Seguin woman and daughter lived in home for three years with decomposing body of her mother

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – Police believe skeletal remains found in a Seguin home Sunday night are those of a woman who has been dead for three years.  Investigators are waiting for positive identification, but Seguin Police Chief Terry Nichols said investigators are fairly certain that the deceased is Jacqueline Crayton, who would have been 71-years-old when she died.

“Investigators believe that during 2016, Jacqueline Crayton suffered a non life-threatening fall in the bedroom at the residence she shared with her daughter and granddaughter,” Nichols said Thursday.

At the news conference posted on Facebook by the Seguin Gazette, Nichols said the victim’s daughter failed to get help for her mother.

“At the time of the fall, Delissa Crayton failed to provide adequate assistance, leading investigators to believe Jacqueline died within a few days while lying on the floor,” Nichols said.

Her remains were found on the bedroom floor Sunday night when officers searched the house as part of a child abuse investigation. The bedroom door was closed when police arrived.

“Our first officer on the scene went in to do a welfare check and had to open the door and found the skeletal remains right behind the door,” said Nichols.

Delissa Crayton and her daughter have continued living in the home without reporting Jacqueline’s death.

“The two bedroom residence included one room where the skeletal remains were located and a second bedroom shared by Delissa Crayton and her daughter,” said Nichols.

Delissa, a former dispatcher for the city of Seguin, has been charged with injury to a child under the age of 15 for allowing her young daughter to remain in the home as the elderly woman’s body decomposed.  Bond for Delissa is set at $200,000. The teen has been placed with relatives and is receiving services from various child protective agencies.

Nichols said Jacqueline was well-known and a respected member of the community, but no one had reported her missing.

“She worked for the school district for many years and was a staple at the football games and basketball games and was incredibly well-liked,” said Nichols.