Son charged with mother’s death, not calling for help

Published 5:20 pm Monday, October 29, 2018

A Winchester man is facing murder charges after failing to report her death for five days.

Jeffrey T. Wisecup, 27, of 250 Oxford Drive, was arrested Friday morning for one count of murder after he called 911 to report her death.

According to court documents, Wisecup called 911 Friday morning and said he found his mother dead in the bedroom with foam around her mouth.

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Police believe Wisecup’s mother, 54-year-old Sheila Wisecup, actually died five days earlier on Oct. 21.

“He hears what he claims is (his mother having) a seizure in the kitchen,”  Winchester Police Capt. James Hall said. “He comes out and sees her in the kitchen floor. He takes her to bed, shuts the door and doesn’t call emergency services. He goes back to check on her the next morning and she’s passed.”

Hall said Jeffrey Wisecup didn’t call the police until after speaking with his brother. Hall said Jeffrey Wisecup did not say why he did not call for help. According to the arrest citation, he acknowledged his mother might still be alive if he had.

“He left the apartment on several occasions,” Hall said. “We went to work. He even told a couple friends that she had passed, but told them not to tell anyone else.”

In his interview with police, Jeffrey Wisecup told detectives his mother tried to commit suicide on Oct. 19 or 20 by taking multiple injections of insulin and other pills. Hall said detectives did not find a note or other information to corroborate that account.

“We had no indications it was a suicide other than his statement,” Hall said.

Hall said detectives confirmed she was a diabetic, but are still investigating her medical history.

An autopsy was performed Saturday, but neither the final report nor the results of toxicology tests are available yet, Hall said.

There were no signs of physical trauma or abuse, he said.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Clark District Court and is being held on a $250,000 bond in the Clark County Detention Center.

About Fred Petke

Fred Petke is a reporter for The Winchester Sun, the Jessamine Journal and the State Journal. His beats include cops, courts, fire, public records, city and county government and other news. To contact Fred, email fred.petke@bluegrassnewsmedia.com or call 859-759-0051.

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