Critics uncover Tylenol's cautionary tweet for pregnant moms after Trump highlights autism link



President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have formally identified acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, as one of the alleged drivers behind the rise in American autism.

On Monday, Kennedy indicated that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will notify physicians that acetaminophen use by pregnant women may be associated with a "very increased risk" of neurological conditions like autism and ADHD in children. The label on the drug will henceforth reflect this understanding.

'We haven't tested Tylenol to be used during pregnancy.'

Following the announcement, liberals began gobbling fistfuls of pills in protest, and foreign health officials rushed to convince the public of acetaminophen's safety and efficacy.

Meanwhile, some critics scrutinized previous advisories and messaging regarding Tylenol. One of the messages that some sleuths evidently came across has gone viral.

Tylenol tweeted on March 7, 2017, "We actually don't recommend using any of our products while pregnant. Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns today."

RELATED: Libs gobble Tylenol, foreign officials complain after Trump highlights autism link

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Whereas in at least two other tweets on theme, Tylenol suggested that pregnant and/or nursing mothers should speak with their doctors before using the drug, this particular message contained no such nuance.

Numerous critics pointed to the tweet as possible confirmation that even the iconic brand advises against pregnant women taking acetaminophen.

"What an interesting thing to say so long ago," said one X user.

South African musician David Scott, better known as the Kiffness, noted, "Despite all the warnings, crazy pregnant women are potentially jeopardising their children's future for a couple likes on TikTok ... hope this helps some from reconsidering."

A spokesperson for Kenvue said in a statement to Blaze News, "This post from 2017 is being taken out of context."

"We do not recommend pregnant women take any medication without talking to their doctor," continued the statement. "This is consistent with the regulations and product label for acetaminophen."

When asked whether Tylenol poses an elevated risk to pregnant women and/or their unborn children and why pregnant women need to consult their doctor prior to use, a spokesperson for Kenvue told Blaze News that "acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy."

"Our products are safe and effective when used as directed on the product label," continued the spokesperson. "We recommend pregnant women do not take any over-the-counter medication, including acetaminophen, without talking to their doctor first."

Another tweet that has resurfaced this week was Tylenol's note to an expectant parent on June 17, 2019, where the company noted, "We haven't tested Tylenol to be used during pregnancy."

Numerous robust studies have suggested an association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders including autism.

Dr. William Parker, CEO of WPLab and visiting scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an author on a number of such studies, recently told Blaze News:

The science tells us several things. Among the most important are: (a) Exposure of susceptible babies and children to acetaminophen (paracetamol) induces many, if not most, cases of autism spectrum disorder. b) Specific, invalid assumptions made when analyzing epidemiologic data have impeded recognition of the role of acetaminophen in the induction of autism.

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Libs gobble Tylenol, foreign officials complain after Trump highlights autism link



President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. caused an uproar among medical establishmentarians and thin-skinned liberals on Monday by formally identifying acetaminophen as one of the alleged drivers behind the rise in American autism.

Acetaminophen, often sold under the brand Tylenol in the United States but known overseas as paracetamol, is the most common over-the-counter pain and fever medication used during pregnancy. Sales of the drug this year have an estimated value of $10.9 billion.

Kennedy indicated that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will notify physicians that acetaminophen use by pregnant women may be associated with a "very increased risk" of neurological conditions like autism and ADHD in children.

The Department of Health and Human Services will also launch a nationwide public information campaign to alert parents and families to the possible risks of taking Tylenol during pregnancy.

— (@)

"The Trump administration does not believe popping more pills is always the answer for better health," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. "There is mounting evidence finding a connection between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism — and that’s why the administration is courageously issuing this new health guidance."

Foreign health officials rushed to defend the drug, suggesting that it is safe and effective.

Alison Cave, chief safety officer of the United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said in a statement, "There is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children."

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"Paracetamol remains the recommended pain relief option for pregnant women when used as directed," added Cave.

The MHRA stressed further that patients should continue taking their pain medicines.

Steffen Thirstrup, the chief medical officer of the European Medicines Agency, also chimed in, stating that acetaminophen is an important option for treating pain or fever in pregnant women and that his agency's "advice is based on a rigorous assessment of the available scientific data, and we have found no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children."

