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Two sisters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have been arrested after they allegedly neglected their infirm 64-year-old mother to the point where her skin was reportedly “peeling” away from her body.
Alicia Bureau and Chereia McKinley were arrested on Thursday, January 15, and charged with one count each of cruelty to the elderly or infirmed, according to online court records viewed by Us Weekly.
An investigation into the matter was launched on Wednesday, January 14, when one of the sisters called 911 to report that they needed medical assistance for their mother at the residence they all shared on Belhaven Trace Drive, according to WBRZ.
First responders reported to the home, where they found the elderly victim. Authorities said that the mother had “obvious injuries” that they believed were “evidence of neglect.” The victim was “unable to move, feed herself, change herself or bathe herself,” according to police.
It was then determined that the victim needed additional medical care and she was transported to the nearby Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center, where she received additional treatment.
Upon her arrival at the hospital, medical personnel found that the victim was “extremely dehydrated.” It was also determined that she had suffered numerous severe injuries from neglect and she had visible open sores that covered her neck, body and legs, according to WGMB.
“Additionally, the victim’s skin was peeling from her body,” a probable cause affidavit from police stated, according to WBRZ.
The hospital staff also told police that the victim, whose identity has not been publicly revealed, “was wearing an undergarment that had not been changed in days and was full of excrement.”
“Medical personnel feared that if the victim was left alone for an additional day, she would die,” the affidavit said.
Bureau, 42, and McKinley, 39, were both booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on January 15. Us Weekly can confirm that they were both being held without bond as of Wednesday, January 21.
It is not currently clear if Bureau or McKinley have entered pleas or retained legal representation.
Those found guilty of cruelty to the elderly or infirmed in Louisiana can be fined up to $10,000, they can be imprisoned with or without hard labor for up to ten years or they could be given both a fine and prison time, according to the Louisiana State Legislature website.
A plea deal has been accepted in the case of a Pennsylvania couple who’ve been arrested for allegedly continuing to live with a relative’s dead body for several months in order to keep receiving his monthly Social Security checks. Debbie Bebout, 64, and her husband, James Edmond Bebout, 69, allegedly did not report the death […]
Additionally, those found guilty of the charge will have to serve at least one year “without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence when the act of cruelty to persons with infirmities was intentional and malicious.”
If someone found guilty of the charge has a previous conviction, the offender will be forced to pay up to $10,000 and will be imprisoned between five to ten years. Additionally, at least five years of the prison sentence will be served without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding Bureau and McKinley’s arrest.
