Killing of Lacey Fletcher

Lacey Ellen Fletcher (November 25, 1985 – January 3, 2022^[1]) had been diagnosed with autism and reportedly experienced bullying in high school.^[2][3] Previous school friends stated that "She was always less mature than us." Her parents, Sheila and Clay Fletcher, later withdrew her from school in favor of homeschooling.^[4] Sheila and Clay were known to complain about Lacey, stating that they had not wanted to be caregivers when they became parents.

Lacey was described as a fun and energetic girl, and the last time she was seen by the public was when she was 21 years old, gently lifting weights in the street. When Lacey was 24 years old, a decline in her cognitive health led to her being unable to leave the house. She became confined to the family's leather couch, but instead of seeking medical assistance, Sheila and Clay left Lacey on the couch. She was left unattended for such a long time that bedsores began to form, leaving open wounds on her backside and her legs. When the coroner arrived, she was found to be covered in her own excrement; bugs and maggots were reportedly eating away at her body, and she had become fused to the leather couch.^[5][6]

Lacey's cognitive health decline led to her inability to leave the house. Neighbors later testified that when Sheila would answer the door to talk to a neighbor, she would swiftly shut the door to conceal Lacey, who would be sitting right there in clear view. Sheila allegedly spoke in a hushed, whispering tone when speaking to unfamiliar people, because any sound of a strangers voice could push Lacey deeper into her severe social anxiety and cause her to become unresponsive in a state of panic.

Sheila and Clay had left her on the couch, bringing her food and water. They placed towels next to her so Lacey's feces and urine would be easier for them to clean. Eventually, she became unable to step foot off the couch to use the towel; thus, relieving herself right there on the family's couch. The rest of their house was well-cleaned, and neat, except for the couch, where Lacey sat and could not move independently. Over time, Lacey's clothes no longer fit her, simply draping off her body. Clay and Sheila would frequently leave for days to go on vacation, leaving her to starve. Her muscles subsequently atrophied, rendering her physically unable to leave the couch. Vermin began to eat at her extremities under the couch, leaving mouse droppings and maggots to thrive in the space.

There were signs she had been trying to lift herself out of the couch to avoid the pain; she tried to lift her lower half out of the couch, which is why fecal matter had been found smeared all over her body and on her hands, but, due to severe malnourishment and atrophy in her leg muscles, she was unable to pull herself out.^[7] Her body fused to the fiber of the leather couch cushion, which had been worn down into a deep depression. She was covered in urine and feces, and maggots lived inside her knotted brown hair and inside her pressure ulcers.^[2] She suffered starvation and bone infections, leading to sepsis, which was listed as her official cause of death.^[2] Additionally, she was diagnosed with COVID-19 after death^[4], when trying to determine the cause of her death; where she contracted the virus is unknown. She retained feces and couch cushioning both under her fingernails and in her stomach contents, showing she had attempted to save herself by eating her surroundings before dying on the couch during or shortly after Clay and Sheila vacationed for the holidays.^[6]

On January 3, 2022, Sheila called 911 and stated that she had found her daughter dead on their couch. The 911 operator guided the Fletchers as they allegedly performed CPR on Lacey which is audible over the phone. Emergency services and the coroner arrived at the home shortly after and discovered Lacey's dead, partially clothed and malnourished 96-pound (43kg) body fused into the family's leather couch, with clear signs of neglect.^[4] Lacey was found dead with her legs crossed and pulled up to her chest, and she was lying on her left side. A grey shirt was pulled up to Lacey’s neck, not covering her torso or chest. Investigators noted that the couch had been pulled apart, and scratch marks were present near the area Lacey was sitting in.

It was determined by medical examiners and the coroner that Lacey had been dead for one to two days before Sheila had finally decided to call 911, meaning she could have died on New Year’s Day, or New Year’s Eve. Sheila and Clay had lied to the police, stating that Lacey had "decided" to live in those conditions for 12 years, and they were doing what they perceived was "respecting her wishes to stay on the couch." Her autopsy ruled her death a homicide. Investigators stated that they were unable to sleep or eat for a week after investigating the killing due to the mental distress that the gruesome nature of the case caused them.^[8][9]