Pennsylvania Woman Sentenced to Prison After Letting Disabled Mother ‘Rot’ in Filth and Die from Sepsis
WOODBURY TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA — A 38-year-old woman will spend up to eight years in prison after her wheelchair-bound mother died from severe neglect in what authorities described as one of the most disturbing elder abuse cases they’ve ever seen.
Colleen Sayegh pleaded guilty to negligent care of a dependent person, a first-degree felony, for allowing her mother to suffer untreated infections and open wounds while living in filthy, inhumane conditions at their home on Mill Hill Road.
‘We Don’t Even Treat Animals Like This,’ Judge Says
When paramedics arrived at the home on July 19, 2022, they found the elderly woman barely responsive, covered in open, foul-smelling sores, and soaked in feces and urine. One wound on her back was reportedly “the size of a fist,” and her blood pressure was dangerously low.
She was taken to a nearby hospital but died two days later.
During sentencing, Judge Jackie Atherton Bernard condemned Sayegh’s conduct:
“We don’t even treat animals like this,” the judge said. “Your actions were selfish. You chose to care for yourself while leaving your mother to rot.”
Investigators Found Home in ‘Deplorable’ Condition
According to Pennsylvania State Police, investigators described the interior of the home as “deplorable”, littered with animal feces and a strong foul odor.
Sayegh told police her mother had been in a nursing home after suffering a stroke in February 2021 but insisted on returning home, where Sayegh said she “thought she had it under control.”
However, the investigation revealed the mother hadn’t been bathed in months, hadn’t seen a doctor in over a year, and was left to lie in her own waste until she developed fatal sepsis.
“Had she been bathed and cleaned regularly,” the medical examiner said, “her chances of survival would have been much higher.”
Defendant Claimed Mother Refused Treatment
In court, Sayegh claimed her mother “refused medical treatment” and said she tried to care for her the best she could.
But the court ruled her negligence directly led to the death. The judge called her behavior “grossly irresponsible and inhumane,” adding that her mother died in pain that could have been prevented.
Sayegh was sentenced to 15 months to eight years in Blair County Prison, according to prosecutors.
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