John Jefferson
Inset: Tyrossale Peak (Richmond County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The 2900 block of Rollingwood Drive in Augusta, Georgia, where Tyrossale Peak lived with her mother (Google Maps).
A woman in Georgia has been arrested for allegedly neglecting her elderly and disabled mother so badly that the 82-year-old was found stuck to her own bed due to untreated bedsores.
Tyrossale Peak, 54, is facing charges of neglect to a disabled adult after police found her mother, Lillie Sapp, during a welfare check, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, which lists her online as being booked on Dec. 30. Local ABC affiliate WJBF and The Augusta Press both report that Sapp was supposed to be in hospice care but was removed in June for unexplained reasons.
Deputies responded to Peak’s home in the 2900 block of Rollingwood Drive in Augusta, where her mom had been staying, on Dec. 30 to perform a welfare check on her after receiving a tip from someone. Upon their arrival, they allegedly found Sapp in bed — her skin stuck to the mattress — with a strong smell of bodily fluid present and roaches everywhere, per the sheriff’s office.
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The 82-year-old was reportedly acting incoherent as police worked to remove her body and get her medical attention. EMS workers and even firefighters were called in to assist with her removal, which involved cutting part of the mattress.
Sapp was transported to Wellstar MCG Health, where she was listed as being in stable condition. Peak was behind bars over the weekend without bond.
According to her arrest report, which was obtained by Law&Crime, Peak stated during interviews with police and EMS that Sapp had “lost a bit of weight but she was fine.” She claimed that the last time her mom saw a medical professional was in June, when she was removed from hospice.
“Peak stated to EMS that she feeds Sapp every morning and makes sure that she drinks two to three Ensures a day,” the arrest report says, citing a responding officer. “I walked into the kitchen area and found the kitchen to be infested with roaches,” the officer said. “The sink was overflowing with dirty dishes all over.”
Authorities say Peak personally discontinued her mother’s hospice care and failed to provide her own adequate forms of treatment, leading to the alleged elder abuse. It’s unclear what her mom was in hospice for.
If convicted of felony neglect, Peak will face up to 20 years in prison.
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