Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Lacey Fletcher was a 36-year-old woman from Louisiana who tragically passed away due to her parent’s negligence.
Reports suggest that Lacey Fletcher suffered from a mental condition called locked-in syndrome. Authorities discovered her “melted” body on her parent’s couch on January 3, 2022. According to Crime & Law, her corpse was covered in her excrement, and she was heavily malnourished. The 36-year-old remained in the same position for years and officials couldn’t determine when she moved for the last time. 20th Judicial District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla stated that she used to relieve herself on the couch. He said, “The caretakers just let her sit on the couch. She just urinated and used the bathroom on the couch. It was so horrific.”
Additionally, Parish Coroner Dr. Ewell Dewitt Bickham III called Lacey’s case the worst thing he’s ever seen. According to him, the deceased sought medical assistance two decades ago. Her body’s condition was so disturbing that the coroner grieved and couldn’t eat for an entire week. He stated, “The scene was sickening. I’ve seen some horrible things in my life but nothing like this.”
Lacey’s autopsy report stated that her cause of death was sepsis, caused by a chain reaction of several conditions. There was a hole in their couch, which contained urine and feces. Furthermore, there were ulcers on her body, and her underside appeared “appeared rotten to the bone.”
The YouTube channel Rotten Mango released a documentary earlier this year which delved deep into this tragic case. You can also watch or listen to this project on Spotify Video and Apple Podcasts, respectively.
Lacy Fletcher case: How many years will Sheila and Clay Fletcher spend in prison?
An investigation confirmed that before her ultimate death, her parents, Sheila and Clay Fletcher, neglected her for years. Authorities arrested the couple in May 2022 and charged them with second-degree murder. According to People Magazine, a judge dropped these charges in 2023. In February of this year, they accepted a plea deal, and the court charged them with manslaughter. A month later, they received a 20-year prison sentence.
According to the New York Post, Lacey Fletcher was once a student of Brownfields Baptist Academy and loved playing volleyball. In 2002, when she was 16 years old, she disappeared from public view. One of her ex-teachers, Jeri Lowe-Howell, called the victim precious and spirited. She described her beautiful eyes and smile and said that she was gentle and deserved love. Lowe-Howell said, “Lacey was precious and a wonderful spirit. She had the most beautiful blue eyes and the most precious smile. I am absolutely heartbroken. She was gentle and sweet and loving and she deserved to be loved. There is no excuse for what happened. None.”
A local accountant named Dana Lovett stated that Lacey’s parents had strong political connections in the area the family lived in. They were, in fact, college sweethearts. While her father was an expert football player, her mother was a member of the dance team. Sheila once even worked for the police chief of Baker. Medical reports suggest that the couple consulted a psychologist in the year 2000 when their daughter was 14. They revisited the same doctor ten years later, however, this was the last time the psychologist heard anything from the family.