McFarren said that his girlfriend had a phobia about leaving the bathroom due to childhood beatings. Even though the police had reported that she had been in the bathroom for two years,
McFarren said that he couldn’t be absolutely certain about the time frame.
"It just kind of happened one day," McFarren said. "She went in and had been in there a little while, and the next time it was a little longer. Then she got it in her head she was going to stay—like it was a safe place for her."
McFarren said that he has taken care of Babcock ever since they’ve been together—16 years—and that she had regularly moved around inside the bathroom, took baths, and changed clothes that he would bring to her. He said that they talked regularly and had a normal relationship, except for the fact that it was always in the bathroom. She seemed to have been fine until only recently, when McFarren decided to call for help after noting that something seemed wrong with Babcock.
When the police and paramedics arrived, she was found fully-clothed, sitting on the toilet. Her pants, however, were pulled down to the middle of her thighs, according to Sheriff Whipple. Whipple said that she seemed disoriented, and it appeared as if her legs had begun to deteriorate.
"She said that she didn’t need any help, that she was okay, and did not want to leave," Whipple said.
Although the hospital in Wichita where she was taken reported that she was in fair condition, McFarren told reporters that she had an infection in her legs that may have damaged her nerves. He said that she has no feeling in her legs, and feared that she would end up in a wheelchair.
In the meantime, authorities are attempting to determine whether Babcock is mentally or physically disabled, or both, and whether some kind of charges should be filed against McFarren for waiting so long to call for help.
