Damien Veraghen

Name: Damien Veraghen.
Died: January 20, 2014.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Drugged and suffocated.
Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA.

Details:
Damien had autism and epilepsy. He was known among friends and relatives for his ever-present smile and evident enjoyment of life. Damien liked eating at McDonald’s, where his mother worked.

Damien liked playing catch, and loved sports in general. He played in the Miracle League of Green Bay. Every week, Damien played a game with friends in the league. He loved the baseball bats.

Damien liked to run the vacuum cleaner at home, and neighbors would hear the vacuum cleaner and know it was Damien.

Damian’s mother suffocated him before killing herself. She left a note discussing “difficulties in her life”. Police, who found Damien and his mother during a welfare check [ed.: “Welfare check” means that a neighbor was worried and called the police to check on them], report that Damien was most likely drugged beforehand.

References:
April and Damien Veraghen, Obituary
Mother-son deaths at west-side apartment ruled murder, suicide
Friends remember victims of murder-suicide
Mother-son murder-suicide investigation closed