Agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrested three individuals this week on charges connected to the death of a vulnerable adult in Saluda, S.C.
According to a news release from the agency, 40-year-old Kelle Nicole Bedenbaugh, 27-year-old Brett Alan Burkett, and 62-year-old Pam Fulmer Burkett were arrested on Monday and charged with abuse or neglect resulting in death. Bedenbaugh was also charged with fraudulently obtaining money, goods or services with a value of more than $1,000 as well as the exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
According to probable cause affidavits accompanying warrants for her arrest, Bedenbaugh fraudulently obtained money, goods and services by exploiting an elderly individual for whom she provided care. Between January 2022 and July 2022, she used the victim’s bank account to personally gain or use more than $10,000, according to the affidavit.
The victim – whose name and age were redacted by SLED – was not physically or mentally capable of caring for themselves at the time these crimes were alleged to have occurred.
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According to probable cause affidavits accompanying warrants for their arrest, Bedenbaugh (above) and both Burketts lived with and were the caregivers for the victim. The forensic pathologist ruled the cause of death as complications of chronic neglect and determined the death to be a homicide.
All three suspects were arrested by SLED agents after a request to investigate the death of the victim was made by the Saluda police department.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, all three defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as they may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against them.
All three defendants were booked at the Saluda County detention center. Their cases will be prosecuted by the office of S.C. eleventh circuit solicitor Rick Hubbard.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
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Britney Smith is a lifelong resident of Greenville, South Carolina. An artist-turned-author, when she’s not writing for FITSNews she is working on painting her attic door.
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