'Exposure of susceptible babies and children to acetaminophen (paracetamol) induces many, if not most, cases of autism spectrum disorder.'

Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, told reporters on Tuesday that while some studies have suggested an association between prenatal exposure to the drug and autism, "evidence remains inconsistent."

"If the link between acetaminophen and autism were strong, it would likely have been consistently observed across multiple studies," added Jasarevic.

James Cusack, the autistic chief executive of Autistica, a London-based autism research charity, told Nature, "There is no definitive evidence to suggest that paracetamol use in mothers is a cause of autism, and when you see any associations, they are very, very small."

Meanwhile, numerous liberals and other critics of the administration proved memers prophetic by downing fistfuls of acetaminophen as a form of protest.

While some of the pill-popping videos appear to have been recorded in jest, others are accompanied with humorless critiques of the administration's efforts to identify and tackle the root causes of autism.

Ahead of Trump's announcement on Monday, a spokesperson for Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol whose stock price took a nose dive on Monday, told Blaze News, "We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers."

When pressed about what the "sound science clearly shows," Dr. William Parker, CEO of WPLab and visiting scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Blaze News:

The science tells us several things. Among the most important are: (a) Exposure of susceptible babies and children to acetaminophen (paracetamol) induces many, if not most, cases of autism spectrum disorder. b) Specific, invalid assumptions made when analyzing epidemiologic data have impeded recognition of the role of acetaminophen in the induction of autism.

Dr. Parker also cited his 2023 scientific review published in the Swiss peer-reviewed journal Children that concluded that "the very early postpartum period poses the greatest risk for acetaminophen-induced ASD, and that nearly ubiquitous use of acetaminophen during early development could conceivably be responsible for the induction in the vast majority, perhaps 90% or more, of all cases of ASD."

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Dr. Yuelong Ji, an assistant professor at Peking University, told Blaze News, "Officials should indeed advise caution regarding the unnecessary use of acetaminophen during pregnancy."

Ji was among the researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who collected umbilical cord blood from 996 births and measured the amount of acetaminophen and two of its byproducts in each sample.

According to the resultant National Institutes of Health-funded 2019 study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, "Cord biomarkers of fetal exposure to acetaminophen were associated with significantly increased risk of childhood ADHD and ASD in a dose-response fashion."

"These results highlight the need for careful consideration of its use during this critical period of brain development," Ji told Blaze News. "The potential mechanisms by which acetaminophen may affect the developing brain should be thoroughly investigated. Until this mechanism is better understood, it is prudent for health officials to adopt a cautious approach when advising pregnant individuals on acetaminophen use."

The White House's fact sheet concerning the president's Tylenol-autism claims and the FDA's relabeling of acetaminophen cites Parker's and Ji's studies as well as a recent NIH-supported systematic review that found positive associations of prenatal acetaminophen use with ADHD, ASD, or NDDs in offspring across dozens of high-quality studies.

It also cites the 2021 international consensus statement that recommends pregnant women "minimize exposure" to acetaminophen "by using the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time."

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Study warns of possible link between world's most popular painkiller and autism



Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raised the alarm earlier this year about the meteoric rise of reported autism cases in the United States, underscoring at a press conference, "We are doing this to our children, and we need to put an end to it."

"The [autism spectrum disorder] prevalence rate in 8-year-olds is now 1 in 31," said Kennedy, referring to a study that examined children born in 2014. The health secretary noted further that American boys face an "extreme risk" of ending up with autism, stating that they have a 1 in 20 chance of being diagnosed with the condition — or a 1 in 12.5 chance in California.

Kennedy promised President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting in April that "by September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we'll be able to eliminate those exposures."

A study published this month in the peer-reviewed medical journal BMC Environmental Health could prove valuable to the Department of Health and Human Services' campaign to narrow down the possible causes of autism.

Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles' School of Public Health, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai systematically reviewed 46 "well-designed" studies incorporating data from over 100,000 participants regarding the relationship between neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and prenatal exposure to acetaminophen.

'The research team’s findings strengthen the evidence for a connection and raise concerns about current clinical practices.'

Acetaminophen, the drug sold under the brand Tylenol in the United States and Canada, is the most common over-the-counter pain and fever medication used during pregnancy and is reportedly used by well over 50% of pregnant women worldwide.

