In January 2022, the body of Lacey Fletcher, just 36 years old, was found ‘fused’ to the sofa in her home: “No one deserves to suffer like this”, said the coroner
Fabio Previdelli Published on 03/21/2024, at 1:57 pm – Updated on 03/22/2024, at 7:14 am
Last Wednesday, 20th, Sheila It is Clay Fletcher were sentenced to 20 years in prison for the death of their daughter: Lacey Fletcher — found dead with the body “melted” on a worm-infested sofa inside his home, in January 2022.
Aged 36 at the time of his death, Lacey had disappeared from public view two decades ago. According to the prosecutors who tried the case, the girl hadn’t left the couch in 12 years and weighed just 46 kilos when his remains were found. The area was still covered in urine and feces.
Coroner responsible for analyzing the corpse of Lacey, Ewell Bickham told the NY Post last month that he remains traumatized by the death of Fletcher — the cause of which was identified in the report as, among others, acute negligence.
“I’ve seen all kinds of deaths and dead bodies in all my years of work, but I’ve never seen anything like what happened to Lacey… No one deserves to suffer like this,” he said.
According to the coroner, the body of Lacey had ‘fused’ to the couch through her rotten skin. When she was found, Ewell further reported that his bones were protruding from his body.
Claim of innocence
Still according to the NY Post, the Fletchers They insisted on their innocence. Sheila It is Clay reported that Lacey he was “sane”, but suffered from a severe case of Asperger’s syndrome and social anxiety – which appeared in his youth.
They informed the authorities that their daughter refused to leave the living room sofa and that they brought her meals, in addition to offering her a potty to use. The couple defended themselves claiming that Lacey suffered from locked-in syndrome — a neurological disorder that prevented her from moving any muscle except her eyes.
However, sources close to the case said the allegations were false and placed all the blame squarely on the Fletchers. The case records also clarify that the parents of Lacey took her to a psychologist in mid-2000, when she was just 14 years old. At the time it was recorded that she suffered from severe social anxiety.
However, they returned to the doctor in 2010, without the presence of Lacey, reporting that the daughter refused to leave the house and also urinated and defecated on the floor. The specialist advised that the young woman be hospitalized, but that never happened.
Close family friend, Jess Easley said he knew Sheila It is Clay 25 years ago, but never knew they had a daughter, despite the weekly meetings they held together.
“Clay It is Sheila they were like model citizens,” he told the Post. “Nice, soft-spoken. Or so we think. I am beyond shocked by what happened. I’ve never felt so heartbroken in my life.”
As reported by the Daily Mail, Dana Troxclairforensic pathologist who discovered the body of Laceythe victim was riddled with ulcers and suffered from chronic bone infection with “polarizable fibers and worms embedded in the exposed surface of the bones.”
Larvae were present in the perineum and areas of decubitus ulcers. If the larvae had appeared after death, there would have been at least a minimal presence of eggs or larvae in the eye, ear or nose region,” he wrote.
The cause of his death was listed as sepsis due to a combination of multiple conditions, including bone infection, prolonged immobility, extreme malnutrition, and “severe chronic neglect of an individual with special needs.”
