Inset, left to right: Kevin C. Clark and Victoria L. Delaune (Charleston County Jail). Background: The area in South Carolina where Clark lived with his now-deceased mother (Google Maps).
A 40-year-old man in South Carolina and his 33-year-old girlfriend have been arrested in connection with the death of his elderly mother after they allegedly neglected the 76-year-old dependent so severely that an untreated ulcer had forced the lower portion of the victim”s spine through her skin, leading to a deadly infection.
Kevin Carl Clark and Victoria Lynn Delaune were taken into custody on Monday and charged with one count each of felony abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in death, authorities announced, identifying the victim as Dianne Clark.
According to a news release from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and emergency medical services personnel responded on July 29 to a “call for service regarding the victim” after she was found unresponsive at a residence in the 2900 block of Otranto Road.
Upon arriving at the address, first responders located the victim and paramedics pronounced her dead on the scene. Investigators said it was “apparent” that Clark’s mother “had not been provided with her basic medical and hygiene needs.”
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Clark and Delaune were the victim’s caregivers, authorities said.
A copy of the probable cause affidavit obtained by local CBS affiliate WCSC provided a more detailed accounting the horrific injuries Clark’s mother suffered as a result of the alleged neglect.
In the document, authorities said the victim was living in “highly unsanitary conditions” with fecal matter and other bodily fluids covering much of the area, which was also infested by several different kinds of insects. The victim was said to be wearing a severely soiled adult diaper. Numerous bed sores were visible on the victim’s skin and actively infected with live maggots.
The only medication prescribed to the victim had not been filled since September 2024.
The victim was transported to the Medical University of South Carolina in early August for a post-mortem examination.
“An autopsy of the victim’s remains was later conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina, finding that due to the neglect of her hygiene by her caretakers, an exposed wound was contaminated,” the sheriff’s office wrote in the release. “The final autopsy report of the victim indicated that the cause of death was sepsis due to osteomyelitis (infection of bone or bone marrow).”
Specifically, the victim reportedly suffered from a “stage 4 pressure ulcer” in the lower region of her back that created so much pressure it forced her spinal column to protrude through her skin. The abundant fecal matter on and around the victim contaminated the exposed portion of her spine and allegedly caused the deadly infection.
Both suspects were booked into the Charleston County Jail where they are currently being held without bond, records show. They are both scheduled to make their initial appearances in court on Dec. 19.