The researchers found that 27 of the studies reported "significant links" between acetaminophen exposure in the womb and NDDs and noted that "higher-quality studies were more likely to show positive associations."

"Overall, the majority of the studies reported positive associations of prenatal acetaminophen use with ADHD, ASD, or NDDs in offspring, with risk-of-bias and strength-of-evidence ratings informing the overall synthesis," said the study.

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When specifically evaluating the studies pertaining to Tylenol use and autism in children, the researchers found "strong evidence of a relationship between prenatal acetaminophen use and increased risk of ASD in children."

The drug freely crosses the placental barrier, "reaching levels in fetal circulation similar to maternal circulation within less than an hour of maternal ingestion."

According to the researchers, the drug:

  • "undergoes oxidative metabolism via the enzyme CYP2E1 — present in fetal brains, placenta, and lungs — to produce toxic metabolites";
  • "affects prostaglandin and endocannabinoid pathways, which are involved in prenatal neuronal development";
  • has been shown in animal models to increase "oxidative stress markers in the fetal brain and is associated with neurodevelopmental deficits"; and
  • "directly perturbs hormone-dependent processes, affects neurodevelopment and reproductive disorders, and might alter steroidogenesis in the placenta and induce placental damage."

Dr. Diddier Prada, an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said in a release, "Our findings show that higher-quality studies are more likely to show a link between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and increased risks of autism and ADHD."

"Given the widespread use of this medication, even a small increase in risk could have major public health implications," added Prada.

Mount Sinai noted that while the damning study "does not show that acetaminophen directly causes neurodevelopmental disorders," "the research team’s findings strengthen the evidence for a connection and raise concerns about current clinical practices."

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Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The medical community has long raised concern about the possible downsides of acetaminophen consumption during pregnancy.

An international coalition of public health experts said in a consensus statement published on Sept. 23, 2021, in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology that "increasing experimental and epidemiological research suggests that prenatal exposure to APAP [acetaminophen] might alter fetal development, which could increase the risks of some neurodevelopmental, reproductive, and urogenital disorders."

'This work is ongoing, and the department will follow the science wherever it leads.'

"Epidemiological studies consistently suggest prenatal APAP exposure might increase the risk of adverse neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, language delay (in girls) and decreased intelligence quotient," said the experts. "Collectively, the studies suggest that the timing and duration of maternal APAP use are critical factors."

HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard told Blaze News that HHS does not comment on outside studies. Hilliard noted, however, that "under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, HHS is taking action guided by gold-standard, evidence-based science. This work is ongoing, and the department will follow the science wherever it leads."

Tylenol does not appear to be particularly pleased with the study.

A company spokesperson for Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, said in a statement to Blaze News, "Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products. We continue to evaluate the science, and this study does not change our view that there is no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and fetal developmental issues."

"To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and leading medical organizations agree on the safety of acetaminophen, its use during pregnancy, and the information provided on the label," added the spokesperson.

A source close to Tylenol noted further that "it appears the study was designed for litigation and not public health, as two of the authors are experts for the plaintiffs in the acetaminophen litigation."

Harvard University's Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, one of the authors on the study, served as an expert witness on matters of general causation involving acetaminophen use during pregnancy in a multi-district litigation class-action lawsuit against Tylenol.

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Healthy people with autism in their 20s set to be euthanized by both the Dutch and Canadian regimes



Two relatively healthy autistic women are set to be executed by their respective governments — one in the Netherlands, the first country to legalize so-called euthanasia, and the other in Canada, another northern nation where more than 4% of all annual deaths are now the result of state-facilitated suicides.

Zoraya ter Beek, a 28-year-old Dutch woman, and a 27-year-old Canadian woman identified as M.V. in court documents have both applied for state-facilitated suicide despite neither of them suffering a terminal or debilitating physical illness.

Ter Beek's boyfriend is apparently willing to hold her hand as she jumps into an early grave. M.V.'s father, alternatively, is desperately fighting to pull her away from the grips of Canada's suicide regime, which was originally scheduled to kill her on Feb. 1.

Both cases highlight the increasing willingness of the liberal-run countries to expand their state-facilitated suicide offerings to those who may be unable to provide informed consent along with the remainder of society's most vulnerable members.

