Severely Malnourished Tennessee Man With Down Syndrome Dies, 72-Year-Old Mother Arrested

A Tennessee mother was arrested Friday (May 22) in connection with the death of her 42-year-old son who was diagnosed with Down syndrome.

According to investigators with the Sparta Police Department, the mother, Betty Stafford, was being investigated for reported neglect and mistreatment of her son.

Mark Stafford was reported dead on Feb. 15, 2019. He was classified as a vulnerable adult as he had Down syndrome. His 72-year-old mother was listed as his caretaker.

According to District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, Betty reported her son’s death several hours after he died. His body was sent to the medical examiner for autopsy. The cause of death was determined as severe malnutrition and sepsis associated with severe sores on his body. The autopsy results said that Mark weighed 54 pounds at the time of his death.

A grand jury, after hearing a conclusion on the incident from the Sparta Police Department's investigators Thursday (May 21), indicted Betty on charges of first-degree felony murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult.

Betty, who hails from Sparta, was arrested Friday and was booked into the White County Jail. The details of her next arraignment were not revealed.

This was an ongoing investigation.

"Information has come to light that Betty Ann Stafford may have acted as the caretaker of other elder and vulnerable adults,” Dunaway told local media.

Police have requested anyone aware of any potential victims of neglect or abuse by Betty to call the District Attorney General’s Office or the Sparta Police Department.

Tennessee state law requires reporting of suspected abuse of a vulnerable or elderly adult. Call 1-888-APS-TENN (277-8366) to make a report.

In a similar incident, a mother from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was charged with chronic neglect of a child after her infant child was found dead due to malnutrition in their home last month. The body of 3-month-old Princeton Williams, who was born in December weighing 8 pounds and 10 ounces, was found dead on March 29 in their home in North 37th Street in the Washington Park. The baby’s body was found dehydrated and thin as a rake. He also had burns and bruises on his body.