FAYETTEVILLE -- Two Fayetteville women accused of abusing an elderly relative pleaded not guilty Monday in Washington County Circuit Court.
Rose Mary Austin, 75, and Evelyn Schafer, 54, were arrested June 20 in connection with felony abuse of an endangered or impaired person after authorities found an 85-year-old woman unresponsive and covered in feces and trash at their home, according to a preliminary arrest report.
Austin and Schafer entered not guilty pleas. Austin is to appear before Circuit Judge Mark Lindsay on Sept. 14. Schafer is to appear before Circuit Judge Judge Joanna Taylor on Sept. 27.
Firefighters were called to the home June 19 over concerns about the woman's breathing, according to the report. Firefighters struggled to get in because stacks of newspapers and magazines blocked the door. They found the woman on a couch clothed only in a shirt, covered in feces and barely breathing, according to the report.
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 all described the injuries as the worst they had seen, according to the report.
Austin, described in the report as the woman's caregiver, told police her sister fell June 13 and was placed on the couch where she remained for several days. Schafer was identified as the elderly woman's daughter.
Austin said she placed the woman in a diaper and cleaned her with baby wipes, but police reported no diaper was found. Austin said the woman slept on a couch in the living room and in a nearby chair.
NW News on 07/26/2016