Arkansas woman, 85, found hurt, lying in filth; 2 held

Evelyn Schafer is shown in this photo.
Evelyn Schafer is shown in this photo.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Police arrested the sister and daughter of an 85-year-old woman Monday after authorities found the woman unresponsive and covered in feces and trash at their home on Green Acres Road.

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Rose Mary Austin is shown in this photo.

Rose Mary Austin, 75, and Evelyn Schafer, 54, of 2141 N. Green Acres Road were arrested in connection with felony abuse of an impaired person, according to a preliminary arrest report.

Firefighters were called to the home about 11:42 p.m. Sunday regarding concerns about the woman's breathing, according to the report. Firefighters struggled to get inside because stacks of newspapers and magazines blocked the door. They found the victim on a couch clothed only in a shirt, covered in feces and barely breathing, the report said.

The woman's socks were stuck to her feet. She had deep lacerations on her legs and wounds to her back and side. Police, firefighters and Washington Regional Medical Center staff members described the injuries as the worst they had seen, according to the report.

Sgt. Craig Stout, Fayetteville police spokesman, said the department handles only one or two cases of neglect per year.

"I saw the pictures, and it was bad," Stout said.

Austin, described in the report as the victim's caregiver, told police her sister fell June 13 and was placed on the couch, where she hadn't moved since June 15.

Austin said she put a diaper on her sister and cleaned her with baby wipes, but police reported no diaper was found. Austin said the victim slept on a couch in the living room and in a nearby chair. Police noted in the report that the couch was covered in feces and trash.

The victim was at the hospital Monday and breathing with a ventilator, the report said.

Austin and Schafer were being held Monday afternoon at the Washington County jail waiting to be booked, according to Kelly Cantrell, spokesman for the Washington County sheriff's office.

State Desk on 06/21/2016

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