A Third District judge issued a sentence to Lori Meers on Sept. 8, 2026, for crimes related to the death of her 77-year-old mother, W.P., in Cottonwood Heights. According to a news release from the Salt Lake County Attorney’s Office, Meers was sentenced to 2 to 30 years in prison. The sentence includes 1 to 15 years for each crime, to be served consecutively. The charges involved intentional aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult and manslaughter, both of which are second-degree felonies.
The investigation into the death of W.P. began on March 10, 2025, when police were called to Intermountain Medical Center for an elder abuse investigation. According to a statement from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, W.P. was nonverbal and had dementia. On that date, the victim's twin sister, R.M., visited the home where W.P. lived with her daughter, Meers. R.M. discovered W.P. covered in feces that doctors told police were a few days old. The victim also presented with several medical concerns, including bed sores, hypothermia, and severe sepsis with septic shock, according to the Salt Lake County Attorney’s Office.
Detectives determined through their investigation that W.P. had lived with Meers, who acted as her primary caretaker, for a long time. The Salt Lake County Attorney’s Office noted that R.M. did not usually stay for long during visits because the house was not clean, and while R.M. wanted to find a permanent care facility, Meers was not following through. A few weeks prior to the March 10, 2025, investigation, Meers had told R.M. that she had called the elder abuse hotline because she was tired and unable to care for W.P. as she wanted to. However, when R.M. followed up a week later, Meers told her that the elder abuse officials never got back to her.
When R.M. arrived at the home on March 10, 2025, Meers was not present, but W.P.'s grandson, L.M., was there. R.M. eventually found W.P. on the downstairs floor with a sheet over her buttocks. R.M. reported that when she put her hand on W.P.'s back, it was ice cold to the touch. When Meers arrived, she told R.M. that W.P. had not eaten in four days, according to the Salt Lake County Attorney's Office. R.M. called 911, and when paramedics arrived, W.P. cried out in pain every time she was moved, according to police reports.
W.P. died on March 19, 2025. While the manner of death was determined to be natural, the immediate cause of death was determined to be septic shock due to acute pancreatitis, according to a statement from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office. Following an investigation, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office charged Meers on Sept. 9, 2025. A jury began selection for the trial on July 7, 2026, and returned a guilty verdict on both counts on Friday, July 10, 2026.
What this means for Cottonwood Heights
For the residents of Cottonwood Heights, this legal outcome concludes a case involving the death of a vulnerable adult. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office emphasized that resources exist in the community, such as the neighborhood house and Salt Lake County Senior Centers, to support those who may be struggling with the demands of caretaking.
