Rochester, MN  (KROC AM News) - A rural Stewartville woman has been charged with manslaughter in the death of a relative who died last month in what Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem says was a case of extreme neglect.

The 76 year old woman was found in her bed at a High Forest Township home November 6th. A deputy called to the scene later reported the bedroom smelled of  “urine, waste, decay and rotting flesh.“ He reported the woman was in a fetal position and lying in her own urine and feces and had been in the bed so long her skin had become “fused with the sheets.“  He described the woman as having numerous open sores and her hip and several rib bones were exposed.

The woman was in extreme pain but conscious when taken to St. Mary’s. Doctors determined she was suffering from “severe, profound and physical neglect.“ She died three days later. The autopsy found her death was caused by septic shock and skin and bone infections.  

The woman who had been caring for the victim has been identified as 73 year old Shirley Kraemer. She told investigators the victim had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 10 years ago.

Investigators learned the two women were suspicious of doctors and failed to follow through with treatment. A neighbor told an investigator the two women “did not believe in modern medicine and were  paranoid.“  

Kraemer has been ordered to appear in court next month. Besides the manslaughter charge, she is also facing two counts of criminal neglect.

 

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