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A West Virginia woman is accused of leaving her frail and ailing husband on the toilet for 19 hours, an act investigators say contributed to his death.
Margaret Rog, 75, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of her 76-year-old husband. She was charged with abuse or neglect of an incapacitated adult.
Authorities allege Rog had left her husband, who suffers from dementia, Alzheimer’s and legal blindness, on the toilet overnight last month, leading to serious health conditions that contributed to his death, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office said, according to WDTV.
Her husband went to the bathroom at around 3 p.m. on Aug. 20, but when he was finished doing his business, Rog was unable to help him off the toilet.
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According to investigators, instead of calling for help, the woman left her husband unattended and unresponsive for 19 hours without food, water or his prescribed medications, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies allege Rog watched her husband groan in pain but did not call anyone for help and later went to bed as her ailing husband remained stuck on the toilet, according to deputies.
At around 10 a.m. the following day, a speech therapist arrived for an in-home visit with Rog’s husband and found the man unresponsive and in dangerously poor condition, according to WDTV, citing court records.
The speech therapist then called an ambulance and the man was rushed to the hospital.
He was then diagnosed with several conditions, including heart failure, respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism, hypernatremia, sepsis and rhabdomyolysis.
The man was also found to have wounds on his backside, shortness of breath and an altered mental status, according to court records.
He died in the hospital on Aug. 31.
Investigators said the elderly man’s condition and injuries linked to being left on the toilet were “significant contributing factors” to his death, WDTV reported.
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Rog allegedly made statements investigators described as self-incriminating to law enforcement, adult protection services and family members over the course of the investigation, according to court documents.
The woman allegedly suggested she was aware of her husband’s need for assistance but deliberately opted against offering any help.
She pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday and posted a $75,000 bond.