Joseph Wallace
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Joseph R.Wallace (July 29, 1989–April 18, 1993) was a three year old boy who was murdered by his mother on April 18, 1993 in their Chicago, Illinois apartment. Joseph's death gained statewide and then national speculation because he was known to the state's child welfare system. Joseph's mother Amanda, who committed suicide in 1997, was herself a survivor of child abuse. She suffered from epilepsy and was known to have been mentally unstable as well, which led her to frequently harm herself and her children. Joseph was born while she was a resident of Chicago's Elgin Mental Health Center. Between 1989 and 1992 Joseph was removed 3 times from his mother's home to foster care, only to be returned to his mother's care because it was believed that it would be in his best interest to be raised with a natural parent, even though each successive time that Joseph was returned to his mother's house it was clear that he was being physically and emotionally abused, to the extent that his foster parents would notice bald spots on his head from physically pulling out his hair. In the early morning hours of April 18-19 1993, Joseph was ultimately killed by his mother who while the family was visiting relatives had claimed that her son was a troublemaker and had threatened to murder him. He died after his mother hung him from the metal crank-arm of their apartment door. Joseph's death called for much investigation into the scene. His mother, who had displayed out of control behavior throughout much of her trial, was ultimately sentenced to life in prison.
