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Inset: Jeremy Cook (Rockcastle County Detention Center). Background: The 200 block of Willow Tree Lane in Mount Vernon, Ky., where Jeremy Cook allegedly neglected and abused his mother (Google Maps).
Jeremy Cook, aged 38, faces charges for the intentional abuse or neglect of an adult, relating to his mother’s severe health condition and the squalid state of their living environment.
Details from a criminal complaint, as reported by NBC affiliate WLEX, describe the neglect. Rockcastle County EMS reportedly discovered Cook’s mother in their Mount Vernon residence wearing a diaper soiled for days, amid heaps of garbage, and on flooring that was deteriorating with holes.
The EMS team noted the woman was found seated in a reclining chair, with maggots present on both the chair and her body, as per WLEX. Cook, who is responsible for his mother’s care, contacted emergency services on October 20, citing her difficulty in breathing as the reason for the call.
EMS reported finding the woman “sitting in a reclining chair with maggots crawling on the chair and on her body,” according to WLEX. Cook, who serves as his mom’s caregiver, called them to the family’s home on Oct. 20 after the woman allegedly experienced shortness of breath.
Once at the hospital, medical workers found dried bugs all over the mother and multiple wounds. EMS said it appeared she “had been in the … reclining chair for two months,” according to the complaint.
Police reported speaking with Cook after his mom went to the hospital. He allegedly claimed he changes his mother’s diapers “three times a day and bathes her twice a week,” and that he started caring for the woman in August.
Police launched an investigation and Cook was eventually arrested on Oct. 31. A judge set his bond at $50,000 and he is now awaiting his next court date after being released.