A woman in West Virginia was arrested after she allegedly left her elderly husband with dementia on a toilet for 19 hours and ignored his pleas for help.
Margaret Louise Rog has been charged with abuse of an incapacitated adult with a substantial risk of death.
Officers said that they became aware of the situation when a speech therapist arrived for an in-home visit to see the 76-year-old victim, and they determined he was in “dangerously poor condition and unresponsive on the toilet,” according to a criminal complaint viewed by Law & Crime. The man was then rushed to the hospital on August 21, and he died 10 days later on August 31.
The complaint stated that the man suffered from a number of health issues, including dementia, Alzheimer’s and legal blindness. Rog, 75, served as her husband’s caregiver.
After her husband was hospitalized, Rog told deputies with the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office that he went to the bathroom about 3 p.m. on August 20. At the time, he was unable to stand up on his own. She said she tried to get him up, but was unable to.
Rog allegedly ignored her husband for the next 19 hours despite the fact that he was “groaning in pain,” per the complaint. Police said that she also did not call 911 or anyone for help, and she did not give him food, water or his medications.
Rog allegedly went to bed while leaving “her husband unattended and unresponsive in the bathroom.” The victim remained on the toilet until the following morning when the speech therapist arrived at the home and called 911.
Once he got to the hospital, doctors said that he was already suffering from sepsis and heart failure, and he had wounds on his backside.
Officers claimed in the report that Rog made several incriminating statements that indicated she understood that her husband needed help, but she “deliberately decided against providing any.”
An autopsy was later conducted on the victim, which revealed he sustained injuries while stuck on the toilet and that they were “significant contributing factors to his death.”
Rog was arrested on Tuesday, September 15, and was taken into custody at the North Central Regional Jail. She has since been released after posting a $75,000 bond.
She is next scheduled to appear in court on September 25.
It’s not currently clear if Rog has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
If you are experiencing elder abuse or suspect someone you know is, you can call the Eldercare Locator at (800) 677-1116 and speak to a specially trained operator who can refer you to a local agency that can help. The Eldercare Locator accepts calls Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
