The death of Aaliyah Fortner led to murder, abuse and neglect charges tied to a Dallas care home.
GASTONIA, N.C. — Two women who police say cared for Aaliyah Fortner are facing charges after the nonverbal 23-year-old was found dead inside a Dallas home in October.
The most serious charge is against Marlo Wallace, 59, who is accused of first-degree murder in Fortner’s death. Vera Williams is charged separately with patient abuse and neglect and felony assault of an individual with disabilities. The case began with a crash, widened into an abuse investigation and later became a homicide case after prosecutors reviewed medical findings. Fortner had autism, was nonverbal and was living under Wallace’s care when officers found her body.
Police first arrested Wallace and Williams in November 2025, days after the Oct. 26 discovery of Fortner’s body. At that time, Wallace was charged with concealment of death from unnatural causes, patient abuse and neglect, and felony assault of an individual with disabilities. Williams was charged with patient abuse and neglect and felony assault of an individual with disabilities. Both women were held in the Gaston County Jail. Earlier reports said Wallace’s bond was $1.5 million and Williams’ bond was $1 million before the later murder charge changed Wallace’s case.
The allegations against the two women overlap but are not identical. Court documents accused Wallace of assaulting Fortner on multiple occasions by hitting her with objects, pushing her down, using a Taser, kicking her and stomping on her head. Separate documents accused Williams of assaulting Fortner by hitting her with objects, pushing her to the ground and breaking a broom while hitting her. Authorities said Fortner was under the care of the women during the alleged assaults. Williams has not been publicly accused of murder in the available reports, while Wallace now faces the homicide charge.
The investigation started when Wallace’s car was involved in a crash with a semi-truck on Interstate 85 northbound near exit 21. Police say Wallace later told officers they would find a deceased person at her home on Green Brook Trail in Dallas. Officers went there and found Fortner dead. That statement linked the highway crash to the residence and gave investigators the starting point for the abuse case. Early records also accused Wallace of concealing a death from unnatural causes, a charge that reflected police concerns about what happened before officers entered the home.
Prosecutors raised Wallace’s case to first-degree murder in June 2026. They told a judge the homicide charge took time because they were waiting on autopsy results. After those results came back, the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office accused Wallace of killing Fortner with malice aforethought. Public reports said medical records showed Fortner weighed 84 pounds at the time of death after losing about 60 pounds over six months. Records also described blunt force injuries across her body. Officials have not publicly released every autopsy detail, and some questions about the exact timeline of Fortner’s decline remain unanswered.
The alleged evidence includes more than medical records. In court, a prosecutor said some abuse was captured on video and that Wallace tried to delete it. The video has not been publicly released. If the case proceeds toward trial, the handling of that evidence could become a key issue, including how it was recovered, what it shows and whether the defense challenges its use. Wallace is presumed innocent unless convicted. It was not immediately clear from public reports whether she had entered a plea to the first-degree murder charge.
Fortner’s relatives have said the case is painful because she could not report what was happening. Her brother, Caleb Simpson, said she was alone in the moments that now form the center of the case. “My sister went through all of that alone,” he said. He also said he hated to think what was going through her mind before her death. Relatives have described Fortner as fully dependent on caregivers, a fact that makes the abuse and neglect charges especially important to the prosecution’s account of the home.
The case has also raised questions beyond the two defendants. Reports said Wallace operated a home for people with special needs from the Green Brook Trail residence. Local investigative reporting said Wallace’s guardianship of another nonverbal adult had been revoked about two years before Fortner was placed there. That history could become part of broader scrutiny around placement decisions, prior complaints and agency oversight. Simpson said his sister should never have been placed with Wallace, saying the state failed Aaliyah. Officials have not publicly released a complete review of the placement process.
Next steps in the case are expected to unfold in Gaston County court. Prosecutors must decide how to present the alleged video, autopsy findings, witness accounts and records from the home. Defense attorneys may seek hearings over evidence, statements and expert testimony. Williams’ case also remains important because it involves the same alleged victim, same home and same period of care. The charges against each woman may move on different schedules, but both cases center on what happened to Fortner before officers found her dead.
Wallace remained accused of first-degree murder and Williams remained accused of abuse and neglect. Fortner’s death remains under the court’s review, with the Green Brook Trail home, the crash and the medical findings forming the core record.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.