Monongalia County, WV — A 76-year-old man with serious health problems was allegedly left sitting on a toilet for 19 hours without food, water or his prescribed medications, after his wife was unable to help him get up, according to police and court records.
Margaret Rog, 75, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the incident involving her husband, who authorities said suffered from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and legal blindness.
According to the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office and reports cited by a local news outlet, the man’s ordeal began after he went to the bathroom at around 3 p.m. on Aug. 20.
Rog allegedly could not get him off the toilet but did not call for outside assistance. Instead, authorities said she left her husband unattended for roughly 19 hours.
Investigators allege that the elderly man was in serious distress during that time and was heard groaning in pain.
Speech therapist discovers him the next morning
The situation came to light the following morning when a speech therapist arrived at the home for a scheduled in-home visit with Rog’s husband.
At around 10 a.m., the therapist reportedly discovered the man unresponsive and in dangerously poor condition.
An ambulance was called, and the 76-year-old was rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment, according to court records obtained by the outlet.
Doctors found that he was suffering from a series of severe medical conditions.
Among them were heart failure, respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism, hypernatremia, sepsis and rhabdomyolysis, according to the records.
The man was also reportedly suffering from wounds on his backside, shortness of breath and an altered mental state.
Husband died 10 days after being found
Despite receiving hospital treatment, the elderly man died on Aug. 31, about 10 days after he was discovered in the home.
Investigators later examined the circumstances surrounding his condition and injuries.
According to the report, authorities determined that the man’s condition and injuries associated with being left on the toilet were “significant contributing factors” in his death.
The finding became a central part of the investigation into how the elderly man was treated before his hospitalization.
Police say wife knew he needed help
Court documents reportedly contain several statements that investigators say Rog made during the investigation to law enforcement, adult protection services and family members.
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Authorities allege that Rog acknowledged her husband needed assistance but deliberately chose not to provide help.
The allegations are particularly significant because investigators said the man had multiple conditions that made him dependent on others for basic assistance.
Rather than seeking help after she could not move him from the toilet, police allege that Rog left him there overnight.
The investigation eventually led to her arrest on a charge of abuse or neglect of an incapacitated adult, according to online arrest records from the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office.
Rog pleads not guilty
Rog appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the charge, according to online court records. She was released after posting a $75,000 bond.
The case remains pending, and the allegations against Rog have not been proven in court.
The investigation centers on what happened during the 19 hours the elderly man was allegedly left without the assistance, medication, food and water authorities say he needed, as well as the extent to which those circumstances contributed to his later medical decline and death.
The case is expected to proceed through the court system as prosecutors and investigators continue reviewing the circumstances surrounding the man’s final days.
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