Man who allowed his bed-ridden wife to be eaten alive by maggots is charged with involuntary manslaughter

Hard at work: A woman was allegedly left by her husband to be eaten alive by maggots

A man has been charged after allowing his wife to be eaten alive by maggots, while she lay dying in her bed.

Darrell White, 65, was charged yesterday with involuntary manslaughter and failing to provide for a functionally impaired person.



His 46-year-old wife, Jorene, was bed-ridden due to crippling arthritis. Authorities said she was not taken to a doctor for care.



Julie Wilson from the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office said: 'It's a very disturbing case, the details are very shocking.'

Emergency crews responded to the home of Darrel and Jorene White, of Madisonville, in Cincinatti , a block 4400 people, during the early morning hours of July 23.

Jorene White was pronounced dead at the scene and police responded to investigate her death about a half hour later.

Police went to their home in Madisonville in July responding to a 911 call. The Hamilton County Prosecutor's office said that is when they discovered White's body.

'They thought from the condition of the body, she had been dead for about a week. That was their initial assessment because her body was covered in flies, covered in maggots, she had rotting bed sores, she was obviously in horrible horrible condition.



'When the coroner's office investigated it, their examination of the body said she had probably only died that day.'

Her cause of death was sepsis, an infection of the blood system. She suffered from a serious case of arthritis for which she had been hospitalised previously but hadn't received medical help in some time.

A grand jury indicted Darrell White on Friday for involuntary manslaughter and failing to provide for a functionally impaired person. Those charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 11-1/2 years.

Freddie Thompson lives across the street from the White and was shocked to hear of the charges against Darrel.

Thompson said: 'I like him. We talk everyday and waive at each other. No, no, no. He took care of her. He did. He did. He took care of her.'