LA - Lacey Fletcher 36, GRAPHIC, disabled, found dead, on couch for years, Jan'22 *Parents arrested* #2

[lightofmine99]

What are you referencing in my comment about eating the sofa? I didn’t mention anything about her will to live.

That was just an observation, not anything you said. I believe her parents have tried to say that Lacey "didn't care" and was chronically apathetic. The couch eating shows she did care enough to eat and therefore try to sustain herself.

It also implies she went long periods without having actual food brought to her.

 

[housewife]

Lacey's parents obviously had a support system judging by the entourage trying to protect them from media. So why didn't they engage it to get help with their daughter? A part of me wonders if maybe they did, and if their abuse and neglect of Lacey wasn't perhaps known to, or even encouraged by, some members of their inner social circle? MOO, but I'd generally expect more people who knew them to denounce what happened to Lacey, or at the very least distance themselves from the couple. JMO

RSBM
I was also surprised at the church members who support Lacey's parents.

Best case scenario: Her parents lied about Lacey's condition. I can imagine they complained to everyone at church how hard it is to care for a selfish teenager who refuses to behave or leave the couch. Initially they wanted sympathy because they were struggling with a "difficult" child, but as Lacey got older they stopped talking about her completely. They viewed their child's behavior as embarrassing. At the end of her life, her parents didn't want to reveal their horrible neglect and have their social status to be affected.

Worst case scenario: The church knew everything about Lacey's neglect and still chose to support her parents.

Want to go darker? The church may have encouraged the parents to seek spiritual help for their daughter's "emotional problems" instead of physical help.

From their actions Lacey's parents appear narcissistic. I think they refused to understand or really seek out a medical diagnosis for Lacey because they believed she was behaving "badly" out of spite.

 

[lightofmine99]

I'm thinking they played up the "poor pitiful us" angle and hooked a bunch of people into believing them. Now those people are in super mega extreme denial.

 

[The Forgotten Ones]

Worst case scenario: The church knew everything about Lacey's neglect and still chose to support her parents.

Want to go darker? The church may have encouraged the parents to seek spiritual help for their daughter's "emotional problems" instead of physical help.

From their actions Lacey's parents appear narcissistic. I think they refused to understand or really seek out a medical diagnosis for Lacey because they believed she was behaving "badly" out of spite.

IMO, it seems like other people knew to some extent what was going on. I think these parents were too connected (church, extended family, local politics, etc.) and established to have kept this a secret from everyone. Some general questions I have:

1) What happened ca. 2010 after SF and CF asked the doctor what to do about Lacey's reported refusal to leave the living room? Did they simply go home and decide to ignore the advice? MOO, but it seems unlikely it ended there. I imagine they asked others—extended family, church leaders/friends—for their opinions. What "guidance," if any, might SF/CF have received? Were there suggestions to "pray it away" or use "tough love" tactics to "fix" the problem? If so, did anyone else join such "interventions?"

2) Other posters have noted that it would have been impossible for SF/CF to mask the smell. Some (including those close to the investigation, IIRC) have said they must've lived elsewhere. The question is where? Is it possible they stayed with family/church friends nearby? If that's the case, it seems like those people would recognize that the situation was untenable. Another scenario is that the parents found some way to isolate the living room and stay at home. If so, they'd probably need outside help with such a project, IMO.

3) Did SF/CF have any outside "help" from anyone who "checked on" Lacey while they were away over the years? For example, per her autopsy report she tested positive for Covid, so someone (probably the parents, but possibly another party) was in her airspace long enough to infect her a few days to weeks before she died. Did they do this entirely on their own? If so, how could they have avoided rousing anyone's suspicions when they refused to invite them over or let them in if they dropped by?

MOO, other people likely knew enough about the situation, and that's probably what prompted the 911 call instead of the parents attempting to covertly dispose of Lacey's body.

 

[housewife]

IMO, it seems like other people knew to some extent what was going on. I think these parents were too connected (church, extended family, local politics, etc.) and established to have kept this a secret from everyone.

A bunch of random thoughts...

I haven't seen any evidence yet that others knew of Lacey's condition while living there. Yet.

