A Hazel Dell couple are facing charges of manslaughter and criminal mistreatment for the 2022 death of an 87-year-old relative who was under their care.
Kathryn M. Rogers, 61, and Joel C. Rogers, 60, appeared Thursday in Clark County Superior Court on a summons for second-degree manslaughter and first-degree criminal mistreatment.
Judge Christine Hayes ordered they be placed on supervised release, citing the fact the allegations are two years old, the couple have no criminal history and they obeyed the summons. They are scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 25.
In April 2022, state Adult Protective Services referred a report to Clark County sheriff’s detectives about the March 18 death of Marilyn Rogers at a Longview hospice facility. The woman had lived with Joel and Kathryn Rogers, her son and daughter-in-law, at their apartment before her death, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Relatives called 911 on March 8, 2022, saying Marilyn Rogers looked unwell, court records state.
When AMR arrived, Marilyn Rogers was seated in a chair and showed signs of discomfort. Kathryn Rogers told responders her mother-in-law was nonverbal and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Responders also noted her arm was permanently contracted, court records state.
Emergency room staffers noted Marilyn Rogers had multiple ulcers and pressure wounds that appeared to be infected. She also showed signs of dehydration and malnourishment. Blood work showed she also suffered from sepsis due to infection. Doctors noted the condition of her muscles indicated she’d likely been immobile for quite some time, according to the affidavit.
A detective described in the affidavit photos emergency room staff took of Marilyn Rogers’ bed sores as “very graphic” and “hard for me to look at.”
“Based on my training and experience I knew bedsores were common and treatable,” the detective wrote in the affidavit. “I knew they resulted from someone remaining in the same position for an extended period of time and were made worse by continued pressure on the area where the sore had formed.”
Hospital staff reported that Kathryn Rogers told them she had not given Marilyn Rogers any pain medication, according to court records.
Doctors recommended Marilyn Rogers be placed in hospice, and once she was, staff said Kathryn and Joel Rogers never visited her. Hospice staff said they struggled to get in touch with the couple for the roughly 10 days Marilyn Rogers resided there, the affidavit states.
A doctor from the Vancouver Clinic and Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center reviewed Marilyn Rogers’ medical records, and he concluded she suffered from neglect.
Detectives learned her last documented medical appointment was in 2017. Deputies conducted a welfare check on the family’s home in 2016, and notes from that visit showed Marilyn Rogers was alert and mobile at that time, but she was showing some signs of cognitive decline, according to court records.
In interviews with Adult Protective Services, Kathryn Rogers said the March 8, 2022, hospital visit was the first time she’d brought her mother-in-law in for treatment for her wounds. She said she worked two jobs outside of the home, which left the woman with no one to care for her during the day. She also said Joel Rogers wouldn’t help with his mother’s care or call for services, despite being his mother’s power of attorney, the affidavit states.
In an interview with detectives, Joel Rogers said Kathryn Rogers was in charge of his mother’s care. Detectives said he minimized his mother’s injuries. They said he blamed his “lack of smarts,” his inability to drive and Kathryn Rogers for his mother’s alleged inadequate care, according to court records.
Investigators determined Kathryn and Joel Rogers failed to obtain medical treatment for Marilyn Rogers’ wounds, which contributed to her death, according to court records.
