California mother and son charged with abuse of man with CP that led to his death

From the San Diego Union-Tribune. Pictured is the bed of Jeremy Marlow, who had cerebral palsy, in his family's apartment.

EL CAJON, Calif. — A mother is accused of failing to care for her 28-year-old disabled son and housing him in a filthy apartment — conditions of neglect that eventually led to his death in January, authorities said August 6.

Deborah Marlow, 58, and her younger son, Christopher Marlow, 26, have been wanted on charges of abuse of a dependent adult since April, when they fled to Georgia, the Sheriff’s Department said. On Thursday, they agreed to return to San Diego and were arrested by the county Fugitive Task Force.

The abuse came to light on Jan. 21, when paramedics found Jeremy Marlow unresponsive in the family’s Graves Avenue apartment in an unincorporated area of El Cajon.

Marlow, who was severely mentally disabled and suffered from cerebral palsy, was taken to Sharp Grossmont Hospital, where he never regained consciousness and died five days later, said sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Varnau.

He weighed less than 100 pounds, suffered from several infections and was covered in open pressure wounds. Emergency room physicians told investigators it was the worst case of neglect they’d ever seen, and that he was too far gone to save.

“Parts of his body were literally rotting away from the neglect,” Varnau said.

Detectives who began investigating found foul conditions at the apartment and in his room. It was cluttered with rotting food and garbage, urine, and feces, Varnau said. There were no sheets on the moldy mattress, and his wheelchair was also coated in the filth.

“You wouldn’t keep a dog in these conditions,” the sergeant said.

The mother and brother didn’t hold jobs. The family received $5,000 a month in payments from the state and federal governments meant for Jeremy Marlow’s care. Detectives said they found no evidence that the money was being spent on him, including no evidence of doctor appointments or prescription medicine.

Sheriff’s detectives submitted the case to the District Attorney’s Office, and arrest warrants were issued in April. By then, Deborah and Christopher Marlow had gone to Georgia, where family members lived, Varnau said.

When they left San Diego County, they abandoned a cat in the apartment. It was rescued two weeks later by detectives but had to be euthanized because of its aggressive nature.

The Marlows are scheduled to be arraigned in El Cajon Superior Court next week. They are being held on $50,000 bail each.