After the horrific discovery of a neglected 36-year-old autistic woman who had “melted” into her parent’s couch, neighbors in Slaughter, Louisiana recalled that they hadn’t seen the woman in 15 years. Robert Blades, 59, and his son, who went to school with Lacey Fletcher, told the Daily Mail that growing up, Lacey appeared normal and often played with other kids. But once she turned 14, she became noticeably different as her neighbors suspect the effects of her autism escalated. “I knew she was not your typical teenager...she wasn’t as mature as us,” Blades’ son, also named Robert, said. “She still liked children things, not teenage things.” Then one day, about 15 years ago, Lacey’s neighbors never saw her again. “I asked [her father] because I hadn’t seen her for so long,” Blades said. “I actually thought maybe she got married and moved on.” Lacey’s father insisted, she was fine “and then “changed the subject,” Blades said. Her parents, Sheila and Clay Fletcher, both 64, have been charged with second-degree murder.
