Shelba Catterton, an 83-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease, died after allegedly wandering out of a South Carolina nursing home and being found covered in fire ants that had bitten and stung her approximately 1,000 times, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her family.
Background
Catterton was a resident at Harmony at West Ashley, a memory care and senior living facility in Charleston. On the night of July 23, an employee allegedly propped open a door to the facility's secured courtyard, creating what her family's legal complaint describes as a fatal security breach. The lawsuit alleges that Catterton—described as nonverbal, 83 years old, and suffering from advanced Alzheimer's dementia—was able to walk out through the unlocked door unnoticed and unsupervised.
According to the complaint, she was locked outside "alone in the dark" for hours before staff discovered her lying in what they describe as a "fire ant bed."
"She has bumps all over her back, all over her face, it's pretty bad," an employee said in a 911 call obtained by local NBC affiliate WCBD. "They really did eat up on her."
The lawsuit claims that Catterton "could not cry out" and "could not brush the ants away" during the time she was trapped outside.
The Investigation
"Fire ants swarmed Shelba's body," the complaint states. "By the time Harmony's staff finally discovered her, she had been bitten and stung, upon information and belief, upward of 1,000 times." The bites allegedly covered her face, eyes, scalp, back, chest, arms, hands, legs, and feet.
Emergency department records describe Catterton as having been found "outside laying in an ant pile" for an unknown amount of time. Medical records cited in the complaint list her condition as having "innumerable pustules due to known ant bites."
Catterton's family claims Harmony staff did not call police to report the incident until 36 hours later, and only because her daughter had come to the facility for a regular visit and demanded her mother be taken to a hospital.
"I was horrified," Catterton's 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, said, "Horrendous is what it's been. To watch your mom go from a walking individual to being in a bed, grasping for air."
Catterton was hospitalized with hypothermia and pneumonia. According to the complaint, she was "hypothermic on arrival, requiring active external rewarming with a Bair Hugger warming device for more than two hours," before being admitted to the intensive care unit.
"Shelba's physicians expressly connected the ant bites to life-threatening complications," the document says. Catterton died on August 7—approximately two weeks after she was found in the ant bed.
The family is suing for negligence, wrongful death, and violation of state law governing Alzheimer's care facilities. The complaint notes that "it was known to Harmony that Shelba had diagnoses of conditions which required that Harmony assist her in activities of daily living" and that she "was a fall risk and, as a person with Alzheimer's dementia, at known risk of wandering and elopement."
"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."
The family's attorney, Nate Hughey, called it the worst elder abuse case he had ever encountered.
"This is the worst thing I've ever seen," he told WCBD.
A Harmony spokesperson said: "First, our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Mrs. Catterton's family and loved ones during this difficult time. As a family-owned and operated senior living company, we are committed to providing each resident with the same care, compassion, and respect we would extend to our own family. Because this matter is currently in litigation, we are not in a position to comment on the details of the case."
Key Takeaways
- Shelba Catterton, 83, had advanced Alzheimer's disease and was a resident at Harmony at West Ashley memory care facility in Charleston, South Carolina
- An employee allegedly propped open a door to the secured courtyard, allowing Catterton to walk out unnoticed on July 23
- She was found hours later lying in a fire ant bed, with approximately 1,000 bites and stings covering her body
- The lawsuit alleges staff waited 36 hours before reporting the incident to police
- Catterton died on August 7 after suffering hypothermia, pneumonia, and other complications allegedly connected to the ant bites
What's Next
The family is pursuing legal action against Harmony at West Ashley for negligence, wrongful death, and violations of state law governing Alzheimer's care facilities. No criminal charges have been announced as of publication.