Calling it quits on the couch

Ter Beek, set to be executed in May, told the Free Press that she wanted to become a psychiatrist but failed to see it through. The ill-fated Netherlander attributed her abortive attempts at a career to depression, autism, and an alleged borderline personality disorder.

Despite having a nice house, pets, and a supposedly loving 40-year-old boyfriend, ter Beek desperately wants her government to snuff her out while sitting on her couch at home. She apparently made the decision when her psychiatrist indicated they had tried everything, and it's "never gonna get any better."

"I was always very clear that if it doesn't get better, I can't do this anymore," ter Beek told the Free Press in a text message.

"Where the tree of life stands for growth and new beginnings," wrote ter Beek, "my tree is the opposite. It is losing its leaves, it is dying. And once the tree died, the bird flew out of it. I don't see it as my soul leaving, but more as myself being freed from life."

Ter Beek set the scene for how she was going to slough off this mortal coil.

"The doctor really takes her time. It is not that they walk in and say: lay down please! Most of the time it is first a cup of coffee to settle the nerves and create a soft atmosphere," wrote ter Beek. "Then she asks if I am ready. I will take my place on the couch. She will once again ask if I am sure, and she will start up the procedure and wish me a good journey. Or, in my case, a nice nap, because I hate it if people say, 'Safe journey.' I'm not going anywhere."

Ter Beek's boyfriend, who evidently has failed to dissuade his lover, will apparently wait around while a government official kills her. Afterward, he will find "a nice spot in the woods" to dump ter Beek's ashes.

"I'm a little afraid of dying, because it's the ultimate unknown," said ter Beek. "We don't really know what's next — or is there nothing? That's the scary part."

Fighting to save the vulnerable from the regime

M.V.'s father, identified as W.V., has long cared for his daughter with whom he lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Despite being relatively healthy and certainly not dying, M.V. was approved in December for what is euphemistically referred to in Canada as "medical assistance in dying," or MAID.

Canadian state media reported that by law, two doctors or two nurses have to approve a patient for MAID. M.V. managed to get one doctor's approval but was turned down by a second doctor. M.V. was offered a so-called "tie-breaker" physician, who then cleared her for execution on Feb. 1.

The day before M.V.'s scheduled execution, her father successfully obtained a temporary injunction.

The Calgary Herald reported that Sarah Miller, a lawyer for the father, stressed in her written brief for Justice Colin Feasby of the Court of King's Bench Alberta that M.V. "suffers from autism and possible other undiagnosed maladies that do not satisfy the credibility for MAID."

W.V. has indicated that his daughter "is generally healthy and believes that her physical symptoms, to the extent that she has any, result from undiagnosed psychological conditions."

Moreover, W.V. believes his daughter is "vulnerable and is not competent to make the decision to take her own life," according to Feasby's summary.

Miller further indicated that there "are genuine concerns with respect to impartiality" with regards to the tie-breaker physician who effectively signed the autistic woman's death warrant.

"There's no evidence before this court that she has an irremediable condition," added Miller.

Feasby ruled late last month that preventing the woman's execution would cause her irreparable harm.

"M.V.'s dignity and right to self-determination outweighs the important matters raised by W.V. and the harm that he will suffer in losing M.V.," wrote Feasby. "Though I find that W.V. has raised serious issues, I conclude that M.V.'s autonomy and dignity interests outweigh competing considerations."

While Feasby cleared the way for M.V.'s state-facilitated suicide, he nevertheless granted W.V. 30 days to appeal to the Alberta Court of Appeal.

W.V. has seized upon this last opportunity to protect his vulnerable daughter from the state.

Miller filed the appeal Tuesday on W.V.'s behalf, asking the province's top court to reinstate the injunction and compel the prospective victim to answer critical questions about her MAID application, reported state media.

Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, noted, "Canada's euthanasia law was not designed to protect vulnerable people. The law is designed to protect the doctors who are willing to kill."

Culture of death

Blaze News previously detailed the findings of a report released last year by the Trudeau government, which indicated that in 2022, 4.1% of all deaths across the country were the result of state-facilitated suicide.

The federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau passed the Medical Assistance in Dying Act in 2016, legalizing euthanasia nationwide. Originally, applicants had to be 18 or older and suffering from a "grievous and irremediable medical condition" causing "enduring physical or psychological suffering that is intolerable" to them.

