Wife eaten alive by maggots; husband charged

CINCINNATI - A Tri-State man is charged after police said he allowed his wife to be eaten by maggots while she was still alive.

65-year-old Darrell White of Madisonville has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

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

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

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," said Wilson. "When the coroner's office investigated it, their examination of the body, they said no she had probably been dead that day."

The coroner now says she had died a day earlier from sepsis.

A grand jury indicted Darrell White on Friday for involuntary manslaughter and failing to provide for a functionally impaired person.

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

"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," said Thompson.