Couple took money and failed to care for York mom, 84, rescued from filth, cops say

A son and his wife are charged with taking money and denying medical care of his elderly York County mother, who was rescued by deputies from a basement where she was barricaded in while covered in her own excrement, police said.

The woman, 84, was found in December in a Rock Hill home after neighbors heard calls for help, police said. She was held in the basement blocked by a table screwed to the floor at the top of the stairs and had no bathroom, deputies said.

After a five-month investigation, York County Sheriff’s Office deputies say the woman’s son and his wife took her money and failed to help her.

Sheriff’s office detectives Amy Smith and Nick Schifferle on Friday charged Paul Franklin Armstrong, 52, and Wendy Marie Armstrong, 55, with exploitation and neglect of a vulnerable adult, according to police and jail records. Both charges are felonies.

Arrest warrants served Friday obtained by The Herald state the couple had financial and medical power of attorney for the woman.

“After viewing bank statements and other financial statements, it was discovered that large sums of money were missing,” warrants state.

The couple also failed to provide medical care for the victim as she was kept without access to a toilet in the basement, warrants state.

After the woman was rescued in December, two caregivers -- Ashlyn Thompson Armstrong, 54, and Eddie Allan Smith, 54, both of Rock Hill -- were charged with kidnapping and abuse of a vulnerable adult. Ashlyn Armstrong is a former daughter-in-law of the victim.

Charges against all four are moving forward, said 16th Circuit Assistant Solicitor Sharon Ohayon. Ohayon declined further comment because the cases are pending.

Police found the woman in a recliner covered in sores, urine and feces, and surrounded by insects and garbage, officers said.

“The thought that a human being could treat another human being with such indifference, especially an elderly individual, is very disturbing,” York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said in December.

The woman was kept in emergency DSS custody, police said.

This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Couple took money and failed to care for York mom, 84, rescued from filth, cops say."