A West Virginia woman has been arrested after authorities accused her of leaving her frail husband stuck on a toilet for about 19 hours.
The 76-year-old man was later rushed to the hospital in serious condition and passed away 10 days later.
Investigators said his medical problems and injuries from the ordeal were “significant” factors in his passing.
Highlights
- Margaret Louise Rog was arrested after authorities accused her of leaving her frail husband on a toilet for about 19 hours.
- The 76-year-old man was hospitalized with several serious medical conditions.
- Rog pleaded not guilty and was released after posting a $75,000 bond.
The case has left people online stunned, with some questioning how such a situation could happen inside a home.
“How does someone pass away on a toilet after being there 19 hours? A person would’ve slid off the toilet and lay on the floor for hours, not the toilet,” wrote one netizen.
A 75-year-old woman was arrested after leaving her ill husband on the toilet for 19 hours
Margaret Louise Rog was arrested on September 15 and charged with ab*se or neglect of an incapacitated adult, according to the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office, reported by WDTV.
Authorities said her husband, identified in the criminal complaint as M.S.R., went to the bathroom at around 3 p.m. on August 20. When he was finished, Rog allegedly could not help him stand up.
Instead of calling someone for assistance, investigators said she left him in the bathroom.
The man had dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and legal blindness, making him especially dependent on others for help.
According to authorities, Rog left him without food, water, or his prescribed medication.
Investigators also alleged that she heard him groaning in pain but still did not seek help. She later went to bed while he remained stuck on the toilet.
The situation continued until around 10 a.m. the next morning, when a speech therapist arrived for a scheduled in-home visit.
The therapist found the man unresponsive and in extremely poor condition and called an ambulance.
The man was taken to a hospital where doctors found several serious medical problems
According to court records, the man was diagnosed with heart failure, respiratory failure, a pulmonary embolism, hypernatremia, sepsis, and rhabdomyolysis (a rare muscle injury where the muscles break down).
He also had wounds on his backside, shortness of breath, and an altered mental state.
The medical complications were severe, but he did not pass away immediately.
He remained in the hospital for 10 days before passing away on August 31.
Investigators later concluded that his condition and injuries connected to being left on the toilet were “significant contributing factors” in his passing.
That detail has raised more questions online, with some commenters struggling to understand how the older man remained in the same position for so long.
One person wrote, “So an average amount of time for a man to be on a toilet. What am I missing?”
Another detractor questioned whether Rog had physically restrained her husband, asking if she had somehow “strap[ped] him to the toilet for nineteen hours.”
During the investigation, officials said Rog knew her husband needed help
The allegations against Rog go beyond being unable to lift her husband.
According to court documents, investigators said she made several statements to law enforcement, adult protective services, and family members during the investigation.
Authorities interpreted those statements as evidence that Rog knew her husband needed assistance but deliberately chose not to provide it.
That allegation remains central to the criminal charge.
One social media user summed up a different view, writing, “If she was his official caregiver, then she committed a crime. If not, then she was giving him space and not nagging him.”
Rog appeared in court on September 15 after her arrest.
She pleaded not guilty to the charge of ab*se or neglect of an incapacitated adult and was released after posting a $75,000 bond.
"She probably has some dementia herself," wrote one netizen
