2 men sentenced after bedridden Bowling Green woman with MS found dead, severely malnourished

Two men found culpable in the death of a Bowling Green woman suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) have been sentenced.

Lonnie E. Leonard, 55, and 49-year-old Alexander J. Leonard, both of Bowling Green, were sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this week after being found guilty of manslaughter and knowingly neglecting an adult.

The Bowling Green Police Department arrested the Leonards and 38-year-old Tiffany R. McCoy, also of Bowling Green, in May 2023 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. The Leonards and McCoy were Fikes’ caregivers.

Fikes additionally had an eroded bone on her tailbone and lower extremities and bed sores so severe they exposed her spine, according to a report by WBKO.com. Fikes, police said, weighed 52 pounds at the time of her death, as her rib and hip bones were clearly visible.

Police said Fikes died of cardiac arrest.

McCoy is facing the same charges as the Leonards. She is next scheduled to be in court in November for a pre-trial conference.

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