A Hilton Head Island resident is in jail for allegedly neglecting his mother, which investigators claim caused her early death in October 2023. According to police allegations, the man let his mother live in unclean conditions and prevented her from seeking medical attention.
Jeffrey Page Howell, 65, was charged with causing death by abuse of a vulnerable adult on Monday afternoon. According to South Carolina law, the felony offense carries a maximum jail sentence of 30 years.
Alma Greer, 87, died on October 5, 2023, inside their shared condominium at Woodhaven Garden Villas, about a mile from Coligny Beach. Howell was her son and caretaker. Beaufort County Coroner David Ott declared Greer’s death a homicide, citing “complications of neglect,” such as starvation and dehydration.
In response to Greer’s death inside the apartment, Beaufort County EMS responders had to carry her body into a corridor to undertake life-saving measures “because their unit was bombarded with items,” according to an incident report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. In addition to the symptoms of hoarding, the investigation stated that the apartment’s “entire ceiling was covered with cobwebs.”
A paramedic on the scene told police that he had previously been summoned to the flat and had notified The Department of Social Services about Greer’s health and living conditions, once in September 2023 and again in August, according to the report.
In a police interview, Howell stated that his mother had no severe health issues and appeared to be in “good standing” at her previous doctor’s appointment. Greer’s health began to rapidly deteriorate in mid-September 2023, when she was “no longer able to move around and walk,” according to the incident report.
According to the complaint, Howell reportedly told police that he believed physicians and nurses did nothing to aid his mother and were “pumping her full of toxins” during her previous hospital trips. He stated that he “had her discharged every time” and refused medical care for his mother because he “did not believe in medications.”
Based on the condition of the flat, Beaufort County police assessed that the case appeared to entail maltreatment of a vulnerable adult and opened an investigation.
Sheriff’s deputies secured a warrant for Howell on Monday, and he was detained at his home shortly thereafter, according to spokeswoman Master Sgt. Danny Allen. The arrest was postponed while police awaited postmortem results and other medical information, he explained.
Howell was granted a $100,000 surety bail in a Tuesday hearing, which means he must pay at least $10,000 to a bondsman before being released. He had not secured bond by Tuesday afternoon and was still being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
Beaufort County has just over 29% of its population over the age of 65, making them particularly vulnerable to elder abuse crimes. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson stated in June of this year that complaints of crimes against vulnerable individuals had grown by 30% in the previous two years, due in part to improved awareness among local law enforcement.