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2 arrested in Jefferson County after disabled abuse victim found with broken hips

By May 2, 2024 | updated 2 years ago

Brian Seitz and Laura Prats
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office arrested 36-year-old Brian Seitz, left, and 53-year-old Laura Prats on Tuesday after finding Seitz's mother, Sheryl Seitz, suffering from various injuries in a garage. Sheryl Seitz, who was under the care of the two, later died, leading to the arrests.
Courtesy of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people after finding a woman with broken hips and septic shock lying on an air mattress in a garage. The two were the caretakers of the woman and one of them was her son.

Brian Seitz, 36, and Laura Prats, 53, were arrested on suspicion of crimes against an at-risk person resulting in serious injury and death following an investigation that began on Monday, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. 

The Arvada Fire Department was initially dispatched to an Airbnb in the 6400 block of Kendall Street on Monday following a report of a sick person. Upon arrival, responders found Sheryl Seitz — a 58-year-old disabled person and mother of Brian Seitz — on an air mattress in the garage. She was “covered in filth and maggots,” according to the press release.

The woman was transported to a nearby hospital and was found to be suffering from bed sores, two hip fractures, a loosely connected wrist, ulcers, septic shock. She had maggots burrowing into her body. She was legally blind and had arthritis. She later died on Tuesday.

Sheriff’s office investigators began looking into the incident on Tuesday, obtaining search warrants for the trailer and RV where the suspects and victim lived. The victim’s RV had no running water, bed or working heat.

Investigators found that Seitz and Prats had been the woman’s caretaker for six-to-seven years, according to the release. Both were receiving state funding for the woman’s care through a home healthcare company for 83 hours a week. 

Both were arrested on Tuesday. Seitz also faces an additional charge of tampering with physical evidence.

Sage Kelley

Reporter

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