Houston County (January 2, 2022) – Adult Protective Services were alerted to a situation involving the neglect and financial exploitation of a 62-year-old woman with dementia. On March 25, 2022, an APS caseworker and a Houston County Sheriff’s Office deputy visited the Warner Robins residence to investigate. They found the victim lying naked on a urine-soaked mattress, with feces smeared on the sheets, blankets, walls, and carpet.
Officers noted the woman’s extremely frail state and said it was unknown when she ate her last meal. Houston County EMS arrived and transported her to the Houston Medical Center.
The caseworker reviewed the victim’s bank statements and discovered several unauthorized debit card charges to Amazon, gas stations, retail stores, and Netflix. It was also noted that the victim was paying $500 a month in rent.
On January 12, officers arrested Kellie Etris, the victim’s daughter and roommate, for punishment-exploiting the disabled or elderly. This case remains under investigation.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On 4-7-22, at 0837 hrs, I received a report from Adult Protective Services (APS) regarding the financial exploitation and neglect of the victim Ms. [VICTIM #1]. Ms. [VICTIM #1] lives at [100 BLOCK] Deborah Dr. Lot [REDACTED], Warner Robins, GA. Ms. [VICTIM #1] is a 62 year old white female with a history of dementia. She lives in the home with her daughter Kellie Etris, and Ms. [VICTIM #1]’s other daughter [REDACTED], holds the Power of Attorney over Ms. [VICTIM #1]’s affairs.
APS received the initial complaint on 1-2-22, and APS case worker [REDACTED] was assigned this case. On 3-25-22, [REDACTED] visited the home and requested a Deputy to respond with her. Deputy Towns was dispatched to the home, arrived at 1158 hrs., and met [REDACTED]. The two announced themselves and were let in to the home.
Once inside, Ms. [REDACTED] and Deputy Towns walked through the residence to Ms. [VICTIM #1]’s room and found her laying in bed. Ms. [VICTIM #1] was laying on a mattress soaked with urine and feces. Ms. [VICTIM #1] was naked in the bed and the blankets and sheets covering her were also smeared with feces.
Looking at the room, Ms. [REDACTED] noticed feces smeared on the walls and into the carpet. Ms. [VICTIM #1] was frail and it’s unknown when she ate her last meal. Ms. [VICTIM #1] does have dementia. Houston EMS was called to the scene and Ms. [VICTIM #1] was transported to the Houston Medical Center to be treated.
When I received the disabled adult and elder persons abuse report (DAAR), Ms. [REDACTED] indicated Ms. [VICTIM #1] was being financially exploited on top of being neglected. Ms. [REDACTED] obtained RFCU bank records for the months of January through March of 2022. In her report, she stated Ms. [VICTIM #1] was paying $500.00 a month for rent.
Looking over her bank statements, Ms. [REDACTED] observed several purchases made with her debit card. In January of 2022, payments were made to Amazon, retail stores, gas stations $249.71. In February there were charges to Netflix and Amazon totaling $429.90. In March, there were charges to Amazon and other retail establishments in the combined amount of $263.00.
This case remains under investigation.
[End of Narrative]
