“One Of The Worst Scenes I’ve Ever Witnessed”; Montgomery Couple Guilty Of Criminal Neglect

A deputy in the Kendall County Sheriff’s office called it the worst scene he had ever witnessed.

That scene involved the remains of a 66-year-old woman, Paulette Boyce, who, at the time of her death, weighed only 65 pounts and had 20 separate areas of skin lesions on her body, two of which went down to her bones. She was discovered in the Montgomery home of her daughter and caregiver, Jennifer Ashton, in December 2016.

Today, Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis announced that Ashton and her husband Craig, both 48 years old, have been found guilty on eight counts of Criminal Neglect of an Elderly Person by Judge Robert Pilmer following a bench trial.

According to reports, Boyce had been released from a rehabilitation and health-care center in May 2016 and went to live with her daughter who had power of attorney. Testimony during the trial indicated that the Astons had declined or ignored repeated efforts by medical professionals and members of Senior Service for assistance in taking care of Boyce. Photographs of her emaciated body and the squalid living conditions she died in were also presented during the trial.

The cases have been pending in the court system since 2016 due to COVID-related delays and the death of the Aston’s first attorney. A sentencing hearing will be held on December 1, 2023, almost exactly one year since P.B. was found deceased.