Name: Martha Rutledge.
Died: August 14, 2023.
Age at death: 99.
Cause of death: Starvation, untended bedsores.
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA.
Disability: Mobility impaired.
Details:
Martha was found dead at home. Her body was very thin, and she was covered in multiple severe bedsores. Her daughters, with whom she lived, provided no medical care to their mother. Martha also had a lot of alcohol and THC in her system when she died; unable to move from her bed, she would not have been able to ingest these on her own. She had not seen a doctor in ten years.
Case Status:
Martha Carroll Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death; pleaded guilty to neglect of a vulnerable adult, sentenced to 1 year probation.
and Nancy Rutledge (Daughter), charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person resulting in death; pleaded guilty to neglect of a vulnerable adult, sentenced to 1 year probation.
Sources:
No prison for 2 Rock Hill sisters after their 99-year-old mother died in ‘horrific’ state
Rock Hill sisters granted bond for mother’s death whose body has ‘chronic open wound’
Police: Rock Hill woman died from lack of medical care, 2 daughters charged
Martha Rutledge Obituary (2023) – Rock Hill, SC – The Herald