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)