Husband, daughter charged after neglecting elderly Valley woman to death, authorities say
A husband and daughter are behind jail after a several month investigation into the death of a 72-year-old Valley woman led to horrific findings in the investigation and autopsy report.
The investigation began on March 16th, 2022 when Valley police officers were dispatched out to the 3600 block of 24th Avenue where they found an elderly female, identified as 72-year-old Janice Ramsey Hawkins, deceased in the living room of the Shawmut community home. Also present were two other residents of the home, the decedent’s husband, 74-year-old Walter Alfred Hawkins and her daughter, 45-year-old Christy Lee Hawkins.
While officers began investigating the death, investigators were requested to document the scene due to the living conditions found in the home and the condition of Hawkins. Valley investigators also conferred with the District Attorney’s office, which led to Hawkins being transported to the Medical Examiner’s office in Montgomery pending an autopsy.
Statements were also taken from her husband and daughter.
Nearly 2 months later, Valley investigators received the completed autopsy report on May 4th, 2022. The report, written by a medical examiner, states Hawkins’ cause of death was Failure to Thrive associated with complications of diabetes. The failure to thrive portion of factors listed five key reasons, with those being, malnutrition, body mass index 14 kilograms per meter squared (underweight according to NIH), sunken eyes and prominent ribs, dehydration as evidenced by skin tenting and deplorable living conditions, dirty clothing, foul odor and roach infestation.
Investigations found that Hawkins had not been seen by a doctor since 2019 and that none of her prescriptions, she had nine different medications, had been refilled since 2018.
14 days after the report was sent, on May 18th, 2022, the District Attorney’s Office of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, Walter Alfred Hawkins was arrested and charged with Elderly Abuse and Neglect 1st and Manslaughter. Christy Lee Hawkins was also arrested and charged with Elderly Abuse and Neglect 1st. They were both transported to the Chambers County Detention Facility pending a bond hearing.
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