Why were Lacey Ellen Fletcher's parents re-arrested? Parents of autistic Louisiana woman who died 'fused' to couch charged with murder again
SLAUGHTER, LOUISIANA: Sheila and Clay Fletcher, the parents of Lacey Ellen, a severely autistic Louisiana woman who died “fused” to the couch after being neglected and abandoned on it for 12 years, were reportedly rearrested in connection to her death after their initial charges were dropped due to technical issues in the affidavit.
The couple were first arrested and indicted on second-degree murder charges in May 2022. In May, a judge dropped the charges against the couple after their attorneys claimed that prosecutors had mistakenly used defective language in the charging affidavit for charges of cruelty against elderly people, the Daily Mail reported. However, on June 19, Fletcher and Sheila were once again charged with second-degree murder.
‘We will ensure there is justice’
As news of Fletcher and Sheila being rearrested and charged for the second time came to light, district attorney Sam D'Aquilla said, “We will ensure there is justice for Lacey and the public knows that caregivers will be charged for neglecting or abusing a person in their care.” He had previously stated that Lacey's death was a “crime against humanity” and mentioned, “I hope this indictment brings some spotlight to victims of this type of crime.”
“The coroner has a lot of authority, a lot of power. If people don't want to get treatment or they refuse treatment, go to the coroner's office, go to law enforcement, check on your neighbors, check on your friends. If you are a care giver, reach out and make sure people are taken care of,” he added at the time. Sheila and Fletcher were reportedly released on bond after getting rearrested. They can face life in prison if convicted of the charges.
Lacey, 36, was found dead inside a home in Slaughter, Louisiana, in January 2022, covered in feces, maggots and sores. Her decomposed body had reportedly “melted” into the couch and sunk inside a hole in the sofa. Reports revealed that she developed ulcers on her underside with fecal matter crushed into her abdomen, chest and face. Prosecutors said at the time that the woman, who suffered from severe autism and social anxiety, had not left her home in 15 years and suffered 12 years of horrific abuse.
East Feliciana Parish Coroner Dr Ewell Bickham, who presented the case on court, said was he was left deeply traumatized, adding, “I couldn’t eat for a week, and I cried for a week.” The coroner confirmed that Lacey's cause of death “stemmed from severe medical neglect, which led to chronic malnutrition, acute starvation, immobility, acute ulcer formation, osteomyelitis which is bone infection which led finally to sepsis.” He also mentioned she last saw a physician when she was 16 and weighed 96 pounds at the time of her death. She also reportedly contracted Covid-19 before she died.
What is known about Sheila and Clay Fletcher?
Fletcher and Sheila, a couple from Slaughter, Louisiana, were both arrested and now-rearrested on charges of second degree murder of their daughter Lacey. Sheila reportedly worked as a police and court clerk in the nearby city of Baker in the past. Prior to her initial arrest, she was an assistant to the city prosecutor in Zachary, a slightly larger community near Slaughter. She even served on the Slaughter's Board of Alderman but quit in January 2022 after four years of service.
Fletcher worked as officer of non-profit Baton Rouge Civil War Roundtable, which goes by the mission “to educate and foster an appreciation for the sacrifices made by all during the Civil War.”
The pair denied the charges made against them and said that they loved their daughter “so much” in a Facebook post after Fletcher’s death. The couple's lawyer Steven Moore said in a statement, “They don't want to relive the pain of losing a child through the media. They have been through a lot of heartache over the years. Anyone who had lost a child knows what it's like.”