A modest home on Rollingwood Drive in Augusta concealed a nightmare too horrific to imagine.
Inside, 82-year-old Lillie Mae Sapp lay dying, her frail body fused to a mattress soaked in filth and infested with insects. She was dehydrated, emaciated to just 80 pounds, and suffering from open bedsores so severe that her bones were exposed. Her daughter and caregiver, 54-year-old Tyrossale Peak, told authorities she was “fine.”
But a Richmond County grand jury disagreed.
This month, Peak was indicted for felony murder and two counts of elder neglect, following a wrenching investigation that revealed months of medical neglect, malnutrition, and unspeakable living conditions. She was arrested Friday, and her bond was set at $11,200.
The horror came to light after a welfare check on Dec. 30, 2024. A woman performing a random community visit noticed that Sapp was in obvious distress. When Deputy Set Olivares arrived at the home, he was told by Peak that her mother had lost weight but was otherwise “doing fine.” She claimed Hospice Services of Georgia had been caring for Sapp, but she could produce no record newer than June 11.
That meant more than six months had passed without medical oversight.
Deputies entered the bedroom and were overwhelmed by the stench of bodily fluids. What they found was heartbreaking. Sapp was non-responsive, her skin literally stuck to the mattress. She had become bed-bound and unattended for so long that she developed massive, untreated pressure ulcers. Emergency responders had to cut through the soiled bedding just to free her body.
She was rushed to Wellstar MCG Health but died three weeks later, on January 21.
Authorities documented a home overrun with roaches, an overflowing sink of dirty dishes, and a bedroom that had become a deathtrap. Though Peak claimed to have fed her mother and given her nutritional drinks daily, evidence suggested she had removed her mother from hospice care and provided little to no follow-up care or nourishment, according to authorities.
According to the chilling language in the grand jury indictment, Peak “did willfully deprive the victim of healthcare and shelter to the extent that the health and well-being of Lillie Mae Sapp was jeopardized.” The document goes on to detail how Sapp’s untreated wounds, combined with feces- and insect-covered bedding, led to severe infections in her lungs and bones.
The charges say Peak, who was solely responsible for her mother’s welfare, denied her adequate fluids and nutrition until she became severely dehydrated and malnourished.
