CASE UPDATE
Charges continue to mount for an Eatonton woman who allegedly neglected her uncle while spending his money and then concealed his death in order to continue collecting his money.
Dafredia Yvette Stephens was indicted by a Baldwin County Grand Jury Nov. 28 and charged with concealing the death of another, neglect of a disabled or elderly person/resident of a longterm care facility, theft by taking and theft by deception.
She was previously indicted Aug. 7 by a Jones County Grand Jury on charges of concealing the death of another and the abandonment of a dead body.
All the charges facing Stephens are in connection with her handling of her disabled uncle’s affairs and the discovery of his body Dec. 27, 2021, in Jones County.
JCSO Capt. Kenny Allen headed the investigation. He said the body of 74-year-old Fredrick Stephens was found on Cheehaw Trail by a public works employee and appeared to have been there for a couple of days.
The captain said the first step in the investigation of the death was identification of the body. He said a GBI sketch artist produced a rendering of what the deceased looked like in life that turned out to be “spot on.”
After the sketch was circulated, a phone call was received by the JCSO from a family member. Allen said, after they thought they knew who he was, confirmation was needed.
That came as the result of a DNA sample from Stephens’ sister, but it took 18 months.
The captain said, after the unofficial identification, investigators started digging into who Fredrick Stephens was supposed to be staying with. He said that included financial records. They discovered Stephens was still receiving Social Security benefits, and his ‘caregiver’ was spending those benefits.
It was discovered that Dafredia Stephens was joint on his bank account. The captain said, once the identity of the deceased was confirmed, Stephens was arrested on the two charges.
The arrest was made at the bank when Dafredia Stephens showed up to withdraw the funds of the deceased.
The Baldwin County indictment reportedly states the niece was the designated caregiver of her uncle from Oct. 1 through Dec. 27, 2021, and she willfully deprived him of healthcare and failed to seek medical treatment or medical services for him.
The concealment of the body hindered the discovery of the manner and cause of his death.
