Downstate woman charged for allegedly concealing a neighbor's death for years

Springfield Police Officers found the badly decomposed body of 86-year-old Lillie Prindle inside her home while conducting a welfare check on November 6, 2025.  59-year-old Gena English-Wheat is charged with Concealment of Death.
Springfield Police Officers found the badly decomposed body of 86-year-old Lillie Prindle inside her home while conducting a welfare check on November 6, 2025. 59-year-old Gena English-Wheat is charged with Concealment of Death. Photo credit gettyimages/Ajax9

Springfield Police Officers found the badly decomposed body of 86-year-old Lillie Prindle inside her home while conducting a welfare check on November 6, 2025.

Neighbors told them 59-year-old Gena English-Wheat who lived nearby, was Prindle's caretaker.

When detectives talked her, she reportedly told them she discovered Prindle dead in August of 2022 but did not notify authorities.

Further investigation found English-Wheat made multiple withdrawals from the dead woman's bank account totaling about $130,000.

English-Wheat was arrested and charged with concealment of death, but she was released with conditions pending trial.

Featured Image Photo Credit: gettyimages/Ajax9