South Carolina man arrested after father’s body found in closet weeks after death
03/22/2021 12:24 pm PDT
CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (TCD) --
A South Carolina man was arrested for allegedly neglecting his father’s health resulting in the man’s death, hiding the man’s body in a closet for weeks, and using money for drugs.
Chester County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a dead body at a Boyd Road residence on Sunday, March 14.
Arriving deputies found Clyde Shirley, 75, dead at the scene. Investigators said Shirley had died on or around Feb. 25, 2021. Shirley’s son allegedly failed to report the man’s death.
Sheriff’s deputies and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigators allege Clyde Shirley’s son William Shirley, 34, “placed his father’s body in a closet in the residence. The body remained in the closet until law enforcement arrived at the home.”
Investigators allege William Shirley “neglected to provide basic care for his father, who was in poor health.” Clyde Shirley’s cause of death was not released.
Investigators determined "William was a habitual drug user and utilized his father’s money to support his drug habit," the sheriff's office said.
We recently posted an update to the death investigation on Boyd Road from March 14. William Shirley has been charged with Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult Resulting in Death and Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult. Read our full post here: https://t.co/NsG199rDIc pic.twitter.com/cyoHJNj6wT
— Chester County Sheriff's Office (@ChesterSheriff) March 17, 2021 @ChesterSheriff
The Rock Hill Herald reports William Shirley refused to allow another caregiver to see his father and assess his father’s condition, according to arrest warrants, and did not seek medical care, leading to his father’s death. William Shirley gave others misinformation about his father’s whereabouts since late February, the Herald reports.
William Shirley is charged with abuse/knowing and willful neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in death, and exploitation of a vulnerable adult and was held at the Chester County Detention Center.
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