lit a candle 21h agoI only came across this because a friend forwarded me an article about the trial back in the spring, and there was one line I never shook off, that he went eight days without food or water after the fall before anyone flew him out. Nineteen years old. I was out in the garden when I saw the verdict had finally come down, hands full of dirt, and I just sat on the step for a minute not really knowing what to do with it. My aunt had epilepsy, nothing close to what this boy lived with, but I remember what that kind of care does to a household, the way it never lets up. LaFollette was a name I had never heard before this year and I do not think I will forget it now. Rest well, Tanner.
Their story
Tanner C. Ausmus was a 19 year old man from LaFollette, Tennessee, who lived with a severe seizure disorder and a severe intellectual disability. He became known to the public only after his death, when the circumstances surrounding it led to a criminal case against his mother and stepfather that…
Tanner C. Ausmus was a 19 year old man from LaFollette, Tennessee, who lived with a severe seizure disorder and a severe intellectual disability. He became known to the public only after his death, when the circumstances surrounding it led to a criminal case against his mother and stepfather that drew national attention to how families and caregivers support vulnerable adults.
Ausmus had Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, described in court testimony as one of the most severe forms of epilepsy. <cite index="2-1">A pediatric epilepsy specialist who treated Ausmus for three years while the family lived in California said Lennox Gastaut Syndrome is among the worst seizure disorders anyone can have.</cite> <cite index="3-1,3-2">His stepfather, Brian Allen, testified that Tanner had been able to do many things independently before a seizure in 2020 led to a lengthy hospital stay, after which everything changed.</cite>
<cite index="4-1,4-2">On October 24, 2023, Ausmus fell following a seizure, struck his head, and remained bedridden for several days, according to his autopsy report. Eight days later, on October 31, 2023, was his last reported food or water intake.</cite> He was eventually flown by medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where, according to trial testimony, he suffered cardiac arrest during the flight, depriving his brain of oxygen for several minutes. He died days later, in November 2023, at 19 years old. <cite index="1-3">The state medical examiner's office ordered an autopsy because of the possibility of neglect.</cite> <cite index="5-1">The autopsy report revealed Ausmus had suffered from swelling of the brain, respiratory failure and dehydration.</cite>
The case did not become public until years later. <cite index="1-4">A Campbell County grand jury indicted Heather Allen and Brian Allen on a count of first degree murder and aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult.</cite> <cite index="5-2">While Ausmus was incapacitated, lying in a camper, prosecutors said he had decreased water and food intake and received no medical care.</cite> <cite index="6-1">A defense medical expert testified that Ausmus's cause of death was MRSA pneumonia and that not taking his seizure medications was not a factor.</cite>
<cite index="7-1,7-2">An eight man, six woman jury found Brian and Heather Allen not guilty of murder but guilty of neglect of a vulnerable adult, an offense that qualifies for judicial diversion or probation.</cite> The verdict brought a mixed reaction in the Jacksboro courtroom, closing a case that had stretched from Ausmus's death in 2023 through a grand jury indictment years later and finally to trial. Sentencing has not yet been announced, and no public memorial service for Ausmus has been reported.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by WBIR.
Photos
1by People Forever
