A colleague of a Louisiana man accused of abandoning his 36-year-old disabled daughter to die on the living room couch said he was “shocked” by the horrific allegations.
Lacey Fletcher was found dead in January.
She suffered from Locked-in Syndrome, as a result of which she could not move her muscles and her parents were her main caregivers.
She was found dead, melted on a sofa in the living room and covered with insects and her own body fluids.
Clay Fletcher, 65,’s father, and Silas, 64, are now facing second-degree murder charges.
John Potts, program director at Baton Rouge Civil War Roundtable – where Clay Fletcher worked – said he was surprised by the news.
Asked by KTAL News about his reaction, Potts replied: “Shock. Because it does not match my experience with him.
“He is completely different from what you would expect someone like him to be.”
Potts said: “The details are horrible, there is no doubt about it and I can not imagine how that could happen.”
John Potts, who worked with Clay Fletcher at the Baton Rouge Civil War Roundtable, said he was surprised by the horrific news.
An undated photo of Clay, 65 and Sheila, 64, Fletcher standing in front of their Christmas tree
Lacey Fletcher was found partially naked, sitting upright and sunk into a hole in a sofa covered from head to toe with urine, wet stools and insect bites.
There were live bugs and rodent droppings nearby – but the house in Slaughter, Louisiana was otherwise tidy, said Dr. Ewell Dewitt Bickham III, a medical examiner in East Feliciana Parish.
“The scene was heartbreaking,” he told DailyMail.com.
“I’ve seen some horrible things in my life, but nothing like that.”
Bickham, a doctor since the 1970s, said she had sores in her bed that reached to her bone.
Neighbors and friends said they never knew the couple had a daughter.
“He said he spent January, and that’s all I know about it,” Pots said.
Lacey suffered from Locked-in Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder characterized by complete paralysis of the voluntary muscles other than those that control the eyes.
Police arrived at the ranch home north of Baton Rouge on Jan. 3 after her parents called 911 because Lacey was not breathing, prosecutors said.
The parents were supposed to be the girl’s caregivers, but Bickham said she had not seen a doctor in 20 years.
“It’s unconscious, something you make horror movies about,” he said.
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE
A photo of the two-story house on Tom Drive where Lacey lived with her parents
Shelia and Clay Fletcher, pictured, will face a major court hearing on Monday after their 36-year-old daughter Lacey Ellen was found dead at their home in January. Doctors will be waiting for the hearing due to the graphic nature of the details and the photos that will be presented to them
When he got home, he described that the stench was so bad that he “almost ran out of the house”.
He told DailyMail.com that he knew it was a “possible crime scene” and immediately called his detective.
“My parents were in the kitchen. “They had no explanation,” he said.
She committed her death as homicide and the cause of death as medical negligence.
Recorded the official time of death at 3:07 a.m. on January 3, 2022, but said he believes he died at least 24-48 hours ago.
Sheila Fletcher worked as a police and judicial officer at Baker and most recently as an assistant attorney general in Zachary, the report said.
According to her LinkedIn page, Sheila was a Slaughter executive who resigned from the city board on January 24, three weeks after her daughter’s death. He served for four years, most recently as mayor pro team.
State business records show that Clay Fletcher is an officer with the nonprofit Baton Rouge Civil War Roundtable, which has a mission to “educate and encourage appreciation for the sacrifices made by all during the Civil War.”
Sheila Fletcher resigned from city council three weeks after her daughter died
Clay Fletcher, pictured with Sheila in an undated photo, is an officer with the nonprofit Baton Rouge Civil War Roundtable, whose mission is to “educate and support the appreciation for the sacrifices made by everyone during the Civil War.” War “.
A photo showing a close-up of the leather sofa Lacey paired with. The medical examiner estimates that Lacey has been sitting in this hole in the couch for the last 12 years
The couple’s lawyer, Steven Moore, was not available for comment on Thursday when DailyMail.com contacted him.
However, on Wednesday, Moore issued a statement on behalf of his client, BPProud reported.
“They do not want to relive the pain of losing a child through the media.
“All these years have passed very sadly. “Anyone who has lost a child knows how it is,” Moore said.
On Monday, Bickham will present the case in a large court, hoping to blame the parents for the death of their daughter.
“I probably won’t even have to open my mouth – the photos will show it,” Bickham said.
He added: “Jurors are storekeepers, many farmers have never been exposed to these things, so I asked for a medical team to be found outside the courtroom.”
Prosecutor Sam D’Aquilla told DailyMail.com that the parents were never detained because they were not considered flight hazards.
A 12-member tribunal will sit in closed session at Clinton Court, where it will rule on charges of manslaughter, manslaughter or second-degree murder, he said.
“Negligent homicide is from zero to five years. Homicide is from zero to 40 years and the second degree is life imprisonment. “I will ask for a second degree because they did not do what they had to do,” he said.
D’Aquilla confirmed to DailyMail.com that Lacey’s parents were her primary caregivers and that she had no helper.
“We do not treat animals or neglect our animals in this way. “If you have an animal in this condition, go to the vet,” he said.
D’Aquilla told DailyMail.com that Lacey had some problems she went to see a psychiatrist in 1999 or the early 2000s and that she was antisocial.
She said that in 2011-2012 her parents claimed that she did not want to leave home and had not gone to the doctor. She said Lacey’s parents claimed she was able to contact them and apparently never complained.
“If you are unable to provide care, ask for help,” he said. “We want people to know that if you are caring for someone, you have to pay attention, it is important that neighbors and the community take care of each other. We hope this does not happen again. ”
According to a 2020 census in the US, 882 people live in Slaughter, a town in East Feliciana Parish.
Many of the homes are in acres, so when the news of Lacey’s death broke, many in the community were surprised as some had no idea Clay and Shelia Fletcher even had a daughter.
“They are terrified,” said the medical examiner, who spoke to some of the neighbors. “Some of these people were friends who went to church and had no idea there was another person in that house.
Locking syndrome is a rare disorder of the brain that completely paralyzes the body
Locked-in syndrome (LIS), also known as pseudocomplex, is a rare neurological disorder characterized by complete paralysis of the voluntary muscles other than those that control the eyes. People with LIS are conscious and can think and reason, but they cannot speak or move. The only way they can communicate is with the opening and closing and vertical movements of the eyes. Some of the causes of this disorder can be due to traumatic brain injury, brain stem, tumors, diseases of the circulatory system (bleeding), diseases that destroy the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells (such as multiple sclerosis or multiple sclerosis). drugs. There is no cure or specific treatment for locked-in syndrome, according to the GARD, the Center for Genetic and Rare Diseases Information. The body recommends supportive therapy for breathing and feeding, especially early. Additional treatment includes: physical therapy, comfort care, nutritional support and prevention of complications from respiratory infections. A person with LIS may have partial muscle control in some cases. Speech therapists can help people with lock-in syndrome communicate more clearly with eye movements and closing and closing. Electronic communications devices, including patient-computer interfaces such as infrared motion sensors and computer voice add-ons, allow people to communicate more freely and access the Internet. Motorized wheelchairs have also increased their independence. Those with lock-in syndrome do not live beyond the early stages due to medical complications, GARD said. However, others may live for another 10-20 years and report a good quality of life despite the severe disabilities caused by the syndrome.
