In the real world...
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20051020/ai_n15706417and
Story last updated at 1:22 p.m. on Thursday, December 9, 1999
Nine-year-old who lived with mother's corpse now with grandmother
Associated Press
CARTHAGE, Miss. -- A 9-year-old Memphis boy who lived with his mother's corpse for a month is now finding comfort in the arms of his maternal grandmother.
Shirley Wilder says Travis Butler appears to be normal and stable despite his ordeal.
Travis told authorities he lived in an apartment with his mother's body because he was afraid if he told anyone she was dead he would be placed in foster care.
Travis cut his hair, fixed meals -- mainly frozen pizza, cereal and soup -- and went to school every day from the time he said his mother died Nov. 3 until her body was discovered Monday.
Now, at Wilder's trailer home in Carthage, Miss., Travis is being shielded from the media and others interested in his story.
"He said, 'Grandmother, it feels so good being in your arms,"' Wilder told The Commercial Appeal of Memphis on Wednesday.
She said the details of Travis' month with his deceased mother will have to remain with Travis for now.
"We've got to make sure he's strong enough to be asked questions," she said. "We want to cover little Travis up for the time being."
Police have not released a cause of death for Crystal Wells, 30, but said foul play is not suspected. Family friend Dorothy Jeffries said Wells had various health problems, including high blood pressure.
Wilder said in recent months her daughter had been suffering from a chronic sinus problem that caused her difficulty breathing.
Wilder was unsure whether her daughter was working, but knew she had money problems and had at least some of her utilities turned off. Wilder said she often sent cash to Wells and spoke to her on the phone, but had not seen her in 16 months.
"I have no transportation so I couldn't help my child," said Wilder, who recently underwent heart bypass surgery.
Wells apparently had no contact with Travis' father, who she met while in the Army in Germany.
Mrs. Jeffries and her husband Nathaniel found Wells' body when they went to the apartment after becoming concerned when they were unable to contact her. When they arrived, Travis answered the door.
Wells' body was on the living room floor. Travis had covered it with his mother's coat and placed sheets of notebook paper over her face, Mrs. Jeffries said.
Mrs. Jeffries said Wells moved to Memphis about three years ago. Mrs. Jeffries and her husband met Wells two years ago when Wells' car broke down in Olive Branch and they picked her up as she walked along the road.
"Crystal was a loner and didn't trust anyone," Mrs. Jeffries said. "She taught Travis how to rely on himself because she said she didn't trust people, especially men."
Mrs. Jeffries said Travis told her that after his mother died he would go to school, do his homework and watch television. His mother had some money in the house and when he ran out of food he walked to the grocery store and bought more, she said.
Wells was very private, so neighbors probably didn't notice anything was wrong, Mrs. Jeffries said.
That Travis survived alone is not surprising, Wilder said. Like his mother, Travis is independent.
"I don't think he thought of (calling for help). He just thought, 'I'm going to be brave and get through this myself,"' she said.
Author