It's easy to lie about why people can't come over "He has trouble sleeping so he naps during the day" or "We're still in the middle of a remodel". And if Lacey's house had two wings, all you have to do is close a door to "shut-out" that area.

The fact that Lacey's mom had a job that allowed access to the inner workings of a municipality probably helped her avoid detection. JMO

One of the things that scares me the most is that there are more "Lacey's" out there... and they haven't been found yet.
It steals your sense of security in the world, right?
Ariel Castro really proved to me how little we actually know about our neighbors. Every day I see another news story about a woman/child freed from the basement/cage in which they were hidden.

It's hard to believe, but it's true. And Lacey's parents are the everyday people we should fear.

 

[Luna20]

A bunch of random thoughts...

I haven't seen any evidence yet that others knew of Lacey's condition while living there. Yet.

It's easy to lie about why people can't come over "He has trouble sleeping so he naps during the day" or "We're still in the middle of a remodel". And if Lacey's house had two wings, all you have to do is close a door to "shut-out" that area.

The fact that Lacey's mom had a job that allowed access to the inner workings of a municipality probably helped her avoid detection. JMO

One of the things that scares me the most is that there are more "Lacey's" out there... and they haven't been found yet.
It steals your sense of security in the world, right?
Ariel Castro really proved to me how little we actually know about our neighbors. Every day I see another news story about a woman/child freed from the basement/cage in which they were hidden.

It's hard to believe, but it's true. And Lacey's parents are the everyday people we should fear.

That is the hard truth. We don’t know our neighbors, heck in many cases we see the married spouse with an entirely hidden life.

We mentally process the check points as we ‘see’ it. A false sense of security is far reaching in the lives of the younger generations because of social media.

 

[housewife]

That is the hard truth. We don’t know our neighbors, heck in many cases we see the married spouse with an entirely hidden life.

We mentally process the check points as we ‘see’ it. A false sense of security is far reaching in the lives of the younger generations because of social media.

You know what? I actually see social media helping spread safety awareness among the younger crowd. They read the news online and talk to each other about it, discuss ways to stay safe and make dark jokes about the reality of violence we face everyday. For example:
"Guys are afraid their blind date will be fat, but girls are afraid of getting murdered".
Everyone knows what a "kidnapper van" is, because of the internet.
People are also getting more comfortable sharing their stories online... building hope.
I gotta have hope.

 

[Luna20]

You know what? I actually see social media helping spread safety awareness among the younger crowd. They read the news online and talk to each other about it, discuss ways to stay safe and make dark jokes about the reality of violence we face everyday. For example:
"Guys are afraid their blind date will be fat, but girls are afraid of getting murdered".
Everyone knows what a "kidnapper van" is, because of the internet.
People are also getting more comfortable sharing their stories online... building hope.
I gotta have hope.

I’m with you, hope is good and we should all look for hope in every situation. Perhaps I’m thinking about the things that I have seen more of.

Fentanyl is one issue. Kids are getting stuff online from someone that they think they can trust as the source. They are risking their lives because they don’t think they are buying fentanyl. ‘False sense of security’.

The same can be said for girls being targeted online. The abuser presents themselves as someone that they can trust. ‘False sense of security’. It’s much easier for perps to mask themselves as a good person online.

The other is bullying. It’s awful for anyone younger to deal with the mental torment that it causes.

It’s good to hear about the ones you mentioned. Sharing knowledge and being part of a supportive group is important and it’s needed.

 

[DFWNF]

IMO, it seems like other people knew to some extent what was going on. I think these parents were too connected (church, extended family, local politics, etc.) and established to have kept this a secret from everyone. Some general questions I have:

1) What happened ca. 2010 after SF and CF asked the doctor what to do about Lacey's reported refusal to leave the living room? Did they simply go home and decide to ignore the advice? MOO, but it seems unlikely it ended there. I imagine they asked others—extended family, church leaders/friends—for their opinions. What "guidance," if any, might SF/CF have received? Were there suggestions to "pray it away" or use "tough love" tactics to "fix" the problem? If so, did anyone else join such "interventions?"

