Victim of suspected elderly abuse dies

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Theresa Smothers died early Saturday, less than two days after police found the malnourished 87-year-old, lying naked in a bed soaked in fecal matter and urine at the home of her daughter.

Her daughter now faces charges of voluntary manslaughter.

Police officers expected an arrest warrant to be issued for Judy Ann Smothers, 65. Smothers was arrested Thursday on suspicion of domestic assault and elder abuse, second-degree charges. She was booked at Butler County Jail and released at 5 p.m. Friday at the end of a 24-hour hold, said Detective Andy Cleaveland.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday morning with Dr. Russell Deidiker in Farmington, Missouri, Cleaveland said. No funeral arrangements have been made.

The younger Smothers told police she could have taken better care of her mother but was too tired.

The elder Smothers was found Thursday in what police described as extremely serious condition, weighing only 71 pounds.

She suffered from extreme malnutrition and dehydration, open bed sores and had lost more than half her body weight in three months.

The woman never regained the cognitive ability to speak with officers, Cleaveland said.

She spent her last two days at Westwood Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center, where Cleaveland said staff worked to make Smothers as comfortable as possible before she died at 4:50 a.m. Saturday.

When police found the woman, she was conscious but not aware of her surroundings. Officers said the home had rats, mice and cats.

They were told by state officials the victim was receiving one prepackaged cup of applesauce a day.

“I’m at a loss for words on this case to actually describe how you feel seeing this,” he said.

Police are piecing together information about the elder Smothers, the widow of a veteran. Her husband had died within the last two years, according to officers. The couple had lived in the Maud Street area.

Authorities were alerted to the conditions in the home by hotline call from hospice workers, who reported the woman’s condition to the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

The elder Smothers was placed Friday under the emergency guardianship of Butler County Public Administrator Sharron Payne.