Longs siblings charged with neglect after father dies from infected bedsore

Two siblings were arrested earlier this month after their father died from an “extremely large” bedsore that had caused the victim to become septic.

Ronya Vereen, 41, and Albert Vereen Jr., 38, both of Longs, were charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in death on Tuesday, according to Lt. Raul Denis with Horry County police.

Albert Lee Vereen, 63, of Longs, died at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston on Aug. 7, according to Horry County Coroner Robert Edge. Edge said an autopsy was completed by the results are not available yet.

Horry County police responded to Conway Medical Center on Aug. 6 in reference to a report of an elderly neglect. The victim was complaining of abdominal pain, according to the police report.

When medical staff examined the victim they found a stage four decubitus ulcer – or bedsore – stretching from between the victim’s shoulders all the way to his buttocks, the report said.

The victim – who was “in great spirits and had a great personality” – told police he had a metal rod placed in his back 30 years ago, and the bedsore was “so severe you could see the metal rod,” the report said.

The victim told police the bedsore was new and his two children – the suspects – took care of him. The victim said his daughter, Ronya Vereen, is a nurse.

The S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation does not have a record of a registered nursing license for Vereen, according to the department’s online database.

The ulcer was severely infected, which caused the victim to become septic, the report said. He was transported on Aug. 6 to MUSC where he died the following morning, police said.

Both suspects remain at J. Reuben Detention Center. No bond has been set, according to jail records.

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Longs siblings charged with neglect after father dies from infected bedsore."