An 83-year-old woman with advanced Alzheimer’s disease died after she was allegedly left outside unsupervised and attacked by fire ants at a South Carolina nursing facility, according to a lawsuit filed by her family.
Shelba Catterton was a resident at Harmony at West Ashley in Charleston when the horrifying incident allegedly unfolded on July 23.
According to the lawsuit, a staff member propped open a door leading to the facility’s secured courtyard that evening, allowing Catterton to walk outside unnoticed.
Her family says she was nonverbal, suffered from advanced dementia and was unable to protect herself.
The lawsuit claims Catterton was eventually locked outside alone in the dark.
Several hours later, staff members allegedly found her lying in a fire ant bed and covered in insects.
During a 911 call, one worker reportedly said, “A bunch of ants were on her.”
“She has bumps all over her back, all over her face; it’s pretty bad,” the employee said. “They really did eat up on her.”
The family’s lawsuit claims Catterton was stung and bitten as many as 1,000 times.
The bites allegedly covered nearly her entire body, including her face, eyes, scalp, chest, back, arms, hands, legs and feet.
Because of her condition, the lawsuit says Catterton could not call for help or brush the ants away.
Emergency room records cited in the complaint reportedly stated that she had been found outside “laying in an ant pile” for an unknown amount of time.
Her daughters said they were horrified when they learned what had happened.
“I was horrified,” daughter Jan Buice told WCBD. “I just can’t tell you how horrified I was. Nobody should ever go through something like that.”
Another daughter, Sherri Lero, described watching her mother’s health deteriorate after the incident.
“Horrendous is what it’s been,” she said. “To watch your mom go from a walking individual to being in a bed, grasping for air.”
According to the lawsuit, Catterton arrived at the hospital hypothermic and needed active warming for more than two hours before being admitted to intensive care.
Medical records allegedly described her as having “innumerable pustules” from the ant bites.
The lawsuit also claims doctors directly linked the bites to life-threatening medical complications.
Catterton died on Aug. 7, roughly two weeks after the incident.
Her family alleges that staff members did not contact police for approximately 36 hours and only did so after Catterton’s daughter arrived for a scheduled visit and demanded that her mother be taken to the hospital.
Attorney Nate Hughey, who represents the family, called the case the worst elder abuse case he has ever seen.
The family has now filed a lawsuit accusing Harmony at West Ashley of negligence, wrongful death and violations of state regulations governing Alzheimer’s care facilities.
The complaint argues that staff members knew Catterton was at risk of wandering because of her dementia and required help with daily activities.
“A person with Shelba’s condition is at known risk of wandering and of leaving a facility without knowing where she is going or the danger she is in,” the lawsuit states. “That risk is the reason secured memory care units exist.”
Authorities are continuing to investigate.
Harmony at West Ashley expressed condolences to Catterton’s family but declined to discuss the allegations in detail because of the ongoing lawsuit.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Mrs. Catterton’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” a representative told WCBD.
The company added that it is committed to treating residents with care and compassion but said it could not comment further while the case is in litigation.