2) Other posters have noted that it would have been impossible for SF/CF to mask the smell. Some (including those close to the investigation, IIRC) have said they must've lived elsewhere. The question is where? Is it possible they stayed with family/church friends nearby? If that's the case, it seems like those people would recognize that the situation was untenable. Another scenario is that the parents found some way to isolate the living room and stay at home. If so, they'd probably need outside help with such a project, IMO.

3) Did SF/CF have any outside "help" from anyone who "checked on" Lacey while they were away over the years? For example, per her autopsy report she tested positive for Covid, so someone (probably the parents, but possibly another party) was in her airspace long enough to infect her a few days to weeks before she died. Did they do this entirely on their own? If so, how could they have avoided rousing anyone's suspicions when they refused to invite them over or let them in if they dropped by?

MOO, other people likely knew enough about the situation, and that's probably what prompted the 911 call instead of the parents attempting to covertly dispose of Lacey's body.

Bbm, some people, do not want to invite company, or allow drop ins, which are rude imo. Workers, repair men, furniture deliverers, rug cleaners, cleaning ladies etc in a separate group obviously.

 

[The Forgotten Ones]

Bbm, some people, do not want to invite company, or allow drop ins, which are rude imo. Workers, repair men, furniture deliverers, rug cleaners, cleaning ladies etc in a separate group obviously.

Completely fair point! These people are lucky if they didn't have that one rude family member or acquaintance who insists on dropping by unannounced (an aunt was the bane of my poor mother's existence in this regard, lol). Although I wish this couple wasn't so lucky because an unexpected drop in might have saved poor Lacey

 

[Shamrock1]

I wonder if there were any rumors/gossip about their housekeeping or similar. Even if their mailbox was nowhere near the residence, surely the smell would have been noticeable by a package delivery service, charity/political solicitor, or errant pizza delivery person.

 

[The Forgotten Ones]

I wonder if there were any rumors/gossip about their housekeeping or similar. Even if their mailbox was nowhere near the residence, surely the smell would have been noticeable by a package delivery service, charity/political solicitor, or errant pizza delivery person.

Yeah, me too, unless they seriously haven't had anything delivered to the door, or had anyone at the house for maintenance work in 10+ years. When looking at exterior photos of the house, I'm struck by the...incongruity of the exterior vs. the interior (or at least the couch and immediate vicinity). The yard, though kind of nondescript, appeared to me like it was mowed to perfection. The house also looks like it's meticulously maintained on the outside, though again it's not particularly attention-grabbing, IMO. It's been reported that the home's interior was also quite tidy (couch excepted), despite the smell being absolutely horrific. It's all so bizarre.

 

[housewife]

Yeah, me too, unless they seriously haven't had anything delivered to the door, or had anyone at the house for maintenance work in 10+ years. When looking at exterior photos of the house, I'm struck by the...incongruity of the exterior vs. the interior (or at least the couch and immediate vicinity). The yard, though kind of nondescript, appeared to me like it was mowed to perfection. The house also looks like it's meticulously maintained on the outside, though again it's not particularly attention-grabbing, IMO. It's been reported that the home's interior was also quite tidy (couch excepted), despite the smell being absolutely horrific. It's all so bizarre.

We know Lacey's parents cared about outward appearances, I'm not surprised they maintained a nice facade to conceal their actions.
Wearing a mask was the only way they could continue living as they did--her parents knew they would be in trouble if Lacey's conditions were ever revealed.

I also heard the 911 call where Lacey's parents make fake cpr noises. And someone tried to clothe her naked body by putting a tshirt over her head and letting it dangle around her neck. Probably because her arms were too stiff to move.

If Lacey was naked, was it her choice? I never considered sexual abuse until now. They could have been hiding more abuse.
IMO her parents are heinous.

 

[DFWNF]

I wonder if there were any rumors/gossip about their housekeeping or similar. Even if their mailbox was nowhere near the residence, surely the smell would have been noticeable by a package delivery service, charity/political solicitor, or errant pizza delivery person.

Did they have a mailbox? And for the others I am sure they could ignore any knocks. JMO but sounds like a well maintained property to outsiders?

