Elizabeth Anne Gramlich, 60, of Abington was sentenced to a decade under probationary court supervision for failing to properly care for sibling Timothy Gramlich, who passed away in their Abington home from an untreated illness in the fall of 2020. Timothy Gramlich was 52 years old at the time of his death.
She was sentenced by Montgomery County Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy on December 20, four months after she plead guilty to felony charges which involved her brothers Harry, 73, and Joseph, 64. Harry is awaiting trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter and neglect of care of a dependent person. A conviction would carry a maximum prison sentence of 12½ to 25 years.
Joseph, who lives in Lansdale, is awaiting trial on a single felony charge of neglect of care of a dependent person.
The Gramlichs house on the 200 block of Edge Hill Road was searched by authorities in October 2020. According to court papers, Timothy’s naked body was found wrapped in an article of clothing on a bare, soiled mattress in a second-floor bedroom.
According to arrest documents, Elizabeth told detectives that she had not seen Timothy for many years.
Elizabeth received probation because a defense lawyer noted that she had previously cared full-time for her mother and a sister in the 1990s.
“This is someone who has shown empathy and compassion for loved ones in the past,” the defense lawyer argued. “This court should not have a concern about her being back in front of it.”
“The examination suggested Timothy Gramlich had been neglected and had he undergone routine medical evaluations and care, his death from urosepsis could have been prevented,” detectives said.
A forensic pathologist said that examples of neglect included Timothy’s weight of 76 pounds, and “fixed, flexion contractures of hips and knees with no pathological basis for them,” pressure-induced ulcerations of his lower extremities and the “poor, soiled conditions Harry Gramlich exposed him to,” according to the arrest affidavit.
For extensive coverage on the Gramlichs’ trial and sentencing, you can read The Reporter’s article here.
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