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

[Shamrock1]

I wonder if she suffered some kind of brain injury years ago and the parents knew they’d be in trouble (legal, social, both) if they sought prompt medical care. Physical abuse? Accidental or intentional substance overdose, whether by her hand or the parents? We’ve all seen cases where the caregiver takes “discipline” of a child too far. Maybe someone gave Lacey something to help with her anxiety? Maybe someone got frustrated with her anxiety and beat her?

I’m still not understanding how no one smelled the stench on the parents’ clothing.

 

[Dotta]

Who are the parents charged with murdering daughter ‘fused to sofa’?

 

[Hoosgirl]

Oh my. Very graphic and disturbing, although the pictures were deemed too distressing to publish, there is one of Lacey in the couch (blurred out). Not going to snip the details, but you can read at link.

Horrifying evidence photos revealed extent of Lacey Fletcher's ordeal

Harrowing evidence photos have revealed the full excruciating horror of Lacey Fletcher's personal hell before she died on her parents' couch caked in her own excrement in January.

www.google.com

I will pull this snippet:

The DA also put forward an intriguing thought surrounding the fact that Lacey was hidden from the world for around 15 years.

'The thing that strikes me is that as Lacey hadn't been seen for so long, what was to stop the Fletchers simply taking her body out at night and burying it in their back yard,' he said. 'No one would have known.'

He told DailyMail.com the couple's first arraignment is likely to be within two months and a trial could commence as early as October.

 

[bombardier]

Oh my. Very graphic and disturbing, although the pictures were deemed too distressing to publish, there is one of Lacey in the couch (blurred out). Not going to snip the details, but you can read at link.

Horrifying evidence photos revealed extent of Lacey Fletcher's ordeal

Harrowing evidence photos have revealed the full excruciating horror of Lacey Fletcher's personal hell before she died on her parents' couch caked in her own excrement in January.

www.google.com

I will pull this snippet:

The DA also put forward an intriguing thought surrounding the fact that Lacey was hidden from the world for around 15 years.

'The thing that strikes me is that as Lacey hadn't been seen for so long, what was to stop the Fletchers simply taking her body out at night and burying it in their back yard,' he said. 'No one would have known.'

He told DailyMail.com the couple's first arraignment is likely to be within two months and a trial could commence as early as October.

I'll snip the most important new information down below. While DM has a spotty history with this case (they were the ones who incorrectly reported about the LIS, i believe), it does seem probable that they genuinely had access to these unreleased photographs and are describing them to the best of their abilities.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS BELOW
"...In them, Lacey appears almost buried up to her shoulders in the wide and deep hole in the sofa that her bony body has worn over the years, rubbing away the cushioning.
She is slumped over on her left side with her right arm across the top half of her emaciated body near her neck.
She is naked apart from a small blue patterned t-shirt, which is pulled up on her chest and does not cover her breasts.
Her eyes are wide open, staring.
Her mouth is also open, revealing what appears to be a full set of front teeth.
Her face is covered in large and angry red blotches. Excrement is smeared over almost all her body. It is matted in her hair. It is even inside her ears.

Astonishingly, to the couch's right side is a gray commode and a neat pile of clothes.
[A nearby table] is strewn with lotion bottles, some talcum powder, a pack of wipes, a nasal spray, a box with a lid that had a child's photo on it, and other items that make it appear the Fletchers had the resources to clean their stricken only child.

Close-ups show the flesh on her buttocks appears to be literally worn or eaten away from the 12 years that she hadn't moved from the couch.
There are large raw yellow areas where the skin has disappeared. Other back and buttock areas are so blackened it is impossible for a lay person to identify any shape or form."

 

[Lyanna]

There is no excuse that they can give that will ever be good enough to explain their failings as people, let alone parents of their vulnerable daughter. She needed them, to care for her, to protect her, to make sure she got the support that she needed. WTF is wrong with them?

This is beyond cruel, it was an act of torture - every single breathing moment of Lacey's life the last however many years.

