SLAUGHTER - An East Feliciana couple pleaded no contest Feb. 5 to a reduced charge of manslaughter in the death of their daughter who was found dead on a couch in her parents' home in January 2022. 

On Feb. 20, both Sheila and Clay Fletcher surrendered to the East Feliciana Parish Prison and were booked into jail.

East Feliciana Coroner Dr. Ewell Bickham said 36-year-old Lacey Fletcher had "melted" into the sofa. Sources said the room where Lacey was found reeked of urine and feces and that the floor was buckling beneath the couch due to pooling urine.

"What happened to Lacey should never happen again," Dr. Bickham said. 

In the years leading up to her death, Lacey was diagnosed with autism and was non-verbal. The Investigative Unit learned the last time Lacey saw a physician was in 2002 when she was 16 years old. For nearly 20 years, she was left unchecked and sources said there were no health insurance claims on her record.

The coroner's office determined that starvation was a contributing factor in her death. She weighed 96 pounds when she was found.

"If someone is having issues, if someone has mental health issues, there are resources out there and social programs," Bickham said.

Initially, parents Sheila and Clay Fletcher were charged with second-degree murder, but pleaded not guilty. Those charges were tossed out by a judge due to conflicting language and reinstated by a grand jury. 

The charges were reduced to manslaughter and they pleaded no contest. Sheila and Clay Fletcher's defense team said the couple cared for their daughter and did not intend to hurt Lacey.

"They loved her to death, and that is the true statement of what the Fletchers are," Steven Moore, the couple's attorney said. "The things that happened to Lacey are horrible in the way it worked out, but they cared for her daily."

At the courthouse Monday, many people showed up to support the parents. The prosecution brought in victim advocate Dana Lovett to support Lacey.

"Nobody should have to have lived like she did all these years," Lovett said. "They had so many resources at their fingertips, especially Mrs. Fletcher. Why she didn't utilize those resources when she was actually almost hand in hand with people that could help is beyond me."

Sheila Fletcher is a former alderman in the Town of Slaughter and resigned her post after her daughter died.

The district attorney's office is asking for the maximum sentence of 40 years. The sentencing hearing is set for March 20.

Editor's note: A former version of this story said the Fletcher's pleaded guilty. The couple pleaded no contest to the manslaughter charge.