Parents of 36-Year-Old Shut-In, Covered in Filth, Could Face Murder Charges
The parents of a 36-year-old shut-in who ended up being found dead on a couch in their home could face murder charges according to The Advocate.
The 20th District District Attorney, Sam D'Aquilla, said this week that they do not know how long Lacey Ellen Fletcher was on the sofa, but when she was found she was covered in maggots, feces, and ulcers.
The parent of the young woman issued a statement through their attorney, Steven Moore this week, saying that they are dealing with their own pain.
Moore is quoted as saying
They don't want to relieve 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.
The girl was found dead on the couch at the home of her parents, Sheila and Clay Fletcher. As far as to the extent of what the woman's issues were that information has not been released.
D'Aquilla says he will ask for the grand jury reviewing the case to hand down second-degree murder charges. He contends,
The caretakers just let her sit on the couch. She just urinated and used the bathroom on the couch. It was so horrific
An investigation has been going on since the 36-year-old was found dead sunken into the couch on January 3 at the Fletcher's home in Slaughter which is in East Feliciana Parish. Lacey's mother, Sheila Fletcher, was a town alderman.
The district attorney says it's possible that the young woman had been on that couch for years, but it's event that she suffered severe neglect.
Dr. Ewell Bickham III conducted the autopsy and ruled the death a homicide. While the coroner can't speak directly to the media as the investigation is ongoing, D'Aquilla told the newspaper that the girl suffered from bacterial infections, and ulcers, and she was also positive for COVID-19.
When deputies got to the scene they were greeted by a foul stench. The Advocate report says D'Aquilla says the girl was basically sitting on a hole in the couch "filled with stool and urine. Severe ulcers covered her underside, which appeared 'rotten to the bone'. Fecal matter was crushed into her face, chest, and abdomen. Her hair was matted, knotted, and filled with maggots."