Niamh Shackleton
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions and images which some readers may find distressing.
A horrendous case of neglect left a coroner so disturbed that they weren't able to eat for an entire week.
In 2022, Lacey Fletcher was discovered dead in her parents' home in Louisiana.
Lacey's believed to have had autism and struggled with anxiety, as well as a having condition called locked-in syndrome that causes a person to become unable to move or verbally communicate.
Advert
With her ailments in mind, Lacey's parents Sheila and Clay Fletcher were the 36-year-old's caregivers.
Sheila and Clay are thought to have neglected their daughter - who supposedly vanished from public view in 2002. Their lack of care for her ultimately contributed towards the young woman's passing.
When police arrived at the scene to see Lacey, they were met with an extremely gruesome sight.
Lacey's said to have somewhat 'melted' into the couch that she was sat on. She's thought to may have remained in the same positive for as long as 12 years because of her locked-in syndrome, and underneath her was a hole in the couch that contained urine and feces.
Lacey's skin was also rotted and some of her bones were exposed.
Furthermore, from sitting in the same position so long, Lacey had ulcers on her body, and her underside appeared 'appeared rotten to the bone'.
Coroner Dr. Ewell Dewitt Bickham III was one person to have witnessed the ordeal after Sheila had called 911 on January 3, 2022, to report her daughter's death.
Recalling the scene, Bickham said, as per WDAM 7: "Opened the door, walked into the house, there was a stench, an odor, feces, fecal material, urine, you couldn’t hold your breath."
He further labeled it as one of the worst scenes he'd ever worked on, describing it as 'sickening'.
Bickham was so traumatized by what he saw that he said that he was unable to eat and cried for a week afterwards.
Lacey's autopsy report revealed that she died as a result of sepsis, which was brought on by other conditions she had.
The late 36-year-old is also thought to have suffered starvation at the hands of her parents' neglect, as well as bone infections.
Over two years on from Lacey's death and her parents pleaded no contest to manslaughter and were sentenced 40 years behind bars, 20 of those being suspended.
The couple had first been charged with second-degree murder (which they pleaded not guilty to), but this was thrown out in 2023 due to defective language in the charging documents.
They were indicted again by a grand jury a few months later, this time of manslaughter.
They received their sentencing in March 2024.