MOO

 

[mrsselig]

This is most tragic case I’ve ever followed and I’ve been here a long time! No abuse or murder is ever ok or “pleasant” but I’ve not seen a 12 year-long murder via neglect! These people ( can’t call them what I want to) should also be charged with torture! Starvation, sofa cushion foam in her stomach and no need for me to mention the 12 years of going to the toilet on the couch in more detail! Sick people evil incarnate!

I must admit I’m a neat freak - I also have two lovely grown daughters and they are kind, sweet and compassionate humans. I cannot imagine letting either one pee or poop on my couch ( or anywhere other than the toilet) more than once without taking SOME kind of action! [FYI I originally tried posting this at he moment the site went down - the newest info is even worse]

moo

 

[max99]

"The Fletchers reportedly said Lacey developed 'some degree of Asperger's syndrome' after 9th grade when she started being home schooled."

Louisiana parents insisted it was daughter's decision to stay on couch

Clay, 65, and Sheila Fletcher, 64, were indicted by a grand jury on second-degree murder charges in the death of their daughter, Lacey, 36, who was found 'fused' to a sofa by her own excrement.

www.dailymail.co.uk

How does that happen? I can't help but think child sexual abuse.

question: why was she home schooled after 9th grade?

question: is there a medical/scientific link to age-related Asperger's syndrome? (after ninth grade?

I don't think it was Aspergers but a way to avoid unwanted physical contact...many reports of sexually abused people making themselves "unattractive" after sexual abuse..be it weight gain, extreme weight loss, etc...this would be the extreme...but nothing else makes sense to me for someone to want to become immobile and bury herself (as reported by her parents to a doctor) and the caregivers to allow her to do just that and in her own waste.

 

[Goecke]

As a disabled person, this is absolutely terrifying to me.
There's definitely been cases of autism symptoms getting worse as someone gets older- Not sure why, but it's definitely a thing.
I've seen some articles saying Lacey had locked-in syndrome, but I have no idea where that came from. Lacey had autism and social anxiety.... Nothing that should affect her physically. So the fact that she didn't move from that couch in over a decade speaks volumes. This woman was slowly tortured to death by the people who should have been keeping her safe. I'm absolutely livid. IMO

 

[max99]

"So the fact that she didn't move from that couch in over a decade speaks volumes"

yes and it screams years of sexual abuse to me...the fact that she was permitted or allowed or able to remain on the couch in her own waste for 10+ freaking years? and these parents were supposedly pillars in the community? grotesque treatment and cover up by the parents...

 

[azure]

"The Fletchers reportedly said Lacey developed 'some degree of Asperger's syndrome' after 9th grade when she started being home schooled."

Louisiana parents insisted it was daughter's decision to stay on couch

Clay, 65, and Sheila Fletcher, 64, were indicted by a grand jury on second-degree murder charges in the death of their daughter, Lacey, 36, who was found 'fused' to a sofa by her own excrement.

www.dailymail.co.uk

How does that happen? I can't help but think child sexual abuse.

question: why was she home schooled after 9th grade?

question: is there a medical/scientific link to age-related Asperger's syndrome? (after ninth grade?

I don't think it was Aspergers but a way to avoid unwanted physical contact...many reports of sexually abused people making themselves "unattractive" after sexual abuse..be it weight gain, extreme weight loss, etc...this would be the extreme...but nothing else makes sense to me for someone to want to become immobile and bury herself (as reported by her parents to a doctor) and the caregivers to allow her to do just that and in her own waste.

Her school friend was quoted saying that she had learning differences and another school friend said that she was different from other kids, so I'm inclined to accept the ASD diagnosis. I believe she was not diagnosed until 9th grade.

