Part II: Mag lived and died alone in her house.She was discovered five days later.
Read part I here.
Old age can be a blessing; however, old age can bring bad news if you live alone.
The autopsy revealed that Meg died a few days after she fell in the bathroom. Why the fall? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that "every second of every day, an older adult (age 65+) suffers a fall in the U.S.—making falls the leading cause of injury and injury death in this age group. One out of four older adults will fall each year in the United States, making falls a public health concern, particularly among the aging population."
Mag lived alone for many years in the house she shared with her late husband before she died. Death came calling for a seventy-eight-year-old woman living alone. Mag lived her life in style and purpose. She had five adult children and eleven grandchildren.
She did not have people in the house, but there were rumors that she dated a popular retired Judge nearby. The rumors were unfounded because no one had ever seen the man, and the fact was the man's wife was Mag's church member, and both knew each other in their popular cooperative organization for over fifty years.
Then in the second week of February, her children did not hear from her on Sunday as usual. After they did not hear from their mom for days, they contacted her neighbors.
The good neighbors checked and discovered the front door unlocked. So, they opened the door and checked the house, and Mag was not there. They were surprised that the dining table had two fancy teacups and saucers sitting on the decorated red and green tablecloth. The woman's neighbor thought it was strange because she did not live with people, and her children rarely visited that time of year. So they immediately called the police and the children.
The police arrived and searched but did not find anything suspicious. However, the neighbors did alert the police with what they saw on the dining table.
One of Mag's sons, who lives an hour's drive away, arrived, and the police searched the area and continued with the investigation, interviewing all the children and grandchildren.
On the third day, there was a break in the case as they found a famous retired Judge's fingerprints in the house. During another break, one of the grandchildren who visited her grandmother often informed the police to check an apartment attached to the house, which the police had not checked. She told the police, "Grandma uses the apartment on Mondays for fasting and prayer."
The police went to the apartment, broke the door, and searched it. Mag was found in the bathroom facedown. It seemed she fell after using the toilet. The investigation concluded that there was no foul play.
Join the conversation
Why were the Judge's fingerprints in the house? Do we really know people, including our children, parents, spouses, and friends? Why did the police close the case without any future investigation? Please share your view below.
Disclaimer:
This story is a true story for the readers to learn something from it. All names have been changed to protect all characters involved. Feel free to share this story with your family members and friends. The American Academy of Family Physicians article,“What Causes Falls in the Elderly? How Can I Prevent a Fall?” can help seniors learn more about elderly falls.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/older-adult-falls/index.html
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