CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. (TCN) — Authorities recently arrested a 61-year-old man on suspicion of leaving a 47-year-old woman with medical issues in a camper trailer, exposing her to cold temperatures, and causing her to die.
According to the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office, in late February, Blair Hayes allegedly left Emma Teague in a camper trailer in the Wildwood Road area of Newport without any heat or electricity. The outside temperature was in the low to mid-30s during the day and in the 20s at night.
Officials allege Hayes didn’t stay with Teague, and he went to a hotel instead. Hayes reportedly went back to check on Teague and “noticed she was not well,” so he called emergency medical services personnel. Teague was transported to a hospital in critical condition and died the following month, on March 4, from end-stage cirrhosis of the liver with a contributing factor of hypothermia.
Investigators allege Hayes “negligently left Teague in the camper knowing there was no electricity, heat, or other means to care for herself.” The sheriff’s office said the victim was “medically fragile,” had “significant trouble” getting around on her own, and suffered “some degree of blindness.”
Hayes was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. The sheriff’s office noted that he also had pending charges of assault on a female and assault on a disabled individual at the time.
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