York County woman, 84, found barricaded in filth rescued; 2 caregivers charged
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A Rock Hill couple, who kept an elderly woman against her will covered in her own waste by using a barricade to keep her locked away, was arrested after York County deputies rescued the victim, police said.
Ashlyn Thompson Armstrong, 54, and Eddie Allan Smith, 54, both of Rock Hill, are charged with kidnapping and abuse of a vulnerable adult, according to police and jail records.
Armstrong and Smith are a couple who live together and were supposed to be taking care of the victim, police said.
The 84-year-old was covered in sores, urine and feces, and surrounded by insects and garbage until York County Sheriff’s Office deputies found her late Saturday night, police said.
A neighbor called police about screams heard at the home on Green Bay Drive. Deputies found the woman living in unsafe, unhealthy and filthy conditions, said York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson.
Inside the home, deputies found a table had been screwed to the floor that blocked the woman from being able to escape a downstairs room, a police report from the incident shows.
Officers found the woman in a recliner, covered with body sores and waste, police said.
Officers called EMS and South Carolina Department of Social Services agents. The victim was taken to Piedmont Medical Center for treatment, and kept in emergency DSS custody, police said.
Tolson said patrol deputies, crime scene technicians, detectives and other staff worked for several hours to help the victim and investigate the living conditions.
“The thought that a human being could treat another human being with such indifference, especially an elderly individual, is very disturbing,” Tolson said. “We are thankful to have been able to intervene in this victim’s circumstances and get her to a safe environment.”
Smith told officers the table kept the elderly woman downstairs, and out of the kitchen and the rest of the home, deputies said. Smith told officers she had last eaten several hours before, and she was “always hungry and wanted more food.”
The pair told police the victim had not bathed in two weeks, according to the report.
“Both parties stated that (victim) was a nuisance and that she was ruining their lives,” deputies wrote in the report.
The home was filled with flies and other insects, garbage and human waste, deputies said. The victim’s walker, clothing, bedding and area where she was sitting also was waste-covered, police said.
A conviction for kidnapping can carry up to 30 years in prison under South Carolina law. The abuse charge carries up to five years in prison for a conviction.
Bond was denied to both Thompson and Smith after their arrest Sunday. Both remain in the York County jail.
This story was originally published December 18, 2018 at 8:28 AM.
