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NEW INFO: Preliminary Hearing Set for Necedah Residents Who Prayed as Elderly Woman's Body Decomposed for Months in Bathroom Save Email Print
Posted: 2:29 PM May 9, 2008
Last Updated: 9:03 AM May 11, 2008
Reporter: WSAW Staff


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A Necedah woman who Juneau County authorities say kept the body of a 90-year-old woman in her bathroom for two months told them she believed God would bring her back to life if she prayed hard enough, according to the criminal complaint.

Click here to read the entire criminal complaint. (Note: files are large and may take a long time to load.)

35-year-old Tammy Lewis and 57-year-old Alan Bushey have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Lewis and Bushey have been charged with two felony counts of being a party to causing mental harm to a child. Lewis has also been charged with obstructing an officer. Both are set for an initial court appearance on May 19.

According to a news release by the Juneau County Sheriff's Department, Deputy Leigh Neville-Neil was dispatched to a Town of Necedah residence at approximately 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 7 for a welfare check on Magdeline Alvina Middlesworth.

The check came after Middlesworth's sister, Bernice Metz, contacted the authorities to express her concern that she hadn't heard from Middlesworth for an extended length of time.

Upon arriving at the residence, Neville-Neil says Tammy Lewis, also known as Sister Mary Bernadett, began acting very nervous and insisted Middlesworth was fine, but not home.

Eventually, authorities say Lewis began to tear up and needed to call her "superior," Alan Bushey, also known as Bishop John Peter.

Nevill-Neil remained outside the residence.

When Lewis returned outside, Neville-Neil says Lewis' demeanor appeared much more calm and allowed her to enter the home. Neville-Neil says there was a strong odor scent and burnt wood, several religious artifacts and religious hymns playing on a stereo.

Neville-Neil began to open several closed doors and was insisted by Lewis that Middlesworth was not home.

Upon opening the last closed door, Neville-Neil says she smelled an overpowering odor of decaying matter, and saw the severely decomposed remains of a body on a toilet. Neville-Neil says she needed Lewis to tell her what was on the toilet.

Neville-Neil then told Lewis that her two children, ages 15 and 12, needed to go outside due to the strong odor. All four individuals exited, and Bushey arrived some time later.

Lewis says Middlesworth passed out in her arms, so she propped her up on the toilet March 4, 2008 and called Bushey, who told her to leave Middlesworth there and pray. The bathroom door was left open for four days.

Lewis also told Neville-Neil that Bushey told her he had received signs from God that God would raise Middlesworth from the dead.

According to Lewis, there was a second bathroom in the residence, but Neville-Neil says it was actually a bucket in a closet.

The complaint also says Middlesworth was still breathing when Lewis placed her on the toilet, but Lewis opted to call Bushey instead of an ambulance. Lewis says she did not know how long Middlesworth was on the toilet before she stopped breathing.

The children say they referred to Middlesworth as "grandmother," and were uncomfortable with her condition. They also say Bushey told them that if Middlesworth's death was discovered, they would have to attend public school and get jobs because she paid the bills.

The children had been placed in foster care and both adults remain in custody.

Juneau County Sheriff Brent Oleson says an autopsy has been done but results won't be available for some time, so the cause of death isn't yet known.

The incident remains under investigation.

Stay tuned to www.wsaw.com and NewsChannel 7 for further updates.

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