WASHINGTON — A 75-year-old West Virginia woman is accused of leaving her seriously ill husband stranded on a toilet for 19 hours—despite reportedly hearing him groan in pain—then going to bed without calling anyone for help.

Margaret Rog was arrested Tuesday on a charge of abusing or neglecting an incapacitated adult following the death of her 76-year-old husband.

According to the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office, the man went to the bathroom at approximately 3 p.m. on Aug. 20. Rog was reportedly unable to lift him from the toilet.

That could happen to nearly any elderly caregiver. But what allegedly happened next is difficult to comprehend.

Instead of calling 911, a neighbor, a relative or anyone else who might have helped, Rog allegedly left her husband sitting there for the remainder of the day and throughout the night.

Authorities say he was left unresponsive and unattended for approximately 19 hours, without food, water or his prescribed medication.

The man reportedly suffered from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and was legally blind. Court records indicate that Rog knew he needed assistance and could hear him groaning in pain. Nevertheless, investigators say she made no call for help and eventually went to bed.

At approximately 10 a.m. the following morning, a speech therapist arrived for a scheduled home visit and discovered the man unresponsive and in dangerously poor condition. The therapist immediately called an ambulance.

He was transported to a hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with heart failure, respiratory failure, a pulmonary embolism, hypernatremia, sepsis and rhabdomyolysis—a potentially fatal condition involving the breakdown of muscle tissue.

Medical personnel also found wounds on his backside, shortness of breath and an altered mental state.

The man remained hospitalized until his death on Aug. 31, ten days after he was discovered.

Investigators concluded that the injuries and medical deterioration resulting from his prolonged confinement on the toilet were “significant contributing factors” in his death.

Authorities also allege that Rog made several self-incriminating statements to law-enforcement officers, adult protective-services personnel and members of her own family. Court documents reportedly indicate that she acknowledged knowing her husband required assistance but deliberately chose not to obtain it.

That is the element of this case that is almost impossible to understand.

Being 75 years old and physically unable to lift another elderly adult is understandable. Caregiver exhaustion is real. Panic and confusion are real. But telephones exist. Ambulances exist. Police officers, firefighters, neighbors and relatives exist.

How do you listen to your incapacitated husband suffering in the bathroom, decide not to summon help—and then simply go to bed?

Rog pleaded not guilty Tuesday and was released after posting a $75,000 bond.

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