Daughter faces charges in death of mother, 70

The deceased was
malnourished, but her caretaker daughter was a cook.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

SALEM — A woman is under indictment on a charge of involuntary manslaughter and accused of failing to provide care for her mother.

Robin S. Jackson, 47, of 1049 E. Third St., was arrested Wednesday.

She is also indicted on a charge of failure to provide for a functionally impaired person.

Her mother, Shirley Nutter, 70, was found in a bedroom in Jackson’s house March 6, 2007.

Columbiana County Prosecutor Robert Herron said one of Jackson’s two grown sons had called Salem police. They, in turned, called the county coroner’s office.

Herron said that when police arrived at the house, Jackson offered “no explanation” about her mother’s state and living conditions.

Herron declined to describe Nutter’s condition at the time of her death.

The deceased was malnourished — but her daughter was a cook at a local facility, the prosecutor said.

Jackson, if convicted, could face up to 10 years in prison on the manslaughter charge, a first-degree felony; and up to 18 months in prison for the failure charge, a fourth-degree felony.

Herron did not reveal the cause of death and county.

Coroner Dr. William Graham said that Nutter died of natural causes.

The involuntary manslaughter indictment states that Jackson was her mother’s caretaker, but “recklessly failed to provide [Nutter] with any treatment, care, goods or services needed to maintain [her] health” in 2006 and 2007.

He said Nutter had a medical condition that could have been treated but did not identify it.

Authorities said that Nutter did not have a disease, such as Alzheimer’s, that would affect her mental state.

Salem Police Detective David Talbert said, “It’s just a sad case.”

He said there was evidence that other family members in the area had tried without success to contact Nutter in recent years.

wilkinson@vindy.com