Evil parents of woman who 'melted into' maggot-covered couch discover their fate

20 March 2024 , 21:22

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Evil parents of woman who 'melted into' maggot-covered couch discover their fate

The parents of a woman whose emaciated body was found "melted" into their faeces-covered sofa have received a 40-year sentence.

Lacey Ellen Fletcher, 36, was found dead, rotting and fused with her family's couch on January 3 ,2022. Her parents Sheila and Clay Fletcher, both of East Feliciana, Louisiana, were accused of neglect after their daughter, who suffered from locked-in-syndrome and was reportedly on the autism spectrum, was found covered in urine and liquid faeces.

Maggots were found crawling on her body after invading the couch, which had begun to sink into the floor of the family's living room. The woman's parents learnt their fate on Wednesday after pleading no contest to manslaughter charges for her death.

READ MORE: Parents of neglected woman found 'melted' to couch plead no contest to manslaughter

The woman's father, Clay Fletcher, was sentenced on Wednesday (East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's)

Sheila Fletcher and her husband were sentenced to 40 years in prison (East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's)

The judge ordered them to serve with 20 years suspended and 5 years supervised probation. By entering a "no contest plea" to manslaughter it means the parents are not contesting the charge but are accepting it.

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Sheila and Clay were initially charged with second-degree murder, but those charges were later reduced to manslaughter after a judge ruled that they had been incorrectly charged at first, citing some wording issues. When the victim's body was found, the coroner said she was in horrific conditions, with rotten skin and her bones exposed.

The two parents were accused of neglecting their 36-year-old daughter

It was also established that starvation was one of the main causes of her death. West Feliciana District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla said: "You know, you wouldn't treat your animals like that. If you had a horse that was in the stall behind your house, and you go back there and the flesh is just gone from its body, and you can see bones exposed...I mean you wouldn't even treat your animal like that."

The attorney pushed for the maximum sentence in their case, as he said that would send "a message," adding: "We want to stand for the people who can't speak for themselves, to say this treatment will not be tolerated." Footage obtained by CBS affiliate WAFB-TV today shows correction officers escorting the two parents, dressed in orange prison jumpsuits, out of the courthouse in handcuffs.

Her body was found melted into the family couch (East Feliciana Parish Coroner's Office)

Locked-in syndrome is defined by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as "a rare disorder of the nervous system" that results in complete and total paralysis save for eye movement, all while the patient remains mentally aware of their situation despite being utterly unable to communicate, save through eye movements in some occasions.

Essentially, the patient is locked into their own bodies, held prisoner by their own bones and flesh. As a result, they need complete and total care just to survive, but Sheila and Clay were accused of neglecting their daughter, not providing her with her needs.

The home where Lacey lived with her parents (Google)

She allegedly weighed just around 90 pounds when she was found in January 2022, and the police have alleged that she sat on the disgusting couch on which she was found for around 12 years and even had Covid-19 at the time of her death. Her official cause of death was deemed sepsis, which was caused by several other conditions that had piled up over time, including bone infections, prolonged immobility and malnutrition.

The couple's defence attorney admitted their severe neglect of their daughter, according to the Daily Mail. Steven Moore said: "They were negligent, yes. It is clear they were negligent. They loved her to death — that is the true statement with the Fletchers. They loved their daughter to death." He pushed for leniency, citing the couple's remorse and their lack of intentions to hurt Lacey.

Chiara Fiorillo