Elderly Ohio Woman Found In Filthy Home, ‘Molded’ To Chair For 7 Months

A 75-year-old woman from Springfield Township, Ohio was hospitalized earlier this week after she was found “molded” to her chair, having been stuck to the living room chair for almost a year.

According to a report from the Toledo Blade, Barbara Foster had remained stuck to the chair for about seven months – since July 2016. Firefighters had responded to an emergency call at close to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, and found that Foster was living in squalid conditions, surrounded by human excrement and urine.

The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office report indicates that Foster stood 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 550 pounds. She was then taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center for treatment. Quotes from hospital representatives, however, suggest that there was no information on anybody named Barbara Foster at the time the Toledo Blade reached out for comment.

“While EMS was attempting to move Barbara, she was screaming in pain, and the odor coming from the house could be smelled in the front yard by the sidewalk.”

The sheriff’s report also indicates that one of Foster’s neighbors had called 911 when he had noticed that the elderly woman was “acting differently.” Foster was described as being so weak when she was found molded to her chair, to the point that her bones were breaking as emergency medical personnel were trying to carry her outside. Due to the unsanitary conditions and the foul smell from the human waste inside the house, responders had to wear hazmat suits and surgical masks.

Speaking to the Toledo Blade, neighbor Robbie Zolciak said that he and his wife had been neighbors to Barbara Foster since they moved in to the area about a decade prior. Previously, he had made friendly gestures to Barbara, smiling and waving to her, but had never actually spoken to her. According to Zolciak, it may have been “years” since he had last seen her.

Zolciak added that he was not aware Foster was molded to her chair and in poor health, but that his neighborhood was normally a quiet one where people would help each other in reporting minor crimes such as vandalism and speeding.

“I’ve never seen so many people suited up. It was quite a scene.”

Other neighbors, such as Bill and Honey Malik, who lived in the area since 1995, claimed not to have known Barbara Foster’s name until the events of this week. Honey Malik told the Toledo Blade that she had seen Barbara “years ago” in her driveway, using two canes to get around.

The publication added that due to her being molded to her chair for seven months, Foster had gone almost $1,400 behind on her property taxes, having missed the first payment in July. She also had reportedly filed a complaint with the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office in 2006, alleging that a woman who had lived with her and agreed to help with the chores had tried to extort her out of $3,000, and threatened to burn down the house if she didn’t make the payment.

Elderly woman rescued from home after becoming 'molded' to chair for nearly a year https://t.co/fXEHrxAc5E via @nbc4i

— *Regina Hall voice* THOSE ARE DIXIE CUPS?? (@MixMalikMarvel) February 19, 2017

Not much else is known about Barbara Foster’s background, nor are there any photos currently available for the woman. But local news outlet WKRN interviewed Foster’s neighbor and goddaughter, Leirin Snyder, who claims that Barbara was a “hoarder.”

“She’s a hoarder. And it got pretty bad. I didn’t know how bad it got since I haven’t been able to make it over there.”

While the Toledo Blade wrote on Friday that Lucas County Health Department officials were planning to determine whether Barbara Foster’s home meets county housing criteria in terms of access to water and sewer facilities, WKRN noted that the house has since been condemned.

[Featured Image by Vladimir Nenezic/Shutterstock]