Left inset: Michael Stirling (Macomb County Prosecutor”s Office). Inset right: James Stirling (Obituary). Background: The Stirling family home in Clinton Township, Mich. (Google Maps).
A Michigan man is behind bars after allowing his bedridden elderly father to dehydrate to death, Wolverine State law enforcement say.
Michael Stirling, 51, faces one count each of involuntary manslaughter, vulnerable adult abuse, and habitual offender – with a second offense notice, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
The defendant’s father, James Stirling, 77, died sometime in the fall of last year, authorities allege. His death was ruled a homicide caused by dehydration, according to the local medical examiner’s office.
The investigation, however, took several months. The younger Stirling was arraigned at the 41B District Court in nearby Clinton Township on Wednesday before being turned over to a mental health facility.
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“Today’s arraignment involves serious allegations that, according to the charges, resulted in the death of a vulnerable senior,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement. “My office remains committed to protecting the elderly in our community. When those entrusted with a loved one’s care are alleged to have failed in that duty, and harm results, we take those cases seriously and will pursue justice through the legal process.”
On Nov. 3, 2024, a neighbor called police to report Michael Stirling trying to get into his own house “while appearing disoriented,” the prosecutor’s office said. Officers responded and helped the man inside.
While at the Stirling family home on Nicke Street, officers thought to perform a welfare check on the septuagenarian and found him dead, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The defendant offered two different stories, authorities allege.
First, Michael Stirling – who told police he was his father’s “live-in caretaker” – allegedly said he last saw his father the day before. That version of events was abandoned in favor of a narrative where the defendant last saw his father on Oct. 30, 2024, prosecutors said.
In the second telling, the accused said he left his father alone “after arranging for someone else” to watch over him, according to the prosecutor’s office. But this purported person “could not be located, and the phone number provided was found to be non-working.”
The elder Stirling was tenderly remembered in his obituary.
“James was an all around nice person who enjoyed spending time with his family,” the eulogy reads. “He will be missed by loving family and friends.”
Details about the state of the deceased – or the state of the residence – are currently scarce. Law&Crime reached out to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office for additional information about this case, but no response was immediately forthcoming at the time of publication.
During his arraignment, the defendant was assessed a $250,000 bond. This bond amount will take effect if he is released from Macomb County Community Mental Health. Michael Stirling is not currently listed on the roster for the Macomb County Jail.
The defendant is next scheduled for a probable cause conference on Aug. 18. He is facing 19 years in prison on his current combined charges, with a sentencing enhancement adding the possibility of even more time incarcerated.
