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Elderly Logan County Woman Goes To Prison For Mother's Death

Mary Strawser
Logan County Jail
Prosecutors say Strawser neglected her mother for years, leaving her to die on a couch in a dilapidated trailer in Rushsylvania.

A 77-year-old Logan county woman has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after admitting she caused her 100-year-old mother's death by severe neglect.

Logan County Common Pleas Judge Mark O'Connor sentenced Mary Strawser Monday and says it's "incredulous" that more wasn't done to take care of Strawser's mother.

Prosecutors say Strawser neglected her mother for years, leaving her to die on a couch in a dilapidated trailer in Rushsylvania.

Authorities found Blanche Cowen dead in 2014 after a mentally-disabled man who also lived in the trailer discovered she wasn't breathing. She was 84 pounds when she died.

Strawser's didn't make a statement in court. 

Strawser pleaded guilty in March to reckless homicide and theft from an elderly person. She's eligible to apply for early release after 30 days behind bars.