The parents of a severely disabled woman who was found dead last year and so neglected that she had ‘merged’ with the couch have been arrested for a second time on charges related to her murder, after the first formality charges were dropped.
Sheila and husband Clay Fletcher, both 64, were originally arrested in May 2022 and charged with second-degree murder. Her daughter’s decomposed body was found at her home in Slaughter, Louisiana, in January 2022.
Last month, a judge dismissed the charges, finding that prosecutors had mistakenly used flawed language in the elder cruelty charge.
Last week, on June 19, the couple were again charged with second-degree murder.
“We will ensure that justice is done for Lacey and that the public knows that caregivers will be charged for neglect or abuse of a person in their care,” said Sam D’Aquilla, the district attorney.
They were released on bail. If convicted, they face life imprisonment.
Sheila Fletcher and Clay Fletcher, both 64, were arrested again on June 19 and charged a second time with second-degree murder for the death of their daughter Lacey, 36, as a formality
A high school photo of Lacey Ellen Fletcher, 36, taken when she was 16. The coroner believes she lay on the couch for 12 years
Her daughter, who suffered from severe autism and social anxiety, died covered in feces, sinking into a hole in a sofa supported by her emaciated body.
According to authorities, she was riddled with maggots and sores, had multiple ulcers on her underside, and fecal matter squeezed into her face, chest and abdomen.
She hadn’t left the house for 15 years and was found in her parents’ otherwise tidy home in the small town of Slaughter.
Prosecutors believe she suffered horrific abuse for 12 years.
East Feliciana Parish Coroner, Dr. Ewell Bickham said he was deeply traumatized by the case and felt ill for a week.
The grand jury was shown detailed images of the conditions in which Lacey was found in the first indictment.
Bickham told they were so terrifying and worrying that paramedics were on call for the 12 panel members.
He added that the photos of the scene left those present speechless.
“When I introduced the case, showed the pictures and gave the timeline, the look on the grand jury’s face was absolutely shocking,” he said.
“Like the clock on the wall never moved again.”
“There was complete silence. Some jurors gasped in horror. Some stared in disbelief.’
Sheila, 64, got out of jail on her first charge in May last year after posting $300,000 bail – just over 24 hours after her arrest
The mother, who faces murder charges in the death of her autistic daughter Lacey, was filmed leaving East Feliciana Parish Jail
Sheila refused to answer questions from as she made her way with a hastily arranged bail bondsman
Bickham – who was called into the house immediately after Lacey was discovered on Jan. 3, 2022 – also told the case had been very tough on him personally, describing Monday’s grand jury trial as “a long one.” emotional day”.
He added, “Seeing those photos again and reliving that traumatic experience was really hard.”
Speaking in court after the grand jury’s decision last year, Bickham revealed that Lacey had sat on the couch for at least 12 years.
“At least 12 years as a proof,” he said.
“Could be before that.” At least 12 years. An awfully long time.’
ATTENTION: GRAPHIC IMAGE
The coroner also revealed the full horrifying cause of death.
He said, “The cause of death was severe medical neglect resulting in chronic malnutrition, acute starvation, immobility, acute ulceration and osteomyelitis, a bone infection that eventually led to sepsis.”
The doctor also cleared up a misconception about Lacey’s actual condition, originally described as “locked-in” syndrome.
A photo showing a close-up of the leather couch that Lacey was pinned to. The coroner estimates that Lacey has been sitting in that hole in the couch for the last 12 years
He said, “I don’t know where that term came from or what source it came from.” In all my years of practicing medicine, I’ve never heard that term.
“The only diagnoses I know she had were social anxiety, severe autism and that’s it.” Those are her only two diagnoses.
“The last time she saw a doctor of any kind was when she was 16.” “The picture of her was when she was 16.”
Outside of court, D’Aquilla said Lacey’s death was a “crime against humanity,” adding, “I hope that these charges will bring the spotlight to the victims of this type of crime.”
“The coroner has a lot of authority, a lot of power.” If someone doesn’t want treatment or refuses treatment, go to the coroner’s office, go to the police, check on your neighbors, check on your friends. If you are a caregiver, reach out to people and make sure they are taken care of.
A photo of the two story house on Tom Drive in Slaughter where Lacey lived with her parents
“This case was so horrific that the coroner and sheriff’s office first investigated this case in January and the circumstances in which she was found were simply incredible.”
“You don’t treat anyone or any animal that way.” Something had to be done and we all came together, we all stood on the same platform and we are all here now and we have a charge of second degree murder.”
The tragedy is all the more mysterious because Sheila Fletcher worked for authorities who could have helped her daughter.
She was a police and court officer in the small nearby town of Baker, and more recently an assistant city attorney in Zachary, a slightly larger community also nearby.
The mother was also a member of the Slaughter’s Board of Alderman but resigned in January 2022 after four years of service.
Clay Fletcher is an officer with the nonprofit Baton Rouge Civil War Roundtable whose mission is to “educate and instill appreciation for the sacrifices that everyone made during the Civil War.”
The couple’s attorney, Steven Moore, said in a statement: “They don’t want to relive the pain of losing a child through the media.”
“You’ve been through a lot of heartache over the years. “Anyone who has lost a child knows what it’s like.”
An undated photo of Clay and Sheila Fletcher standing in front of their Christmas tree
Clay Fletcher, seen with Sheila in an undated photo, is an officer with the nonprofit Baton Rouge Civil War Roundtable, whose mission is to “educate and encourage appreciation for the sacrifices everyone made during the Civil War.” .
The district attorney said the Fletchers alleged in 2011 and 2012 that Lacey did not want to leave the house and did not see a doctor.
He said the parents claimed she could communicate with them and apparently never complained.
The Fletchers reportedly said that Lacey developed “some degree of Asperger’s Syndrome” after 9th grade when she was homeschooled.
During an interview with law enforcement, they insisted she was the one who chose to never leave the couch and relieved herself there or on a towel nearby, they say.
Sheila Fletcher said she regularly cleaned her daughter’s wounds.
“Mom and Dad love you so much,” she wrote in a Facebook post after the death.