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

[Elana619]

I don't want to argue, but I'm disabled myself and I absolutely can't find compassion for these monsters.
If this was a child who died from abuse and neglect, nobody would be asking for 'compassion' for the parents. But because she was a disabled adult, that makes it okay? There's so many cases of disabled adults dying from abuse or neglect and their caregivers (usually their parents) getting a slap on the wrist.

Disabled lives have value. I'm tired of the courts (and a lot of the general public) thinking crimes committed against disabled people are less serious. JMO

Absolutely agree with this. I worked with the caregivers of vulnerable adults coordinating alternative care including respite or a stay in skilled nursing facility temporarily. The parents let their daughter die an inhumane death that no living being should endure. The images and information published about the parents show that they were capable of engaging in their community and obviously feeding themselves and maintaining a roof over there heads. They should both serve time in general population and let that get sorted out how it needs too.

 

[Dotta]

I once read about so called "Autistic Inertia" when people just have difficulty to re start doing things.

It sometimes resembles a catatonic state and a person must be reminded to do something, eg: eat, go to the toilet, etc.

 

[Fika]

I developed general anxiety disorder when I was around Lacey’s age 15 to be specific.
I wouldn’t wanna leave the house and go to school. It’s parents responsibility to get help, not to let her be confined at home. There is help out there.
Likely for me my parents took action fast and sent me to seek help. I was on medication for a while and managed to return to school and eventually got into the university and now living a good life.
I of course didn’t suffer from autism like Lacey did ( according to parents and some reports). They simply failed her. There are millions of disabled people or people with anxiety disorders and they manage to live their life with help of loved ones and specialists. There is really no excuse to let your 14year old stay home with obvious problems and just accept it and let her live on a couch to the point she starts using it as a toilet. We should not forget that yes she died as an adult but she obviously started having issues at age of 14 when pulled out of school. That is on parents.

 

[trujac]

Aside from hoping there's evidence that Lacey's parents made several attempts throughout the years to engage help for her by sharing their daughter's plight with various family, friends, and medical people, which will show they acted in good faith in her behalf--I find their statement after Lacey died, "Mom and Dad love you so much," wildly off the charts...so much so that it caused me to pause in shock, and wonder how they were able to frame and express their love for her both privately and publicly when the reality of the situation is Lacey died due to their extreme and neglectful care. It is a mind boggling case to me on so many levels.

 

[Fika]

Aside from hoping there's evidence that Lacey's parents made several attempts throughout the years to engage help for her by sharing their daughter's plight with various family, friends, and medical people, which will show they acted in good faith in her behalf--I find their statement after Lacey died, "Mom and Dad love you so much," wildly off the charts...so much so that it caused me to pause in shock, and wonder how they were able to frame and express their love for her both privately and publicly when the reality of the situation is Lacey died due to their extreme and neglectful care. It is a mind boggling case to me on so many levels.

Yes definitely I just don’t understand. Don’t they realise what they’ve done? Or rather what they didn’t do.
Love has many sides but usually it means to care for someone and here…well..

 

[trujac]

Yes definitely I just don’t understand. Don’t they realise what they’ve done? Or rather what they didn’t do.
Love has many sides but usually it means to care for someone and here…well..

Yes, I agree--that is why this case is really bizarre. Lacey's parents seem like their are and have been existing in a daze of non-reality for years --yet able to function totally normally in their everyday work life. They seem similar to serial killer Dennis Rader in that respect--split personality types that compartmentalize a significant section of life and their actions that are abhorrent and deadly, going about their daily life with no one being the wiser. If there are any redeeming factors and qualities to the Fletchers as parents and as human beings, it will be their closest confidantes and medical authorities who stick up for them in a court of law, imo.

 

[Fika]

Yes, I agree--that is why this case is really bizarre. Lacey's parents seem like their are and have been existing in a daze of non-reality for years --yet able to function totally normally in their everyday work life. They seem similar to serial killer Dennis Rader in that respect--split personality types that compartmentalize a significant section of life and their actions that are abhorrent and deadly, going about their daily life with no one being the wiser. If there are any redeeming factors and qualities to the Fletchers as parents and as human beings, it will be their closest confidantes and medical authorities who stick up for them in a court of law, imo.

