Caregiver Faces Murder Charge
North Carolina Caregiver Charged with Murder After Autistic Woman Dies from Malnutrition
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A North Carolina caregiver has been charged with first-degree murder after a 23-year-old woman with profound autism starved to death in her care. Aaliyah Michelle Fortner weighed just 84 pounds when she was found dead on October 26, 2025, at a home in Dallas, N.C. — after losing roughly 60 pounds in only six months, according to WCNC.
Marlo Wallace, 59, allegedly contacted police herself to report that Fortner was "imminently" going to die. An autopsy confirmed Fortner — who had severe intellectual disability, autism, and a mood disorder — died of malnutrition. Wallace is now held on a $1.5 million bond in Gaston County Jail, WSOC-TV reported.
Fortner Weighed 84 Pounds at Time of Death
The medical examiner found Fortner was below 75% of her ideal body weight when she died. She had been placed in Wallace's care in approximately April 2025. By October, she had lost around 60 pounds. WCNC reported that recovered security footage from the home showed what Gaston County District Attorney Travis Page called "some of the worst and degrading abuse, both physical and verbal" he had ever seen.
Page upgraded the charges from neglect to first-degree murder on June 5, 2026. That step is significant. Under North Carolina law, first-degree murder requires premeditation. Prosecutors appear to be arguing that starvation was not an accident — it was a method, according to Fox Carolina.
Warnings Were Ignored Two Years Before Fortner's Death
The case was not without warning signs. In November 2023, a state hearing officer named Jessica Davis revoked Wallace's guardianship of a separate non-verbal man. Davis said she was "not confident" the man was safe in Wallace's home. Witnesses at that hearing testified there was ongoing "cause for concern," WCNC reported.
Despite that ruling, Fortner was placed in Wallace's care less than two years later. Advocates and Fortner's family say the state missed multiple chances to act. Stepmother Candy Fortner told The North Carolina Beat the family believed the home was a safe place for Aaliyah to gain independence. A co-defendant, Vera Williams, 58, was also arrested and faces charges of patient abuse, neglect, and assault of a person with a disability.
Unlicensed Home Exposed a Gaping Regulatory Loophole
Wallace's home was unlicensed. In North Carolina, certain care settings can operate without a license as long as they claim to offer only limited services. These are sometimes called Multi-unit Assisted Housing with Services. Critics say the label allows operators to house highly vulnerable people while avoiding state oversight, according to NC Health News.
The case has fueled support for House Bill 813, a 2025-2026 state legislative proposal that would tighten rules for these facilities and bring them under the Department of Health and Human Services. Advocates are also calling for an independent audit of Gaston County's Department of Social Services, which received multiple complaints about Wallace before Fortner's death, WCNC reported.
Murder Charge Could Set Statewide Precedent for Abuse Cases
A first-degree murder conviction in a malnutrition case would be rare in North Carolina. Legal observers say it could push prosecutors across the state to treat severe caregiver neglect more like intentional violence. DA Page has not backed down. He described the footage from the home as evidence of deliberate cruelty, not simple neglect, according to WSOC-TV.
Wallace's defense has not yet issued a formal statement. Early court filings mentioned a note found at the scene suggesting Fortner had "assaulted" her caregiver, hinting at a possible defense argument. Wallace is next scheduled to appear in Gaston County court, with her $1.5 million bond still in place, Fox Carolina reported.
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