The rules have clearly been loosened since, allowing the country's eugenicist-founded health care system to execute those with PTSD, depression, anxiety, economic woes, and other survivable issues.

Whereas in its first year, MAID claimed the lives of 1,108 Canadians, that number spiked to 13,241 in 2022.

In a country with socialized health care, more deaths apparently are beneficial for the regime's bottom line.

Canada's Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer noted in an October 2020 report that "expanding access to MAID will result in a net reduction in health care costs for the provincial governments" — saving them hundreds of millions of dollars that would otherwise be spent on saving lives and providing human beings with they treatment they paid for as taxpayers.

The Netherlands has reportedly also seen a spike in euthanasia cases. As a proportion of all deaths in Holland, doctor-assisted suicides increased from under 2% in 2002 to over 4% in 2019. The number of euthanasia deaths have continued to climb in recent years — from 6,361 reported cases in 2019 to 8,720 cases in 2022.

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Sam Bankman-Fried's mom suggests he's too autistic for prison in bid to spare him from accountability



A U.S. District Court in Manhattan will hand down a sentence on March 28 for convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried. While the Democratic mega-donor faces up to 110 years behind bars, Stanford Law professor Barbara Fried told the court in a filing Tuesday that her fraudster son is too delicate for prison.

Barbara Fried — sued in September along with her husband, Joseph Bankman, for allegedly enriching herself with money that her son stole from customers — painted Sam Bankman-Fried as a misunderstood autist in a bid to have him serve no more than 6.5 years.

A federal jury determined in October that Sam Bankman-Fried stole $8 billion from FTX customers to blow largely on Democratic candidates, leftist causes, real estate purchases, investments in other companies, and other pet causes. He also reportedly gave his parents tens of millions of dollars and gifted them a $16.4 million property in the Bahamas.

Bankman-Fried was ultimately convicted of two counts of wire fraud conspiracy; two counts of wire fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering; conspiracy to commit commodities fraud; and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

In the filing, Barbara Fried, a liberal who ran a donor network for Democratic candidates, suggested her 32-year-old son is a victim of public ridicule now that his "eccentricities" are no longer charming now that he's a poor criminal, reported the New York Post.

"The broader public was charmed by many of his eccentricities — or at least pretended to be — while he was on top of the world. The moment he fell, the same public became merciless, ridiculing his awkward traits and verbal style, taking them as a sign of duplicity or worse, and portraying him as a freak with evil intentions," wrote Fried.

"The media's weapon of choice is words," continued the fraudster's wealthy mother. "The same cannot be said for prisons."

Fried insinuated that her Adderall-dependent son has some form of autism, which might make life difficult for him in the slammer.

"[Bankman-Fried] has a number of mannerisms that are associated with high-functioning people with ASD," wrote Fried, referencing Autism Spectrum Disorder. "He's bad at responding to social cues in 'normal' ways, uncomfortable looking people in the eye, uncomfortable with outward shows of emotion."

"It may be that some of the inmates will come to appreciate Sam once they get to know him. But miscommunication in that environment is dangerous, and Sam's traits greatly increase the likelihood of its occurring," she added.

Marc Mukasey, the lawyer overseeing the fraudster's sentencing, cited Fried's letter and others as indications of the former billionaire's "neurodiversity."

"He can be perceived as abrupt, dismissive, evasive, detached, or uncaring," said the filing.

Despite Sam Bankman-Fried's track record of ruining various lives and livelihoods, the fraudster's father, Stanford Law School professor Joseph Bankman wrote, "Nothing he has done can justify putting him at risk."

Miriam Baer, vice dean at Brooklyn Law School, told the Times that even if Judge Lewis A. Kaplan does not throw the Democratic mega-donor away for a century, he "could still give a very serious sentence given how young Mr. Bankman-Fried is — say, a 30- or 35-year sentence."

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Parents of severely autistic woman who rotted away for a decade and 'melted' into family couch are re-charged with her murder



The remains of Lacey Ellen Fletcher were found last January "melted" into her parents' living room couch in Slaughter, Louisiana. The shocking discovery of the 36-year-old autistic woman's body, which may have been stuck there for well over a decade in the lead-up to her death, was said by the overseeing coroner to have been "something you make horror movies about."

