Two parents in Louisiana may face murder charges after their 36-year-old daughter, who suffered from locked-in syndrome, was found “melted” into their couch.
According to WBRZ, the body of Lacey Fletcher was found dead at the home of her parents, Sheila and Clay Fletcher, in Slaughter, Louisiana, back on January 3. Her mom reportedly called 911 when they noticed she had stopped breathing. When first responders arrived at the residence, they came face to face with a gruesome and nightmarish scene.
In what can only be described as one of the worst-ever cases of alleged neglect, coroner Dr. Ewell Bickham recalled the disturbing situation to WAFB. He claimed her body was found sunk into a hole she made in the 1960’s style couch from possibly not moving from it at all for years, saying:
“When I first walked in the house, it smelled of feces, fecal material, however you want to put that politely, it stunk. And when I got to the body, the individual was basically sitting in a hole, filled with liquid stool and urine.”
According to Bickham, the woman was covered in urine and liquid feces all over her body, as well as bed sores that went down to the bone. Lacey suffered from a rare neurological disorder called locked-in syndrome, meaning she cannot move any muscles except for her eyes. The coroner claimed it looked like the victim had used the coach as a bathroom. It was so bad that she had eventually “melted” through the upholstery of the sofa. Insects were also found crawling on her body.
At the time of her death, she only weighed 96 pounds. Truly horrific…
Bickham told the outlet that he believes Lacey may have been neglected for at least a decade, telling WAFB:
“It’s the worst form of medical neglect I’ve ever seen. I don’t know any other adjectives or adverbs to add to that. I’ve never seen anything like this, that literally turned my stomach as bad as it did. It literally got me emotional, and I’m a strong person.”
Following an autopsy, Bickham and the Jefferson Parish Forensic Center ruled her death as a homicide due to years of neglect.
While her parents have not been arrested or charged with any crime yet, District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla is set to ask for a grand jury to bring second-degree murder charges against them. He said:
“The caretakers just let her sit on the couch. She just urinated and used the bathroom on the couch. It was so horrific. It was the smell of rot. We don’t even treat animals like this.”
According to The Sun, Sheila and Clay were interviewed by detectives on January 18 and claimed Lacey suffered from severe social anxiety as a teen to the point where she had to be home schooled. They claimed she would not leave the living room couch, resorting to urinating and defecating in towels or on the floor. Additionally, the two said Lacey had not seen a doctor in ten years because she was ill and was “of sound mind to make her own type of decision.” They also insisted they cleaned her bedsores and brought her meals often.
Sheila and Clay’s attorney Steven Moore released a statement about the horrible situation on Wednesday, saying:
“They don’t want to relive the pain of losing a child through the media. They have been through a lot of heartache over the years. Anyone who had lost a child knows what it’s like.”
It is truly awful what happened here. No words…
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