A Tuscaloosa County man has been indicted after his 76-year-old mother died from sepsis caused by severe, untreated bedsores that investigators say he knew about. Jonathan Chad Simmons, 49, was arrested Sunday and booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail after a grand jury returned charges connected to his mother Brenda Simmons’s death in May.
Medical personnel and Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home in the 13000 block of Alabama Highway 216 on May 16, according to Patch. ABC 33/40 reported that a medical call came in. Brenda Simmons, who lived with her adult son, was found breathing but unresponsive and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where she died several days later.
Hospital staff reported finding multiple open wounds and sores on her body, along with signs that she had not been bathed and feces and insects in her hair, according to WBRC. Investigators said a search warrant executed at the home found it excessively dirty and unsanitary.
Son Admitted Knowing About Wounds, Didn’t Seek Care
Jonathan Simmons told investigators he was his mother’s custodian and caretaker and admitted he was aware of her medical issues, including her open wounds and bedsores, the station’s report states. He also told investigators he had not taken her to a doctor in more than a year, according to al.com.
An autopsy determined that Brenda Simmons died of sepsis caused by complications from the multiple open bedsores, per the same outlet’s reporting. The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit said investigators believed the complications from those bedsores were what ultimately killed her, according to the original report from WBMA.
Grand Jury Returns Indictment Months Later
The case was presented to a Tuscaloosa County grand jury after investigators completed their work, and the panel returned its indictment in September, al.com reports. Jonathan Chad Simmons was arrested Sunday, October 25, and faces reckless manslaughter and elder abuse charges, with WBRC’s report specifying one count of manslaughter and one count of second-degree elder abuse.
Accounts of his custody status differ: Patch reports he is currently being held without bond, while WBRC reports he is being held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail on a $30,000 bond. Hoodline could not independently confirm which account reflects his current status.
State Oversight of Elder Abuse Cases
Cases like this one fall under the broader purview of Alabama’s adult protective-services system. The Alabama Department of Senior Services was appointed by the state legislature to establish and oversee the work of the Interagency Council for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. The state also maintains a central registry, overseen by the Alabama Department of Human Resources, containing the names of people who have abused, neglected, exploited or committed crimes against elderly people and other adults in need of protective services.
