Lafayette County man charged with elder abuse after assault investigation

Anthony Carothers, of Taylor, was charged with simple assault on a person at least 65 years of age after Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office deputies said an elderly victim was assaulted on County Road 303 in the Taylor Community. He was being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond as the case moved into the formal court process.

Deputies responded to the emergency department at Baptist Memorial Hospital on July 11, where the victim was being treated after the alleged assault. Investigators said the victim told them the attack happened at a home on County Road 303, and the sheriff’s office identified Carothers as the suspect.

The case is a reminder that elder-abuse allegations often surface outside the public eye, inside homes where older adults may depend on relatives, caregivers or neighbors for daily needs. Warning signs can include unexplained injuries, fearfulness around a particular person, sudden changes in behavior or poor living conditions, along with signs that an older adult is being isolated or controlled.

Mississippi’s Adult Protective Services investigates reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation involving vulnerable adults in private home settings and works to connect them to services. Residents who suspect abuse can file a report anonymously by calling 1-844-437-6282 or the Mississippi Abuse Hotline at 1-800-222-8000.

In this case, the alleged assault was serious enough to send the victim to a hospital and trigger a sheriff’s office investigation in the Taylor Community, where County Road 303 is now part of a criminal case centered on the safety of an older adult.