Greencastle man faces judge in regards to mother's death

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 11:46 AM

By Paul Gable

A death from 2024 has resulted in a Greencastle man being charged with a crime in regards to the passing of his mother.

According to police and court documents, Randy S. Haltom, of Greencastle, is facing one count of Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Haltom is being held in the Putnam County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond after an initial hearing this week. Records show Haltom has two prior convictions.

Police were called to a home in Greencastle last December on a call of a deceased person. Upon arrival, officers met Haltom, who told police he found his mother deceased in her room. When police found Sandra Haltom, they noted she had been dead for a few hours and that she had a "mummified appearance." Officers noted that while the death did not look suspicious, Sandra Haltom did appear small and malnourished.

"Mr. Haltom stated that on the previous day, he could not get his mother to eat or drink anything. He advised they had attempted to get Sandra to drink by using a syringe and squirting a small amount of water in her mouth. He advised she was unable to keep her head up as well. He stated that her condition concerned him enough he was going to take Sandra to the hospital the next morning," a police report states.

Randy Haltom told police that he had been taking care of his mother for several years and she had a thyroid issue, among other health conditions. Officers noted they found several prescriptions in the residence, including thyroid medicine, but that there were also sippy cups with mold in the lids near the bed where Sandra Haltom was located.

According to records, Randy Haltom and other family members acknowledged that Sandra Haltom had eating issues for some time and that Randy failed to take her to a doctor. In addition, it was noted that Sandra Haltom's body was "literally skin and bones" and her cause of death was ruled to be malnutrition and there was significant deviation from normal standard care, a report states.