The victim's parents, Sheila and Clay Fletcher, were indicted on May 2, 2022, for second-degree murder in their daughter's death — shortly after Sheila resigned from her role as town alderman.

Their trial was set to begin last week; however, in May, District Judge Kathryn Jones dismissed the indictments against the couple, citing defective language in the charging affidavits, reported the Advocate.

Following through on his promise, East and West Feliciana Parish District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla has re-charged the 65-year-olds with murder.

D’Aquilla previously underscored that "this case was so horrific. ... You don't treat anybody or animals like that."

What's the background?

TheBlaze previously reported that Lacey was found in a partial state of undress, sitting upright on a couch in her parents' home on Jan. 3, 2022, "covered in feces from head to toe" with "insects all over her body," according to East Feliciana Parish coroner Dr. Ewell Dewitt Bickham III.

Bickham ruled the death a homicide resultant of "acute medical neglect" dating back well over a decade.

This neglect allegedly "led to chronic malnutrition, acute starvation, immobility, acute ulcer formation, osteomyelitis which is bone infection which led finally to sepsis."

Lacey had reportedly not seen a doctor since she was 16.

"The scene was sickening. I've seen some horrible things in my life but nothing like this," said Bickham, a 30-year practicing physician. He estimated that Lacey was likely sitting sunken into a hole she had made in the couch after not moving from it, possibly for years.

"When I first walked in the house, it smelled of feces, fecal material, however you want to put that politely, it stunk. And when I got to the body, the individual was basically sitting in a hole, filled with liquid stool and urine," Bickham told WAFB-TV. "It’s the worst form of medical neglect I’ve ever seen. I don’t know any other adjectives or adverbs to add to that."

According to the Advocate, when East Feliciana Parish sheriff's deputies found the victim, her emaciated body weighed 96 pounds and was infected with COVID-19. Lacey was covered in maggots, ulcers, and other sores. Fecal matter was crushed into her face and across the supermajority of her body.

While Lacey was reportedly diagnosed with "severe" Asperger's and social anxiety, her parents claimed she was "of sound mind to make her own type of decisions" and content to rot away on the couch, right next to Sheila Fletcher's recliner in front of the family television.

"The question on everybody’s mind is, how could they be caretakers living in the house with her and have her get in a condition like that?” said Aquilla. "It’s cruelty to the infirm. We can’t just let it sit."

Bickham told the Daily Mail that when he was presenting the case and showed the pictures to the grand jury, everyone was in utter shock, "Like the clock on the wall never moved again. ... There was complete silence. Some jurors were gasping in horror. Some were staring in disbelief."

WBRZ-TV reported that upon their grand jury indictment for murder charges carrying possible life sentences, the victim's parents turned themselves in and were booked into jail.

One day later, Sheila Fletcher bonded out at $300,000. Clay Fletcher bonded out shortly thereafter.

Bungled indictment

The Fletchers' defense attorney, Steven Moore, filed a motion to quash the indictments early last month, stating that D'Aquilla's office served a different indictment to the defendants than the one filed with the Clerk of Court.

"In sum, the indictment in the record is either a substitute or a different indictment returned by the grand jury," Moore wrote in his motion.

Moore also suggested that the original indictment lacked a signature from the grand jury foreperson as required by law to validate the charging document, reported the Advocate.

According to WAFB, Judge Jones rejected the arguments from the defense that there was no specific intent and that the indictment was not signed by the foreperson, but agreed that the wording had been botched. As a result, she tossed the indictments during a May 30 hearing.

D'Aquilla indicated he'd reindict the Fletchers on June 19, the date their trial was originally scheduled to begin.

Take two

D'Aquilla revived the case and on June 19, brought it before another grand jury, which determined the Fletchers should be tried for second-degree murder in the death of their daughter.

The couple was re-arrested but once again made bond.

D'Aquilla said in a statement, "We will ensure there is justice for Lacey and the public knows that caregivers will be charged for neglecting or abusing a person in their care."

The Fletchers are expected to go on trial this fall.

Woman ‘melted’ to couch; autopsy showed she was eating it, parents out on bond youtu.be

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Autistic 4-year-old Arkansas boy kicked off flight for not wearing mask despite doctor's note



A 4-year-old Arkansas boy with autism was booted from a Spirit Airlines flight on Monday for not wearing a mask, despite having a doctor's note that the airline had accepted on the flight to their destination.

