JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo — Editor's note: This story includes details about the victim's condition that might be disturbing.
Two people are in custody for crimes against an at-risk person after a woman's death, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said.
According to the sheriff's office, on Monday, the Arvada Fire Department responded to a call for a sick person at a short-term rental home on Kendall Street. A man at the scene, later identified as 36-year-old Brian Seitz, told first responders that "mom has maggots on her and needs medical attention," according to an arrest affidavit.
Paramedics found the victim, 58-year-old Sheryl Seitz, lying on an air mattress in the garage, according to the sheriff's office. She was covered with filth and maggots, the sheriff's office said.
The victim was taken to the hospital, where she died on Tuesday.
She was suffering from bed sores, two hip fractures, a “loosely connected wrist,” ulcers and septic shock when she arrived at the hospital, according to the sheriff's office.
Brian Seitz and his girlfriend, 53-year-old Laura Prats, were arrested Wednesday. Both were being held on charges of crimes against at-risk person resulting in death, and crimes against at-risk person resulting in serious bodily injury, the sheriff's office said. Seitz also faces a charge of tampering with physical evidence.
According to the affidavit written by a Jefferson County sheriff's deputy, the suspects were caretakers for the victim, who was legally blind and had arthritis. The two had been the victim's caretakers for the past six to seven years due to her medical condition and her inability to care for herself, the sheriff's office said.
The suspects told deputies that the victim "was immobile and they would routinely use a tarp to move her around," according to the affidavit.
Brian Seitz and Prats received state funding for Sheryl Seitz's care through a home health-care company for 83 hours a week, according to the sheriff's office.
According to the affidavit, the two suspects and the victim lived in separate RVs in a storage lot on West 56th Avenue. The trailer that the victim was living in did not have running water, so the suspects would rent short-term rentals for her to take baths, the affidavit says. The suspects told deputies the last bath the victim had was in February.
An ambulance service had refused to leave Sheryl Seitz at the trailer when she was released from a hospital stay last year, the affidavit says.
In early December, deputies and Adult Protective Services visited the property and found that "she appeared to be cared for the best possible considering her health issues," according to the affidavit. That investigation was then closed.
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