CHEROKEE COUNTY, SC (WKRC) – Three members of a South Carolina family have been sentenced to decades in prison for abusing, neglecting and killing their severely disabled daughter and sister, 14-year-old Heather Baynard.

Heather died at Spartanburg Medical Center on April 11, 2022, prompting a police investigation that uncovered horrific living conditions at the Baynard home in Gaffney, according to Law and Crime.

Law enforcement officers executed search warrants at the residence on Camp Ferry Road, discovering a home littered with trash, infested with cockroaches and covered in animal urine and feces. Heather, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was forced to live in these deplorable conditions, according to court documents.

During a four-day trial, 7th Circuit Attorney Barry J. Barnette described the severe neglect Heather suffered, noting that animal droppings had torn her skin and other tissues. A witness at the hospital described her legs as “like raw meat”.

Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller detailed how bad the condition of the home was.

“Lots of faeces in the house, both from cats and dogs; urine, which created a huge ammonia-type smell,” Mueller said.

In May 2022, Heather’s parents, David Baynard, 55, and Bobbie Jo Baynard, 44, were charged with her murder. Her brother, Edward Vincent Baynard, 22, was later charged with murder and additional crimes related to the conditions of the home. Edward, who is a respite nurse and certified personal care assistant, was also charged with child abuse, neglect and animal cruelty.

More than 40 animals were rescued from the residence, some of which were found severely malnourished and infested with fleas and worms. Two dogs had to be euthanized due to negligence attributed to Edward Baynard, according to WSPA.

“This is the worst case of neglect we’ve ever seen in this county,” Mueller said in April 2022. according to WYFF.

Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler testified that Heather needed daily medical care that had been ignored for over a year.

On Thursday, jurors found the Baynards guilty of murder, unlawful conduct toward a child and serious bodily injury to a child. The parents were sentenced to life in prison for murder, with additional terms on other charges to run consecutively. Edward Baynard received a 30-year sentence for the murder, with additional consecutive terms for the related charges.