Nathan Titus.

Links about Joshua Titus:

Obituary: Dignity Memorial Obituary for Joshua Titus

News:

• Maine Man With Autism who Played in Famous High School Basketball Game Dies (Boston.com, Amanda Hoover, April 7, 2016)
• Josh Titus, Well Known Basketball Inspiration from Maine, dies at 25 (Boston Globe, Danny McDonald, April 8, 2016) 

Jonathan Shay

Jonathan Shay, 13 years

Jonathan Shay was 13 years old and had autism. He was from St. James, Missouri. On July 9, 2015, Jonathan went missing in a rural area near Dry Fork Creek. He wandered out with his cousin Xavier Baylor. Xavier was found a day later but there was no sign of Jonathan Shay. Several searches by volunteers and law enforcement were conducted during the weeks when Jonathan Shay remained missing. His remains were discovered on February 21, 2016 on property near where he was last seen. Jonathan Shay's mother is Melissa Perkins.

Links about Jonathan Shay:

Blogs:

• JINO Leads New Search for Jonathan Shay (The Carthage Press, Natalie Sanders and Paul Hackbarth, September 7, 2015) 

• Why Wandering Can Be Dangerous for Children with Autism (Autism Daily Newscast, July 23, 2015)

News:  

• Human Remains Identified as Jonathan Shay's (13KRCG, Meghan Lane, March 10, 2016)

• Update: One Boy Found, Another Still Missing (13KRCG, Dan Claxton, July 10, 2015)

• Weekend of Searching Fails to Turn Up Missing Teen (OzarksFirst.com, July 13, 2015)

Daniel Joost

Daniel Joost, 18 Years

Daniel Joost was 18 years old and had autism. He was from Oak Forest, Illinois near Chicago. Daniel Joost and his mother Margaret O'Leary-Joost were discovered murdered in their home on February 8, 2016. Daniel's father, David Joost, allegedly was responsible for the homicides and was found in the garage having committed suicide. Daniel Joost is survived by a sister, Kathryn Joost, who was away at college during this tragic murder-suicide.

Links about Daniel Joost: 

Blogs:

• Autism Memorial 

• Autism News, Science and Opinion

News:  

• Father Strangles Autistic Son and Wife in Oak Forest Murder-Suicide (Oak Forest Patch, Lauren Traut, February 9, 2016)

• 3 Family Members Dead in Oak Forest Murder-Suicide, Officials Say (ABC7 News, Jessica D'Onofrio, February 9, 2016) 

• Family Dead in Murder-Suicide Struggled with Financial Problems (Chicago Tribune, Nick Swedberg, February 10, 2016)

Danielle Jacobs

Danielle Jacobs (1991-2016)

Danielle Jacobs was 24 years old and had the form of autism known as Asperger's syndrome. Danielle had become famous for a video she placed on YouTube in 2015 which went viral and showed an event when her dog Samson calmed her when she was having a meltdown. On February 4, 2016, she was shot and killed by police, who were called to her home in Mesa, Arizona. The officer involved shooting is under investigation.

Links about Danielle Jacobs: 

Blogs: Autism Light

News:  

• Woman Killed by Police Had Viral Autism-Awareness Video (CBS News, Febrary 5, 2016) 

• Woman with Asperger's Syndome Shot Dead by Police in Arizona (The Telegraph, Daid Millward, February 6, 2016) 

• Woman Killed by Police Had Popular Online Video (Associated Press, February , 2016) 

Jayliel Vega Batista

Jayliel Vega Batista, 5 Years

Jayliel Vega Batista was 5 years old and had autism. He lived in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He wandered away from a New Year's Eve party on December 31, 2015. After an intensive search his body was discovered on January 2, 2016, in the Lehigh Canal, located a quarter of a mile from the home he went missing from. His parents are Gilberto L. Vega and Yelitza I. Batista.


Links about Jayliel Vega Batista: 

Obituary: Legacy.com Obituary for Jayliel Batista

News:  

• Funeral Set for 5-Year-Old Allentown Boy (NBC10.com, January 4, 2016) 
• Body of Missing 5-Year-Old Pennsylvania Boy With Autism, Jaylel Vega Batista, Found (NBC News, Elisha Fieldstadt, January 2, 2016)
• Tragic End to Search for Autistic 5-year-old in Allentown (Lehigh Valley Live, Steve Novak, January 2, 2016)