Daughter With Disabilities Found Melted Into Living Room Couch, Parents Accused Of Chronic Medical Neglect

A Louisiana couple may face murder charges after their disabled daughter was found dead and "melted" into their living room couch, according to reports.

Lacey Ellen Fletcher, who reportedly suffered from a rare neurological disorder known as locked-in syndrome, was found dead in her home in Slaughter, Louisiana, on Jan. 3, this year.

The 36-year-old was found partially naked, sitting upright on her parents’ couch "covered in feces from head to toe". Her body had not been moved from the position in years and had reportedly "melted" into the couch.

Lacey likely suffered "at least a decade of medical neglect" and was weighing less than 100 pounds when she was discovered.

It remains unclear when she had last been moved.

"The caretakers just let her sit on the couch," 20th Judicial District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla said. "She just urinated and used the bathroom on the couch. It was so horrific."

Lacey had ulcers on her bottom, fecal matter shoved into her face, chest, and abdomen, authorities said. Reports also suggest that she was infected with COVID-19.

Her condition was so pathetic that her hair was matted, knotted, and filled with maggots.

"We don’t even treat animals like this," the DA said.

According to reports, the DA plans to bring second-degree murder charges against Lacey’s parents, Sheila and Clay Fletcher.

"On a murder, you have to have intent," D'Aquilla said. "Did they want to kill her? I want to say yeah, they wanted to kill her."

"The question on everybody’s mind is, how could they be caretakers living in the house with her and have her get in a condition like that?" D'Aquilla told NOLA.com. "It’s cruelty to the infirm. We can’t just let it sit."

No arrests have been reported yet.

"If we have an outright murder, we arrest the people immediately. If we have a case like this, where the parents aren’t going anywhere, sometimes they’re not arrested," D’Aquilla said. "We’re all of the consensus that we’re going to let the grand jury handle it."