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Inset: Elizabeth Fike (Gates Funeral Home). Background: News footage of the conditions of the home where Elizabeth Fike died in October 2025 (KDKA).
A Pennsylvania woman, who had battled multiple sclerosis until her passing last year, has been deemed a homicide victim, according to the coroner’s findings.
Elizabeth Fike, aged 44, passed away on October 16, 2025, in her Uniontown residence. She shared this home with her boyfriend, who also acted as her caregiver.
Dr. Bob Baker, the Fayette County Coroner, was called to the scene where he discovered Fike deceased amidst unsanitary conditions, as initially reported by Law&Crime.
During a conversation with the local CBS affiliate KDKA, Baker revealed that the investigation concluded Fike had remained confined to her bed for over three months prior to her death.
On Thursday, Baker officially attributed Fike’s death to neglect, categorizing it as a homicide, as detailed in a statement released on social media.
In Thursday’s update, Baker added that Fike had a “stage IV decubitus ulcer,” commonly known as a bedsore, and “urosepsis,” which can be caused when a urinary tract infection (UTI) spreads to the bloodstream.
When Baker spoke to KDKA in October 2025, he provided photos of the inside of the home where Fike lived with Tim Childs, her boyfriend and caregiver. Baker pointed out that while a new hospital bed, wheelchair, and commode were all found in the home, they were all unused. A bedpan with three-week-old bath water in it was next to a bed that was covered in filth.
Baker said at the time that an investigation would be conducted into Fike’s death due to the “deplorable conditions and severity of neglect in care.”
Childs spoke with local NBC affiliate WTAE shortly after Fike’s death and told the station, “I have cerebral palsy, and I did the best of my ability to do what I needed to do for her. When she had her meds, it was easy. I didn’t have a problem. She ran out of her meds, and it got tougher. I struggled.”
He added, “We had the meds on order, but they hadn’t come in.”
Childs would not comment on the home’s conditions due to the open investigation.
Childs has not been charged with any crime, nor has anyone else since the coroner released his ruling.