A Millersville woman is charged with involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors say she shoved her 63-year-old mother into a wall and sent her tumbling down an outdoor staircase, a fall that later turned deadly. Eileen Flugrath was found bleeding and badly injured at the bottom of an exterior stairway on Pickwick Place on April 5 and died four days later, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office. The accused, 34-year-old Elissa Waltman, was denied bail at a preliminary arraignment and is being held at Lancaster County Prison.
Investigators said a resident on the building’s lower level heard a loud crash and discovered Flugrath lying face down at the base of the stairs. At the top of the stairway, authorities noted an indentation that witnesses said had not been there before. The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office told reporters that Waltman first claimed she never touched her mother, then later admitted to pushing her. Prosecutors charged Waltman with involuntary manslaughter and simple assault, and she remains in custody, according to CBS Pittsburgh.
Charges and penalties
The Pennsylvania General Assembly defines involuntary manslaughter as causing a death through reckless or grossly negligent conduct and classifies it as a first-degree misdemeanor. A first-degree misdemeanor can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison under state sentencing guidance, according to the Pennsylvania Courts. Those statutory outlines frame the potential punishment Waltman could face if convicted.
What happens next
Waltman’s case remains in the early stages of the criminal process. Prosecutors have filed the charges, and a judge has already denied bail at a preliminary arraignment, according to the district attorney’s office. She continues to be held at Lancaster County Prison while the case moves forward, and no formal trial date has been made public. For the original reporting and details from the DA’s filing, see CBS Pittsburgh.
Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office or local police. The DA’s office is located at 50 North Duke Street in Lancaster, and general contact information is listed on the county’s District Attorney webpage. This story will be updated if prosecutors or defense attorneys release additional details.