 

[nao]

Moo.. don't judge a book by it's cover, or house

 

[nao]

We know Lacey's parents cared about outward appearances, I'm not surprised they maintained a nice facade to conceal their actions.
Wearing a mask was the only way they could continue living as they did--her parents knew they would be in trouble if Lacey's conditions were ever revealed.

I also heard the 911 call where Lacey's parents make fake cpr noises. And someone tried to clothe her naked body by putting a tshirt over her head and letting it dangle around her neck. Probably because her arms were too stiff to move.

If Lacey was naked, was it her choice? I never considered sexual abuse until now. They could have been hiding more abuse.
IMO her parents are heinous.

Moo...na totally not seeing sexual abuse

 

[Lyanna]

Is anyone here a mandated reporter?
From what I understand, neglect/abuse of children (and especially disabled children) is very common?

We are still living with people who thought being a good parent meant providing food and shelter up until 18 years.
We are still living with people who kick their children out of their homes for being gay.
Heck, people earlier in this thread tried to excuse Lacey's parents, because they were simply "neglectful" and not "abusive".
We still have a long way to go in caring for our children.

Help for Lacey wasn't happening because her parents chose to not get her help. They obviously didn't believe Lacey deserved it. And they purposely hid how she existed from others.
They chose it for her, intentionally.
I believe they wanted to punish Lacey with their choices.

edit: wording

Agree, they purposely hid Lacey. Because they knew what they were doing was wrong. They chose to let this happen, chose not to seek the right support/help/services for her, chose to treat her in this way and chose to lay the blame on Lacey herself.
Disturbing and disgusting.

Moo

 

[The Forgotten Ones]

We know Lacey's parents cared about outward appearances, I'm not surprised they maintained a nice facade to conceal their actions.
Wearing a mask was the only way they could continue living as they did--her parents knew they would be in trouble if Lacey's conditions were ever revealed.

I also heard the 911 call where Lacey's parents make fake cpr noises. And someone tried to clothe her naked body by putting a tshirt over her head and letting it dangle around her neck. Probably because her arms were too stiff to move.

If Lacey was naked, was it her choice? I never considered sexual abuse until now. They could have been hiding more abuse.
IMO her parents are heinous.

BBM. This case is so infuriating and tragic on every level. Imagine if, instead of investing all that energy into building and maintaining their facades, the parents had instead spent a fraction of that time getting their daughter the help and support she so desperately needed? Lacey might not only be alive and safe today, she could very well be thriving and living her best life. Her parents really are heinous. MOO, of course.

 

[Lyanna]

If Lacey really got this "disability money",
then it was her fund to pay for care -
like a carer who comes to help with hygiene and prepare nutritional food -
even for 2 hours a day.

I'm not sure what sum it is and what is the cost of facility appropriate for her,
but surely it would be enough to pay a woman acting as a carer for coming for 2 hrs a day.

And why wasn't she put in a bed?
There are special medical beds for people who cannot move.
There are diapers for adults.
There are also special medical mattresses to prevent bed sores.

View attachment 488013

JMO

Child medical bed Kalin • Winncare

Łóżko dziecięce PITCHOUNE KALIN® to łóżeczko specjalnie zaprojektowane i przystosowane dla dzieci w wieku od 3 do 12 lat.

winncare.pl

It is from my country's site and these beds are for kids, but there are beds for adults.

Profiling beds, variety of mattresses to use in pressure damage prevention ie foam, Air Flow or combi of both.
In the UK these can be bought privately by someone, can be funded through NHS/CHC. Care homes buy them for people who live there.
Can get pressure relieving cushions for chairs that are airflow too to keep blood circulating, as well as chairs made from pressure relieving material.
Don't get me started on skin care, oral hygiene, continence care, nutritional health - these monsters didn't even make an effort to meet her most basic care needs, let alone touch on her emotional/social needs.
Makes me so angry

Moo

 

[ChatteringBirds]

If Lacey was naked, was it her choice?

Of course not.

I'm sure they didn't make sure the room she was in was warm, either. JMO.