The lawsuit alleges Shelba Catterton was left outside unsupervised and suffered upward of 1,000 fire ant bites and stings.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — The family of 83-year-old Shelba Catterton has sued a Charleston memory care facility, alleging she walked through an unsecured door, was left outside for hours and suffered extensive fire ant bites before developing serious medical complications and dying about two weeks later.
The wrongful death lawsuit against Harmony at West Ashley centers on what happened during the night of July 23 and the facility’s response afterward. Catterton had advanced Alzheimer’s disease, was nonverbal and was known to be at risk of wandering, according to the complaint and local reporting. Her family alleges an employee propped open a door connected to a secured courtyard, allowing Catterton to leave the supervised area unnoticed. The official cause and manner of her Aug. 7 death had not been publicly released in the latest reports reviewed.
According to the lawsuit, Catterton was last seen without injuries late July 23 and was later found outside in the courtyard with ants on her body. The complaint alleges she had been bitten and stung upward of 1,000 times. Local reporting citing a Charleston police report said investigators believe a door was not properly secured and that Catterton was found around midnight. The exact amount of time she remained outside has not been publicly established.
The family alleges Catterton’s condition left her unable to call for help or remove the insects herself. Medical records described in the lawsuit documented widespread injuries associated with ant bites. The complaint also says emergency department staff found Catterton suffering from hypothermia and pneumonia after she was eventually taken for hospital treatment. She required active rewarming and was admitted to intensive care, according to medical records cited by the family.
A central allegation in the lawsuit concerns the time that passed before Catterton was taken to a hospital. Her relatives say the facility did not notify them or obtain emergency hospital treatment for roughly 36 hours after she was found. The family says Catterton’s daughter, Jan Buice, arrived for a regular visit and demanded additional medical attention after seeing her mother’s condition. A facility employee then called 911, according to reports citing the emergency call.
Buice told WCBD that she was “horrified” when she saw what had happened to her mother. Another daughter, Sherri Lero, described watching Catterton’s health deteriorate after the incident. Catterton spent several days in the hospital before being transferred to hospice care. She died Aug. 7, according to her obituary and multiple news reports.
The family’s lawsuit accuses Harmony at West Ashley of negligence, wrongful death and violations of requirements governing care for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. The complaint alleges the facility knew Catterton needed assistance with daily activities and had a known risk of wandering or leaving a secured area. Those allegations have not been adjudicated, and the lawsuit represents the family’s account of the facility’s conduct.
South Carolina regulations define an Alzheimer’s special care unit or program as a facility or designated area that provides a secure program for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia and prevents or limits residents’ access outside separated areas. The family’s attorney, Nate Hughey, has argued that those standards are central to the case because facilities offering specialized memory care accept responsibility for residents who may wander and may not recognize hazards on their own.
Harmony Senior Services expressed condolences to Catterton’s family in a statement provided to WCBD. The company said it is committed to treating residents with care, compassion and respect but declined to discuss the allegations in detail because of the pending litigation. The company has not been found liable for the allegations in the complaint.
The death also prompted scrutiny beyond the civil lawsuit. Local reports said Charleston police opened an investigation and that investigators obtained records from the facility. The Charleston County Coroner’s Office was also examining Catterton’s death, while reporting indicated the South Carolina Department on Aging’s Office of Long Term Care Ombudsman was looking into her care. No criminal charges had been publicly announced in the latest reports reviewed.
Catterton, who was born July 5, 1943, in Homerville, Georgia, lived in the Charleston area and was remembered by her family as someone who enjoyed crocheting and spending time with relatives. Her funeral was held Aug. 14 in Charleston. She is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to her published obituary.
The civil case will now move through the court system as attorneys seek records and other evidence concerning Catterton’s supervision, the security of the courtyard and the medical response after she was found. Authorities have not publicly announced a final determination about her cause of death, leaving that question separate from the family’s allegation that the July 23 incident and resulting complications led to her death.
Author note: Last updated August 25, 2026.