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Leona Biser, of Washington County, was charged and release on bail on Jan. 15, 2020, then jailed in August of last year for failing to show up in court.
Biser’s sister, Loretta Lancaster, was discovered by OAG agents in November 2019 locked in a small, dirty wooden cage in the living room of her family home, PA Attorney General Joshua Shapiro said.
When confronted, Biser admitted that she had been Lancaster’s primary caretaker since the death of their mother in 2018.
Since being removed from Biser’s custody, Lancaster’s condition has improved significantly, authorities said.
She has regained some mobility, recovered from medical conditions that were caused by living in a cage, and has started working with a speech therapist, Shapiro's office said.
Biser pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person and abuse of a care-dependent person, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Sept. 3.
“What Leona Biser did to her sister is unforgivable, but today’s plea is a step towards justice,” Shapiro said.
“My office fights to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Anyone found neglecting or abusing another human being in Pennsylvania will be charged and prosecuted for those crimes.”
Senior Deputy Attorney General Patrick Schulte of the Office of Attorney General’s Criminal Prosecution Section and Deputy Attorney General Aaron McKendry of the Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Section prosecuted the case.
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