Inset: Elizabeth Fike (Gates Funeral Home). Background: News footage of the conditions of the home where Elizabeth Fike died in October 2025 (KDKA).
A woman from Pennsylvania, who battled multiple sclerosis until her passing last year, has been declared a homicide victim, according to the county coroner.
Elizabeth Fike, aged 44, passed away on October 16, 2025, at her residence in Uniontown. She shared this home with her boyfriend, who also acted as her caregiver.
Previously reported by Law&Crime, Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker arrived at the scene to find Fike deceased amidst unhygienic conditions.
In an interview with the local CBS outlet KDKA at that time, Baker revealed that investigations showed Fike had remained bedridden for over three months prior to her death.
On Thursday, Dr. Baker announced that Fike’s demise resulted from neglect, officially ruling it a homicide.
In his latest statement, Baker elaborated that Fike suffered from a “stage IV decubitus ulcer,” more commonly referred to as a severe bedsore, and “urosepsis,” a potentially life-threatening condition caused by a urinary tract infection that has spread to the bloodstream.
When Baker spoke to KDKA in October 2025, he provided photos of the inside of the home where Fike lived with Tim Childs, her boyfriend and caregiver. Baker pointed out that while a new hospital bed, wheelchair, and commode were all found in the home, they were all unused. A bedpan with three-week-old bath water in it was next to a bed that was covered in filth.
Baker said at the time that an investigation would be conducted into Fike’s death due to the “deplorable conditions and severity of neglect in care.”
Childs spoke with local NBC affiliate WTAE shortly after Fike’s death and told the station, “I have cerebral palsy, and I did the best of my ability to do what I needed to do for her. When she had her meds, it was easy. I didn’t have a problem. She ran out of her meds, and it got tougher. I struggled.”
He added, “We had the meds on order, but they hadn’t come in.”
Childs would not comment on the home’s conditions due to the open investigation.
Childs has not been charged with any crime, nor has anyone else since the coroner released his ruling.
