The parents of Lacey Fletcher, a girl from Louisiana who was found "melted" on the couch of the house where she lived with her family, have been sentenced to 20 years each. Sheila and Clay, who ignored their daughter's critical health condition and neglected her so much that her body became one with the sofa, will receive the punishment for the said case.
Lacey passed away in 2022, and it was very difficult to disentangle her body from the couch where she had been lying for years, as dirt and vermin had covered her.
On January 3, 2022, Sheila Fletcher, 64, called police to report that her 36-year-old daughter, Lacey Ellen Fletcher, had been found dead on the couch. After analyzing the situation, it was realized that Lacey had been neglected for 12 years, due to her mental and physical condition. It was learned that Sheila and Clay let their daughter pass out on the sofa and the bugs attack her body, without providing her with medical attention.
Lacey had autism and was bullied at school. This made the parents to make the decision and educate him at home. Sheila and Clay often complained about their daughter and expressed that they would not want to be her guardians. When Lacey turned 14, she suffered from another difficult mental and physical condition that prevented her from leaving the house. Instead of seeking medical help, Lacey and Clay left him on the leather sofa, where he died.
Sheila and Clay simply placed towels around the couch to make it easier to clean up the girl's personal needs. Everything else in the house was clean, except for the couch where Lacey was sitting. Time passed and the clothes no longer fit the girl. They gripped her body and filled her with feces and urine, as well as maggots found around the couch and in Lacey's hair, causing starvation and bone infection to cause her death.
The police found the girl's body in a terrible condition and learned that she had passed away 2 days before her mother's phone call. Sheila and Clay lied to the police saying that for 12 years, Lacey had not accepted their help.
The policemen and doctors who found the girl's body said that for many days they could not eat or sleep, because of the images and the shocking nature of the crime.
According to The Advocate, 11 people testified in their case, for 6 hours, and the next decision was given at the District Courthouse, Clinton. According to witnesses, both parents cried, although for years they left their daughter in terrible conditions.
They refused to give their daughter the necessary medical help and proper care. In court documents obtained by The Advocate, authorities said the girl's body was covered in maggots. She was affected by ulcers and her face, chest and stomach were covered with faeces. The parents, to defend themselves, had argued that the girl refused medical attention, but prosecutors, through evidence, came to the conclusion that Lacey was not mentally fit to refuse medical treatment.
A coroner reported that her weight was very small and that all her bones were visible. Also, it was reported that she was also affected by Covid-19. Experts said Lacey died of "acute medical negligence" dating back to 2010, even though her parents were supposed to be watching and caring for her.
After the decision on the sentence of 40 years (together), the prosecutors and the lawyer of the case gave the message that such behavior by the parents cannot be tolerated. "Look after your friends, talk to your neighbors and make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else. It's something that could have been prevented."