I think implying that ASD is a trauma response opens a can of worms that is scientifically unsound and upsetting to people living with autism and their loved ones,

* Another friend, Allison Falcon said, “We went to a small, private school with Lacey from kindergarten to 9th grade. Lacey was far from nonverbal and immobile during those years. While she did have some learning differences, which was later diagnosed as autism, she had friends, played on a volleyball team and bowling league, had slumber parties, loved going to Disney, and most of all loved music, especially country music and Mariah Carey. She had an outstanding memory and could recite so many facts.”
Parents of Louisiana woman, 36, found dead, 'fused to sofa' charged with second-degree murder | Daily Mail Online

 

[Fika]

I'll snip the most important new information down below. While DM has a spotty history with this case (they were the ones who incorrectly reported about the LIS, i believe), it does seem probable that they genuinely had access to these unreleased photographs and are describing them to the best of their abilities.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS BELOW
"...In them, Lacey appears almost buried up to her shoulders in the wide and deep hole in the sofa that her bony body has worn over the years, rubbing away the cushioning.
She is slumped over on her left side with her right arm across the top half of her emaciated body near her neck.
She is naked apart from a small blue patterned t-shirt, which is pulled up on her chest and does not cover her breasts.
Her eyes are wide open, staring.
Her mouth is also open, revealing what appears to be a full set of front teeth.
Her face is covered in large and angry red blotches. Excrement is smeared over almost all her body. It is matted in her hair. It is even inside her ears.

Astonishingly, to the couch's right side is a gray commode and a neat pile of clothes.
[A nearby table] is strewn with lotion bottles, some talcum powder, a pack of wipes, a nasal spray, a box with a lid that had a child's photo on it, and other items that make it appear the Fletchers had the resources to clean their stricken only child.

Close-ups show the flesh on her buttocks appears to be literally worn or eaten away from the 12 years that she hadn't moved from the couch.
There are large raw yellow areas where the skin has disappeared. Other back and buttock areas are so blackened it is impossible for a lay person to identify any shape or form."

I could barely read it without feeling sick.
How could they look at her every day in this state?! Just imagining it is terrifying.
Being naked it’s troubling, she had a tshirt on but not underwear or at least diaper.
I just hope that she wasn’t sexually abused. That would come out in autopsy do we have a full autopsy report? Sorry if I missed it posted before but I’m trying to catch up.
I hope pictures of her being dead on the couch will not surface, it’s stuff from nightmares.
What a horrible life she had.

 

[dalsglen]

Locked in syndrome = locked in that house.

this pair better face some good jail time.

 

[Eloise]

"The Fletchers reportedly said Lacey developed 'some degree of Asperger's syndrome' after 9th grade when she started being home schooled."

Louisiana parents insisted it was daughter's decision to stay on couch

Clay, 65, and Sheila Fletcher, 64, were indicted by a grand jury on second-degree murder charges in the death of their daughter, Lacey, 36, who was found 'fused' to a sofa by her own excrement.

www.dailymail.co.uk

How does that happen? I can't help but think child sexual abuse.

question: why was she home schooled after 9th grade?

question: is there a medical/scientific link to age-related Asperger's syndrome? (after ninth grade?

I don't think it was Aspergers but a way to avoid unwanted physical contact...many reports of sexually abused people making themselves "unattractive" after sexual abuse..be it weight gain, extreme weight loss, etc...this would be the extreme...but nothing else makes sense to me for someone to want to become immobile and bury herself (as reported by her parents to a doctor) and the caregivers to allow her to do just that and in her own waste.

As I have said before, ASD is often - or even usually - diagnosed later in girls. It is far more difficult to 'spot' in women and girls, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there from the start. It becomes more obvious over time, because the difficulties in social communication don't really manifest themselves as much in girls in early childhood or primary level education.

ASD itself is not a trauma response. It is neurological, with a strong genetic link. It is something you are born with. But there's no easy test for it, especially if you are so-called 'high functioning' and have the intelligence that allows you to compensate for it to a degree. Being treated badly because of it, or being given terrible, out-dated treatments can cause great anxiety, depression and trauma on top of the ASD but it doesn't cause the ASD.