Exactly it feels like they just didn’t live in reality of what’s happening.
I still can’t grasp their actions and their thinking. No matter how much I try I just can’t understand

 

[trujac]

I don't want to argue, but I'm disabled myself and I absolutely can't find compassion for these monsters.
If this was a child who died from abuse and neglect, nobody would be asking for 'compassion' for the parents. But because she was a disabled adult, that makes it okay? There's so many cases of disabled adults dying from abuse or neglect and their caregivers (usually their parents) getting a slap on the wrist.

Disabled lives have value. I'm tired of the courts (and a lot of the general public) thinking crimes committed against disabled people are less serious. JMO

Yes, I agree, but for some reason, I believe Lacey's disability was minimized in the beginning of her struggles due to her high intelligence--even her neighborhood friend and school classmates thought she was intellectually above average...this started a whirlwind of unfortunate consequences for her. I think initially school and health professionals acquiesced to Lacey's social withdraw with the notion that she was capable of making her own decisions. By the time, she wasn't able to control her life and/or help herself, the original assessment of her life and her abilities didn't catch-up...updating with appropriate measures of outside help and in home assistance or placing her in a care facility.

 

[Armchair63]

I Absolutely agree with this. I worked with the caregivers of vulnerable adults coordinating alternative care including respite or a stay in skilled nursing facility temporarily. The parents let their daughter die an inhumane death that no living being should endure. The images and information published about the parents show that they were capable of engaging in their community and obviously feeding themselves and maintaining a roof over there heads. They should both serve time in general population and let that get sorted out how it needs too.the community

It could be that the autism got so bad that the parents just did not know how to De escalate it
And since they were so well known in the community that they would be embarrassed with the situation if known.

 

[azure]

as her autism accelerated

Does autism accelerate in teenagers? I am no expert, but I've heard of kids between 1 and 3 losing skills as their autism becomes apparent. I have not heard of this happening in teenagers. A comorbidity like social anxiety seems possible, perhaps. Would love to hear from any members living with ASD or family members etc.

 

[Dotta]

Does autism accelerate in teenagers? I am no expert, but I've heard of kids between 1 and 3 losing skills as their autism becomes apparent. I have not heard of this happening in teenagers. A comorbidity like social anxiety seems possible, perhaps. Would love to hear from any members living with ASD or family members etc.

Many mental issues accelerate and deepen in adolescence.
"A storm of hormones" age is difficult in itself.
But Im not sure about autism.

 

[bombardier]

Does autism accelerate in teenagers? I am no expert, but I've heard of kids between 1 and 3 losing skills as their autism becomes apparent. I have not heard of this happening in teenagers. A comorbidity like social anxiety seems possible, perhaps. Would love to hear from any members living with ASD or family members etc.

hey, im autistic AND had a hard time in my my teens
I wouldn't say it 'accelerates' as the organic cause is static (i think you might be thinking of Rett syndrome which used to be grouped with ASD!), but as Dotta said comorbidities like anxiety + depression that commonly begin around that age can complicate everything and interact with and worsen your ASD symptoms. Around 11-15 is also when it might become obvious that you're functioning at a lower level than your peers, which can feel embarrassing and be isolating. If you then decide to isolate even more, I have no doubt symptoms would worsen.
I'll go out on a limb and say, though, that there's no way that someone with an ASD diagnosis (vs a degenerative condition or smth similar) could naturally (i.e. without other contributing factors) go from talkative and lively as a child to nonverbal as a young adult. Selectively mute due to social anxiety, perhaps, but not truly 'nonverbal' as parents have claimed. Either they're BSing (wouldn't be the first time lmao) or Lacey simply didn't speak much because what is there to talk about when you have no friends, no acquaintances, in one place all day every day, are likely in constant pain, and only see your parents who clearly don't care a whole lot about you?

