Husband, Daughter Accused Of Neglect Leading To Elderly Woman's Death, Including Not Filling Prescriptions For Years

Two people face charges after an elderly woman was neglected causing her death, including not having her prescriptions filled for years, police said.

On Mach 16, police in Valley, Alabama, responded to a home for a report of an elderly woman found dead.

When officers arrived, they found 72-year-old Janice Ramsey Hawkins, dead in the living room, according to Valley police. Her husband, Walter Alfred Hawkins, 74, and her daughter, Chrsity Lee Hawkins, 45, were also at the home.

Investigators determined that Janice Hawkins’ cause of death was “failure to thrive associated with complication of diabetes,” according to police.

Janice Hawkins suffered from malnutrition and was underweight when she died, according to police. She had sunken eyes, prominent ribs and dehydration.

Janice Hawkins lived in deplorable conditions with dirty clothing, foul odors and a roach infestation, police noted.

She had not been seen by a doctor since 2019 and none of her nine prescriptions had been refilled since 2018.

On May 18, police charged her husband with first-degree elderly abuse and neglect and manslaughter. Her daughter was charged with first-degree elder abuse. Both were taken to the Chambers County Detention Facility.