Based on what her school friends have said - and I legitimately believe them more than I do her parents - it sounds like she simply was on the spectrum and they absolutely couldn't handle that, in any way shape or form.

 

[SuziQ]

Her school friend was quoted saying that she had learning differences and another school friend said that she was different from other kids, so I'm inclined to accept the ASD diagnosis. I believe she was not diagnosed until 9th grade.

I think implying that ASD is a trauma response opens a can of worms that is scientifically unsound and upsetting to people living with autism and their loved ones,

It is not that ASD is a trauma response. It is the fact that abused children may exhibit behaviors that abusive parents falsley CLAIM is Autism to explain it away. There have been numerous cases on WS that where parents claimed their kid had Autism and ran away. When they were actually abused to death by the parents. While my parents never claimed I had Autism, I am living breathing proof that child abuse causes unusual behaviors in a child. I didn't want to be touched by anyone, I didn't talk to anyone, I stayed in a corner, I didn't play with other kids. My parents could have probably gotten away with claiming I had Autism as well. MOO.

 

[SuziQ]

Locked in syndrome = locked in that house.

this pair better face some good jail time.

The parent's kept her home because they were hiding something. Imo

 

[FlossyMay]

The parent's kept her home because they were hiding something. Imo

I tend to agree. I keep trying to figure this out. I just can't imagine the scenario they have put forth. Even if she refused to move, I would have cleaned her. Maybe even lifted the back of the sofa and dumped her onto a mattress. Get her a hospital bed. Order a new sofa at the very least. They didn't do anything to help her.

 

[bombardier]

I'll snip the most important new information down below. While DM has a spotty history with this case (they were the ones who incorrectly reported about the LIS, i believe), it does seem probable that they genuinely had access to these unreleased photographs and are describing them to the best of their abilities.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS BELOW
"...In them, Lacey appears almost buried up to her shoulders in the wide and deep hole in the sofa that her bony body has worn over the years, rubbing away the cushioning.
She is slumped over on her left side with her right arm across the top half of her emaciated body near her neck.
She is naked apart from a small blue patterned t-shirt, which is pulled up on her chest and does not cover her breasts.
Her eyes are wide open, staring.
Her mouth is also open, revealing what appears to be a full set of front teeth.
Her face is covered in large and angry red blotches. Excrement is smeared over almost all her body. It is matted in her hair. It is even inside her ears.

Astonishingly, to the couch's right side is a gray commode and a neat pile of clothes.
[A nearby table] is strewn with lotion bottles, some talcum powder, a pack of wipes, a nasal spray, a box with a lid that had a child's photo on it, and other items that make it appear the Fletchers had the resources to clean their stricken only child.

Close-ups show the flesh on her buttocks appears to be literally worn or eaten away from the 12 years that she hadn't moved from the couch.
There are large raw yellow areas where the skin has disappeared. Other back and buttock areas are so blackened it is impossible for a lay person to identify any shape or form."

I do think it's interesting that there was a commode and a table with hygiene supplies... were they "offering" these options to Lacey but not willing to step in and clean her/move her themselves? Would like to know the best before dates on these products (i know the nasal spray should have one) to see if they were actually used or represent relics from years ago when Lacey was still being tended to.

 

[taylorss]

What a disturbing & bizarre case …. What is a possible explanation for someone not getting up & moving around from one single spot for a decade or more ?!!
There doesn’t seem to be an indication that she was physically disabled in a way that kept her from getting up….. was she chained or something?!??

 

[natureofdust]

Sorry, I'm sure this has been covered - the mother rang 911? Seems....ridiculous of her at that point, no? What on earth was the thought process there?

 

[Dotta]

Sorry, I'm sure this has been covered - the mother rang 911? Seems....ridiculous of her at that point, no? What on earth was the thought process there?

I read in this forum (was it DM link?) that somebody knew about Lacey so the parents were somehow forced to call emergency service about her death.

But was it true???