The experience left little Carter Kimball devastated, his mother says.

What are the details?

KTHV-TV spoke with Callie Kimball, who told the outlet that her husband and son, Carter, were kicked off their return flight via Dallas after visiting family in Las Vegas.

Callie explained that she and her husband have flown multiple times with Carter, who is severely autistic and non-verbal, and who loves airplanes.

Carter's physician supplied them with a letter to carry while traveling that explains Carter is exempt from mask mandates because of his disability. According to Callie, when Carter wears a mask "he starts freaking out," "holds his breath," and "will harm himself."

She said the Little Rock family has always flown on Spirit Airlines and never had a problem until Monday, when an employee of the airline informed them once they were boarded that "autism's not a disability" and "he has to wear a mask or he has to get off the plane."

To make matters worse, while Carter and his father were kicked off, the airline would not allow Carter's babysitter — who was traveling with them to help with Carter — to de-board the airplane with them.

Stranded in Dallas, the father and son were able to catch a flight home from American Airlines for $1,000 out of pocket, and American accepted Carter's medical note. But the Kimball family is so far still out the money for the Spirit return flight they were thrown off of, and the airline has not answered their request for a refund.

"So we're out all of our flights, a thousand bucks and we have a son who's just distraught now that he like threw all of his airplanes down," the mother told KTHV.

Anything else?

Carter is not the first young autistic child to have trouble with Spirit Airlines.

Last September, a Chicago family said the airline sent them a letter banning 3-year-old Cebastian Lewis after he kept removing his mask on a return flight home.

During a layover, the family says, Spirit employees made the entire plane de-board and filed a police report against the family.

According to WFLD-TV, Spirit argued that the family was using profanity and being uncooperative.

Regardless, the outlet reported:

Spirit released a statement, saying they require face covering during the entire flight. The only exceptions are children under 2. Travelers unable to wear them for any reason, including medical, won't be able to fly Spirit.

Salt Lake City police shoot autistic boy, 13, who ran from officers responding to 'mental episode'



A 13-year-old boy with autism was shot Friday night by police in Salt Lake City as he fled from officers who were responding to a call from the youth's mother that he was having a "mental episode."

The boy, Linden Cameron, was shot multiple times, according to The Daily Mail, and he remains hospitalized in serious condition with injuries to his shoulder, ankles, intestines and bladder.

An investigation into the officer-involved shooting is ongoing.

What are the details?

Linden's mother, Golda Barton, says she called 911 asking for a crisis intervention team to take her son to the hospital because he was having a mental breakdown. Linden has Asperger's syndrome and experiences separation anxiety, and the day of the incident was the first day in nearly a year that Barton had returned to work.

KUTV-TV reported Barton's account of what happened once officers arrived:

She said she was to stay while the two officers went through the front door of the home in the area of 500 S. Navajo Street in the Glendale neighborhood. She said in less than five minutes, she heard "get down on the ground" and several gunshots were heard.
She thought her son was dead and the officers didn't immediately say if he was or was not dead. They handcuffed him, according to Barton. Additionally, she said she heard from someone that the other officer could be seen grabbing his own head in disbelief for what had happened. He said out loud, according to what the mother was told, "He's just a child, what are you doing?"

Barton told the outlet, "I said, he's unarmed, he doesn't have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming. He's a kid he's trying to get attention, he doesn't know how to regulate."

"He's a small child," she added. "Why didn't you just tackle him? He's a baby. He has mental issues."

Sgt. Keith Horrocks of the Salt Lake City Police Department said that officers were responding to a call reporting a "violent psych issue" that involved a juvenile "having a mental episode" and "making threats to some folks with a weapon."

The Washington Post reported that "Barton says [Linden] was unarmed, and police said they didn't find a weapon at the scene."

What did the mayor say?

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall issued a statement saying:

While the full details of this incident are yet to be released as an investigation takes place, I will say that I am thankful this young boy is alive and no one else was injured. No matter the circumstances, what happened on Friday night is a tragedy and I expect this investigation to be handled swiftly and transparently for the sake of everyone involved.

Mother of autistic boy shot by police speaks out: 'Why didn't you just tackle him?' www.youtube.com