Aaliyah Fortner’s relatives say her disability left her unable to report alleged abuse inside a caregiver’s home.
GASTONIA, N.C. — The family of Aaliyah Fortner is questioning how the nonverbal 23-year-old ended up in the Dallas home where police say she was abused before her death.
Fortner’s death has led to a first-degree murder charge against Marlo Wallace, 59, the caregiver who police say was responsible for Fortner inside a Green Brook Trail residence. Wallace is accused of killing Fortner after weeks or months of alleged abuse. But for Fortner’s relatives, the criminal case has also become a question about placement, warning signs and whether public systems did enough to protect a woman who could not speak for herself.
Caleb Simpson, Fortner’s brother, has said his sister’s inability to describe what was happening is one of the most painful facts in the case. Fortner had autism and was nonverbal. Relatives said she depended on caregivers for basic needs and would not have been able to tell investigators or family members if she was being mistreated. “It hurts,” Simpson said. “My sister went through all of that alone.” He also said, “For her to be alone through all of that and then for it to end the way it did, I hate to even think what was going on in her mind.”
Police say Fortner was living in Wallace’s home when she died in October 2025. Wallace reportedly operated a home for people with special needs from the Dallas residence. Investigators said the case began when Wallace’s vehicle was involved in a crash with a semi-truck on Interstate 85 northbound near exit 21 on Oct. 26, 2025. After the wreck, Wallace was taken to a hospital and allegedly told officers they would find a deceased person at her home. Officers then went to Green Brook Trail and found Fortner’s body.
The discovery brought police into a home that relatives now say should have been scrutinized earlier. Local reports said authorities had revoked Wallace’s guardianship of another nonverbal adult who lived in the same home about two years before Fortner was placed there. Reports described prior safety concerns, sworn witness statements and earlier police involvement. Those details have raised one of the case’s central unknowns: what did agencies know about Wallace’s home before Fortner arrived there, and why was Fortner placed in her care despite that history?
The criminal allegations are severe. Court documents accused Wallace of assaulting Fortner more than once. Investigators said Wallace hit Fortner with objects, pushed her to the ground, used a Taser on her, kicked her and stomped on her head. Another woman connected to Fortner’s care, Vera Williams, also faces charges of patient abuse and neglect and felony assault of an individual with disabilities. Court documents alleged Williams hit Fortner with objects, pushed her to the ground and broke a broom while hitting her. Williams has not been publicly charged with murder.
Publicly reported medical details have deepened the family’s questions. Records cited in local reports said Fortner weighed 84 pounds when she died and had lost about 60 pounds over six months. The records also described blunt force injuries across her body. Prosecutors said the first-degree murder charge took time because they were waiting for autopsy results. After those results were reviewed, the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office accused Wallace of killing Fortner with malice aforethought. Officials have not publicly explained every medical finding in full detail.
Simpson has placed much of his anger on the systems that were supposed to protect his sister. “Watch who you trust. Everybody should be angry about something like this,” he said. He said families trust the state to make safe placements, especially when the person being placed cannot advocate for herself. “Let’s say you sit there and you trust the state, and then they just fail you like that. Makes no sense,” he said. His words have become a summary of the family’s grief and frustration as the case moves through court.
The public record leaves several questions unanswered. It is not clear from available reports who approved Fortner’s placement, what reviews were completed before she moved into the home or whether any agency inspected the residence after earlier concerns involving another adult. It is also not clear whether Wallace has entered a plea to the murder charge. Wallace remains presumed innocent unless convicted. The defense has not had a trial, and prosecutors will need to prove not only that Fortner was abused, but that the evidence supports first-degree murder under North Carolina law.
The next legal steps are expected to focus on court scheduling, evidence and medical records. Prosecutors have said some alleged abuse was captured on video and that Wallace tried to delete it. If the case advances toward trial, that alleged video, the autopsy and records tied to Fortner’s placement could become central evidence. For Fortner’s relatives, the proceedings are also a way to press for answers about who knew what before Oct. 26, 2025, and whether any earlier action could have changed the outcome.
For now, Wallace is still accused of first-degree murder, and Williams remained charged in the related abuse case. Fortner’s family is still waiting for the court process to explain what happened inside the home and why she was there.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.