Shelba Catterton’s daughters have spoken out after the 83-year-old Alzheimer’s patient died from an estimated 1,000 fire ant bites at her South Carolina memory care facility.
Jan Buice and Sherri Lero are suing Harmony at West Ashley in Charleston, where their mother lived for four years, after Catterton wandered through a propped-open door on the night of July 23 and was found hours later lying in a courtyard swarmed by fire ants. The non-verbal resident, who had a documented history of wandering, could not call for help or brush the insects off herself once she was outside, according to the complaint.
A Harmony employee who called 911 that night described the scene to the operator. “She was found outside, and I guess a bunch of ants were on her,” the caller said. “She has bumps all over her back and face; it’s pretty bad.”
Emergency room staff found Catterton hypothermic, and she was later diagnosed with pneumonia and admitted to intensive care, where she needed more than two hours of active rewarming, according to medical records cited in the complaint. The lawsuit alleges the bites covered her face, eyes, scalp, back, chest, arms, hands, legs and feet, numbering upward of 1,000.
Buice said she only learned what had happened when she arrived for a scheduled visit the following day and demanded her mother be taken to hospital, roughly 36 hours after Catterton was found. “I was horrified,” Buice said. “I just can’t tell you how horrified I was. Nobody should ever go through something like that.”
The family paid approximately $6,300 per month for Catterton’s room, board and care at Harmony. Buice and Lero claim facility staff did not contact them or police after the incident.
Lero described watching her mother’s condition deteriorate in the final weeks. “Horrendous is what it’s been,” she said. “To watch your mom go from a walking individual to being in a bed, grasping for air.”
Catterton spent her final days in hospice care before she died more than two weeks after the incident. Her family says her official cause of death has not yet been confirmed by the Charleston County Coroner.
The lawsuit accuses Harmony of negligence, wrongful death, and violating South Carolina regulations requiring secure units for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. A staff member had propped open a door to the facility’s secured courtyard, allowing Catterton to walk out unnoticed, according to the complaint.
Nate Hughey, the attorney for the family, called it the worst case he had encountered in 25 years of handling elder abuse claims in the state.
A spokesperson for Harmony Senior Services said in a statement: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Mrs. Catterton’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.” The company, which described itself as family-owned and operated, added: “As a family-owned and operated senior living company, we are committed to providing each resident with the same care, compassion, and respect we would extend to our own family,” Harmony said it could not comment further on the specifics of the case due to ongoing litigation.
In the viral moment that prompted national outrage, Catterton was discovered alone and helpless in the dark courtyard, having been left outside for an unknown length of time, with fire ants covering her entire body. The image of an elderly vulnerable patient suffering such extensive insect bites at a care facility she and her family trusted sparked widespread condemnation of elder care standards and facility security protocols.
The Charleston County Coroner’s office has not yet confirmed Catterton’s official cause of death.