MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—A Marion Jury has found Jack guilty on both felony counts after the victim was found in a room of trash, feces, and vermin

Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Ray Grogan announced today that a Marion County jury has found Jack Seitter guilty of two counts of Failure to Provide for a Functionally Impaired Person, each a felony of the fourth degree. The jury returned its verdict on Wednesday.   Seitter was remanded into custody pending sentencing.

On or about August 9, 2025, officers with the Marion Police Department responded to a residence at 173 Davids Street for a well-being check. Brandy Friley had called police after she was refused entry to the home to see her grandfather, 78-year-old Thomas Layne.

Mr. Layne had lost the use of his legs and was partially blind. For the previous three years, he had lived in the home with his stepson, Jack Seitter, and another family member. During that time, Mr. Layne repeatedly called his granddaughter to report that he was not being fed, bathed, or having his adult diaper changed. Each time she came to the home, Seitter refused to let her in.

Marion Police and EMS from the Marion Fire Department entered the home and removed Mr. Layne, who was taken to Marion General Hospital. He told officers that his diaper had not been changed in a week, that he had not been given his medication, and that he was fed only about three times a week with no access to water. It was evident that he was seldom, if ever, moved from his bed.

Investigators found Mr. Layne had been living in a dark, filthy room filled with trash, debris, discarded diapers, and animal and human feces. His bed was smeared with feces. The rest of the home was in similar condition, with trash piled high in every room and cockroaches and bed bugs visible throughout. Very little food was found in the home.

Seitter was indicted on two counts of Failure to Provide for a Functionally Impaired Person. The case was tried before a jury in the Marion County Common Pleas Court.

“Thomas Layne depended entirely on the people he lived with for food, water, medicine and basic dignity, and they left him to suffer in conditions no human being should ever endure,” said Prosecuting Attorney Ray Grogan. “Caring for a vulnerable family member is not optional. When you take on that responsibility, the law expects you to meet it.”

“Mr. Layne did the only thing he could. He kept picking up the phone and asking for help,” Grogan said. “I want to thank Brandy Friley for refusing to give up on her grandfather, and the officers of the Marion Police Department and the EMS crew from the Marion Fire Department who went into that home and got him out.”

“Elder neglect often happens behind closed doors, where no one sees it,” Grogan added. “If you suspect an elderly or disabled person is being neglected, call law enforcement or Adult Protective Services. This office will hold accountable anyone who abandons the people who depend on them.”

Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date before Judge Matthew P. Frericks. Each count carries a potential prison term of 6 to 18 months.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Heath Findley and Parker Schwartz and investigated by the Marion Police Department.