A coroner has spoken out about a woman who suffered one of the worst deaths imaginable and how the case left him traumatized.
Warning: Distressing details
Lacey Fletcher’s body was found in a horrific condition at her parent’s Louisana home in January 2022.
For an estimated 12 years, she had experienced deep suffering and neglect, tragically leading to her eventual death.
In an interview, coroner Dr. Ewell Bickham would say: “I’ve seen every kind of death there is. I’ve never seen a homicide like this.”
Bickham told Newsnation that even before he saw Lacey’s body, he was horrified by the smell he encountered upon entering the home.
He recounted: “When I walked in, the house smelled of a stench of, it smelled like a sewer, or septic tank and also a smell of death.
“I’ve never smelled that in my life. I’ve dealt with decomposed bodies. I’ve dealt with all sorts of death, degradation, whatever, never experienced this in all of my career.”
The coroner said the 36-year-old’s parents, Sheila and Clay Fletcher, were in the house when he arrived – while the father was said to be ’emotionless,’ the mom sat with ‘head between her knees’ and shed ‘a tear or two.’
Bickham told Newsnation he struggled to believe the two had lived in the home with their daughter.
He explained: “You could not live in the house. Nobody could stand the stench, to be honest with you. I think there was something adjacent.”
Police officers were called to the Fletcher home by Lacey’s mom, who reportedly told the 911 service her daughter had stopped breathing.
According to the 911 report filed into court, Sheila said the 36-year-old had been sick ‘but it was a long story.’ One officer said Clay was performing ‘ineffective chest compressions’ on Lacey when he arrived.
After the horrific details of Lacey’s death were reported, haunting details soon emerged.
Neighbors of the Fletchers told the Daily Mail they hadn’t seen Lacey for around 15 years.
Robert Blades claims he asked Lacey’s father about her whereabouts in 2017, telling the outlet: “I actually thought maybe she got married and moved on.
“I said, ‘How is Lacey? How’s she doing? Has she moved off? Went to college or what?’
“He replied, ‘Oh no, she’s still here. She’s fine.’ And then changed the subject. And that’s it. He didn’t explain why we hadn’t seen her at all.”
Lacey reportedly attended a local academy and was on the volleyball team until ninth grade, when she became homeschooled.
The Daily Mail reports that at the age of 14, she was taken to clinical psychologist Donald Hoppe by her mom, who claimed she suffered from ‘severe social anxiety.’
Dr. Hoppe, who saw Lacey for 12 sessions between 2000 and 2002, said Sheila shared information from another psychologist that ‘Lacey had a below average IQ and suffered from autism.’
The Fletchers reportedly visited Dr. Hoppe once more in 2010, claiming ‘Lacey was refusing to leave the house and in fact had begun to refuse to leave the living room of the house.’
Lacey’s parents also said their daughter had suffered from a neurological condition called locked-in syndrome, which causes a person to be conscious but unable to move or speak, per the Mirror.
Lacey is said to have been left on the couch inside the home of her parents for 12 years – she had essentially ‘melted’ to the piece of furniture and was reportedly maggot-ridden.
Recounting the day he saw the 36-year-old’s remains, coroner Bickham said: “I’ve seen some horrible things in my life but nothing like this.
“The parents were in the kitchen. They did not have an explanation. I couldn’t eat for a week and I cried for a week.”
According to documents obtained by Daily Mail, Lacey’s bones were visible from severe wounds and sores when found.
An autopsy report by forensic pathologist Dr. Dana Troxclair found that her body was covered in pressure ulcers and she’d suffered a chronic bone infection.
With there being ‘no evidence of decomposition’ at the time the autopsy was concocted, it was concluded ‘the maggots were present prior to death.’
It was also noted there was ‘fecal matter, both crusted and fresh, present on the body including face, chest, abdomen, perineum, and extremities.’
It was concluded that Lacey died from sepsis due to a chain reaction of conditions.
Sheila and Clay Fletcher were charged after the emaciated remains of their daughter were found.
District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla told the Daily Mail that Lacey’s parents were charged because they had ‘allowed their daughter to suffer unbearably.’
Meanwhile, Steven Moore, the couple’s defense attorney, insisted the Fletchers had cared for their daughter and hadn’t intended to harm her.
“They were negligent, yes,” Moore commented. “It is clear they were negligent. They loved her to death, and that is the true statement of what the Fletchers are.”
In court, Lacey’s parents, who acted as her caretakers, testified that their daughter refused medical attention, according to The Advocate.
Prosecutors argued due to the 36-year-old’s mental state, she was unable to make the decision to refuse medical treatment.
In March 2024, the Fletchers pleaded no contest to manslaughter and their sentences were read – they received 40 years, though 20 will be suspended.
WAFB-9 reported that they will serve five years of supervised probation once their jail stints are over.
