Inset: Shannon Solomon-Webb (Wagoner County Jail). Background: Webb”s listed address in Wagoner, Okla. (Google Maps.)
Authorities in Oklahoma have arrested a woman accused of mistreating her elderly mother and disrespecting her corpse in a home overwhelmed by animals and unsanitary conditions, according to state law enforcement.
Shannon Solomon-Webb, 38, is facing charges including caretaker abuse, desecration of a human corpse, and animal cruelty, as indicated by records from Wagoner County courts examined by Law&Crime.
Records reveal that Solomon-Webb was taken into custody on April 9, though she is not currently listed as being held in the county’s detention facility.
The situation unfolded after Solomon-Webb’s husband contacted emergency services to report the death of her mother, as detailed in a probable cause affidavit sourced by Tulsa’s CBS affiliate, KOTV.
Authorities, however, believe the emergency call was made much too late to prevent further tragedy.
“Upon entering the residence, one glance to the right reveals everything,” stated Lt. Det. Clarence Collins of the Wagoner Police Department. “It’s impossible not to notice her… There’s simply no way to miss seeing this person lying on the bed.”
Inside the residence, there were roughly 20 dogs of various ages, police said. The animals were allegedly living among their own waste.
The defendant got into an argument with her mother about moving to a care facility, according to police. So, Solomon-Webb said she wanted to “respect her wishes,” and “limited the time she spent at the house,” according to the charging document.
The victim suffered from lupus and had trouble breathing, police said. When investigators asked Solomon-Webb if she and her husband were in charge of the older woman’s health, safety, and general daily needs, the defendant allegedly replied: “Yes that would be accurate we are her care givers,” according to the affidavit.
Investigators were not impressed with the apparent levels of care.
“They had placed a microwave on the bed, and they had placed…instant meals that you just had to put in the microwave, pot pies, stuff like that, and some water,” Collins continued in comments to KOTV.
The precise date of the victim’s death is unknown as of this writing.
The medical examiner’s office said the rate of decomposition was consistent with the elderly woman having been dead at least one week. Collins, however, told the TV station he believes she had been dead for perhaps as long as a month before the 911 call was made.
“Ms. Solomon was so decomposed that she was – it was like seeing the mummy from ancient, an ancient mummy,” the detective said. “Her skin and everything was so leathered. I don’t know how else to describe it other than she appeared to be an ancient mummy that didn’t have the wrapping.”
As of now, the dogs and puppies in the case are considered evidence. The police department is trying to obtain permission to gain legal possession and give them up for adoption.
“It’s pretty difficult,” Collins went on. “We all have mothers that, we wouldn’t, we wouldn’t want treated in any type of way like that. I can’t imagine somebody treating their own mother that way.”
The defendant’s husband was also arrested along with his wife. He is a member of the Cherokee Nation, so it will be up to tribal authorities to determine what charges, if any, will be filed.
Solomon-Webb was released on bail over the weekend. She is next slated to appear in court for her arraignment on May 6.
