West Virginia woman charged after husband left on toilet for 19 hours, dies weeks later

According to Monongalia County authorities, Margaret Rog left her frail husband on the toilet at about 3 p.m. on August 20 and did not seek help, remaining in the house while he stayed on the fixture for 19 hours without food, water or medication. The elderly man, who had dementia, Alzheimer’s and was legally blind, was discovered by a visiting speech therapist the next morning, who called an ambulance. Hospital examinations revealed multiple life-threatening conditions, including heart and respiratory failure, a pulmonary embolism, severe dehydration, sepsis and muscle breakdown, as well as wounds on his back.

He succumbed to these complications on August 31. Investigators say Rog made self-incriminating statements acknowledging she was aware of his need for aid but deliberately withheld assistance. She was arrested on charges of abuse or neglect of an incapacitated adult, pleaded not guilty, and was released on a $75,000 bond.