A young, developmentally delayed woman would have been in pain and severe discomfort leading up to her death, according to an expert physician specializing in pressure ulcers who testified at a Calgary trial Wednesday.
Melissa Couture was found dead inside the southwest home she shared with her mother, Patricia Couture, on April 26, 2016.
Patricia Couture, 70, is accused of criminal negligence causing death.
Melissa, 38, weighed just 23 kg (50 lbs) when she died.
READ MORE: Trial underway for Calgary mother accused in death of disabled daughter
On Tuesday, court heard from Dr. Chester Ho, who authored a report detailing Melissa’s pressure ulcers (bedsores).
He said some of the sores would have made it painful and difficult for her to sit up, adding she was likely in a lying position most, if not all, of the time.
Graphic photos of the pressure ulcers were shown in court — some of the sores so large and deep, her bone was exposed.
Ho also noted the sores were avoidable and likely made worse by a number of treatable conditions including malnutrition, dehydration, immobility and poor skin care.
Watch below: The trial for a Calgary woman accused in the death of her developmentally disabled daughter began Tuesday. Nancy Hixt has the details from court.
The expert testified Melissa’s sores could have been treated by a doctor, though some would have required surgery, as well as antibiotics.
He also said there were some unanswered questions based on photos of Melissa in her late 20s and early 30s.
“Many years she was healthy…something happened….some risk factors changed,” Ho testified.
Melissa was born with developmental disabilities. She suffered from hearing loss, visual impairment, stiffness in her extremities and in the final years of her life, she was immobile. Medical records indicated she had cerebral palsy.
Court heard she functioned at the level of a three- or four-year-old child.
It is alleged Melissa did not receive the medical attention she needed while under the care of her mother.
The maximum penalty for criminal negligence causing death is life in prison.
The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Melissa’s body is scheduled to testify Wednesday afternoon.
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