Inset, left to right: Alicia Bureau and Chereia McKinley (East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office). Background: The area in Louisiana where Bureau and McKinley allegedly neglected their mother (Google Maps).
Last week in Louisiana, authorities arrested two sisters on allegations of severely neglecting their ailing mother, a situation so dire that the 64-year-old woman’s skin reportedly started “peeling” off her body.
Alicia Bureau, aged 42, and Chereia McKinley, 39, both residents of Baton Rouge, were detained on Thursday. Each sister faces a charge of cruelty to the elderly or infirm, according to court documents.
The case came to light on Wednesday, January 14, when one of the sisters dialed 911, requesting medical help for their mother at their shared home on Bellhaven Trace Drive. This call triggered an investigation, as reported by local ABC station WBRZ.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found the victim inside the home, describing her condition as having “obvious injuries” indicative of neglect. Authorities noted that the woman was unable to move, feed, change, or bathe herself, painting a grim picture of her situation.
Recognizing the need for urgent medical intervention, emergency personnel transported the woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, to Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center, situated approximately five miles from her residence.
Hospital staff discovered that the victim was suffering from “extreme dehydration” and multiple severe injuries attributed to neglect. The woman had open sores covering her neck, body, and legs, as detailed by local Fox affiliate WGMB.
“Additionally, the victim’s skin was peeling from her body,” WBRZ reported, citing a probable cause affidavit from police.
The hospital staff also informed police that the victim “was wearing an undergarment that had not been changed in days and was full of excrement.”
“Medical personnel feared that if the victim was left alone for an additional day, she would die,” the affidavit reportedly said.
Bureau and McKinley were both booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Jan. 15, where they were being held without bond as of Tuesday afternoon, records show.
