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Neglected Saanich woman with MS was ‘as close to death as you could get’

When Linda Stupple was found unconscious on the floor of her Saanich home, she “was as close to death as you could get” said a health official with direct knowledge of the neglect case, which Saanich police are investigating.
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The Saanich house where Linda Stupple was found.

When Linda Stupple was found unconscious on the floor of her Saanich home, she “was as close to death as you could get” said a health official with direct knowledge of the neglect case, which Saanich police are investigating.

“No blood pressure, unconscious and signs of really gross dehydration. She hadn’t had anything to drink or eat for three days. Her kidneys were almost shut down,” said the official, who asked to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak about the case.

Linda, 56, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, had a serious infection on her left cheek and a major area of infection on the inside of her left knee, he said.

“I’ve never encountered anything like this before. I see some pretty wicked things, but nothing ever like that,” said the official.

“Everyone is shocked that such a thing could happen. It’s inconceivable, man’s inhumanity to man. But nobody comments on it. Nobody has an opinion on it in the hospital. But it’s all there in black and white in her file.”

The health official said his conscience prompted him to make people aware of what happened to her.

“Everyone is so worried about privacy and guarding people’s rights, they don’t hazard an opinion. They feel empathy, but they don’t comment on what a terrible thing this is,” he said.

Saanich police are recommending that 58-year-old Mark Stupple, Linda’s husband, be charged with failing to provide the necessities of life.

Mark and Linda Stupple have been married for 28 years and have lived at the house for more than 20 years.

Saanich police knocked on their door three days in a row to check on Linda after a family member expressed concern for her in late September.

On Sept. 26, officers spoke to Linda by phone and she indicated she did not need medical help.

On the evening of Sept. 27, Mark Stupple called 911 to say she was unconscious.

B.C. Ambulance paramedics and Saanich firefighters had to move debris out of the way to assist the woman.

Saanich police spokesman Sgt. Steve Eassie said she was in “extreme medical distress.”

The last time the health official saw her, Linda was in intensive care. She was stable, alert and seemed to understand everything that was going on. She is not able to talk because doctors performed a tracheotomy to help her breathe.

It’s his understanding that Linda’s relatives called police when they couldn’t get access to her for three days.

“The assumption was that she was lying in the garbage for three days, she was so dehydrated and in shock. She couldn’t help herself,” said the health official.

Based on fire and police department concerns about hoarding, Saanich bylaw officers have made repeated attempts to enter the home since early October, but Mark Stupple refuses to open the door.

“We’ve tried to make contact with him by phone, we’ve knocked on the door, he won’t answer the door,” said Doug Roberts, senior bylaw enforcement officer.

“We drive by the property daily.”

Roberts said his office has authority under the community charter to forcibly enter a home if officers believe there is a “life-safety risk” but that only happens in rare circumstances.

No one at the home answered the door when a Times Colonist reporter knocked on Thursday and Friday.

Saanich police have not been able to interview Linda Stupple because of her medical condition.

The prosecutors’ office has not yet approved charges, said Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie. He said charges of failing to provide the necessities of life are uncommon in B.C.

kderosa@timescolonist.com