Woman arrested for Columbia elder abuse

Columbia police arrested a woman Wednesday who was a caregiver for an elderly man who passed away last summer.

According to court documents, 54-year-old Melodie Owings neglected to take care of 77-year-old Earl Kemp at his home on 1601 west Worley Street between June and August 2013.

The documents said the home was filled with cockroaches, trash, and clothes.

Owings moved more than a dozen people into the 2-bedroom home, including a registered sex offender.

The garage had been converted into a bedroom, and Kemp no longer had a room to sleep in in his own home.

The plumbing in the home did not work, so Kemp was forced to use a bucket as his toilet according to the court documents.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received a report of neglect on the part of Owings in August 2013.

After this report, Kemp’s family went to take him from his home only to find their dad soiled in urine.

Kemp died later that month.

Owings had been Kemp’s caregiver for two years. When he was taken to the hospital right before his death, medical staff said Kemp was not of decision making capacity.

Kemp, a double amputee, always kept a neat home according to family statements in the court documents.

Owings has been charged with third degree elder abuse.