 

[azure]

I'll go out on a limb and say, though, that there's no way that someone with an ASD diagnosis (vs a degenerative condition or smth similar) could naturally (i.e. without other contributing factors) go from talkative and lively as a child to nonverbal as a young adult. Selectively mute due to social anxiety, perhaps, but not truly 'nonverbal' as parents have claimed. Either they're BSing (wouldn't be the first time lmao) or Lacey simply didn't speak much because what is there to talk about when you have no friends, no acquaintances, in one place all day every day, are likely in constant pain, and only see your parents who clearly don't care a whole lot about you?

Thank you! I was actually questioning a statement that Lacey's autism accelerated as I didn't believe that to be an occurrence in ASD. You've confirmed what I thought-isolation may have worsened, depression/anxiety may have worsened, but there's NO way she suddenly became nonverbal.

 

[Armchair63]

Thank you! I was actually questioning a statement that Lacey's autism accelerated as I didn't believe that to be an occurrence in ASD. You've confirmed what I thought-isolation may have worsened, depression/anxiety may have worsened, but there's NO way she suddenly became nonverbal.

Parents of Lacey Fletcher, dead woman found ‘melted’ to couch, are out of jail on bond

Sheila Fletcher walked out of the East Feliciana Parish jail on a $300,000 bond Tuesday night. Her husband Clay was released on Wednesday morning.

nypost.com

This link may or may not provide possibilities .

 

[Shamrock1]

Thank you! I was actually questioning a statement that Lacey's autism accelerated as I didn't believe that to be an occurrence in ASD. You've confirmed what I thought-isolation may have worsened, depression/anxiety may have worsened, but there's NO way she suddenly became nonverbal.

I’m beginning to suspect that she did “suddenly [become] nonverbal,” but not due to ASD.

 

[azure]

I’m beginning to suspect that she did “suddenly [become] nonverbal,” but not due to ASD.

Absolutely.

 

[bombardier]

I'm interested into what the Fletcher's relationship w doctors and mainstream medicine is; was Lacey regularly seen during childhood? Did parents have a regular family doctor? Were they against vaccinations or use of medication? Wondering if Lacey could have initially picked up some additional illnesses or conditions and parents stubbornly believed they could treat her naturally without involving a doctor (or had used home remedies that worsened her health) and it got out of hand and they gave up care.
(totally not justifying or minimizing anything here, its still abusive, but im thinking of other cases where children have died due to parental mistrust in medicine where parents truly believed they were "doing the right thing")

 

[Shamrock1]

I'm interested into what the Fletcher's relationship w doctors and mainstream medicine is; was Lacey regularly seen during childhood? Did parents have a regular family doctor? Were they against vaccinations or use of medication? Wondering if Lacey could have initially picked up some additional illnesses or conditions and parents stubbornly believed they could treat her naturally without involving a doctor (or had used home remedies that worsened her health) and it got out of hand and they gave up care.
(totally not justifying or minimizing anything here, its still abusive, but im thinking of other cases where children have died due to parental mistrust in medicine where parents truly believed they were "doing the right thing")

Lacey attended a private school, K to age 14/grade 9, and last saw a physician at age 16. So she saw some physician after leaving school. Link below. “Doc in a box” probably weren’t that prevalent when she was 16, so I’m guessing there’s a good chance it was her PCP. (Even if a private school is flexible on some/all vaccines, most do want at least some health care provider to sign off on physical fitness IMO).

So what happened in the appx 20 years from age 16 to death at 36? My guess (and it’s just a guess) is that something happened in the 16-24yr range (reports suggest she was couch-bound for 12yrs). Brain injury, overdose, pregnancy. Something. Not a gradual withering-away. JMO.

Parents of Louisiana woman, 36, found dead, 'fused to sofa' charged

Parents Clay Fletcher, 65, and his wife Shiela Fletcher, 64, will be charged with second-degree murder over the death of their 36-year-old daughter Lacey.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[BeckyF]

Whether Lacey was verbal, non-verbal, had worsening symptoms of autism or any other health event took place, she could have been saved years ago. IMO

 

[Armchair63]

Whether Lacey was verbal, non-verbal, had worsening symptoms of autism or any other health event took place, she could have been saved years ago. IMO

That’s so true , if her parents were more concerned and I would say the community could have stepped in.