3 arrested after bedridden Bowling Green woman suffering from MS found dead, severely malnourished, in adult diaper containing maggots

Three people have been arrested after a bedridden Bowling Green woman suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) was found deceased and severely malnourished.

The Bowling Green Police Department arrested 55-year-old Lonnie E. Leonard, 49-year-old Alexander J. Leonard and 38-year-old Tiffany R. McCoy, all of Bowling Green, after 44-year-old Jazzmine Rose Fikes was found deceased and wearing an adult diaper containing excrement and maggots at a home on Gary Avenue.

Fikes, police said, weighed 88 pounds, as her rib and hip bones were clearly visible. She also had multiple bed sores and her hair was matted.

The three arrested were Fikes’ caregivers.

Police said Fikes died of cardiac arrest.

Both Lonnie Leonard and Alexander Leonard were arrested Monday, while McCoy was jailed on Thursday. All three are lodged in the Warren County Regional Jail and charged with knowingly abusing/neglecting an adult, a class C felony punishable by five to 10 years in prison.

Lonnie Leonard is being held on a $100,000 cash bond, while Alexander Leonard and McCoy are being held on $25,000 cash bonds.

Johns Hopkins describes MS as a “long-lasting (chronic) disease of the central nervous system. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body attacks itself by mistake. MS is an unpredictable disease that affects people differently. Some people with MS may have only mild symptoms. Others may lose their ability to see clearly, write, speak, or walk when communication between the brain and other parts of the body becomes disrupted.”

(Photo l-r: Lonnie E. Leonard, Tiffany R. McCoy, Alexander J. Leonard)

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com