Mother's Death Brings Manslaughter Charge Against Alabama Son

TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, Ala. - A grand jury indicted Jonathan Chad Simmons on one count of manslaughter and one count of second-degree elder abuse in the death of his mother, according to Tuscaloosa County court documents obtained by WBRC. He is being held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail with a $30,000 bond. The indictment accuses him of recklessly causing Brenda Hallman Simmons' death through abuse and neglect of an elderly person, and alleges that the neglect caused serious physical injury.

Tuscaloosa County deputies and medical personnel responded to the 13000 block of Alabama Highway 216 on May 16. They found Brenda Hallman Simmons, 76, alive but unresponsive. She died several days later while receiving medical care. The autopsy attributed her death to sepsis arising from complications of multiple open bedsores.

The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit and the state medical examiner's office opened a joint investigation after family members and health personnel raised concerns about neglect. Medical staff at the hospital reported that she had multiple open wounds and sores, and showed signs of not having been bathed. They found feces and insects in her hair.

Investigators who executed a search warrant at the residence she shared with her adult son found it "excessively dirty and unsanitary," according to court documents.

Jonathan Simmons told investigators he served as his mother's custodian and caretaker. He acknowledged knowing about her medical issues, including open wounds and bedsores. "He stated that he had not taken her to a doctor in over a year," said Jack Kennedy, with the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.