Woman charged with murder in Dallas group home death

DALLAS, N.C. — A Gaston County woman is facing murder charges for the October 2025 death of Aaliyah Fortner, a nonverbal woman with autism.

The Gaston County District Attorney’s Office charged 59-year-old Marlo Wallace with first-degree murder in Fortner’s death Thursday.

Wallace operated a home for people with special needs out of her house on Greenbrook Trail in Dallas. According to the district attorney, Travis Page, police found 23-year-old Fortner dead at this location in October.

Page said there was evidence that Fortner suffered abuse, including being shocked with a Taser and beaten with a broom. Page told a judge that some of the abuse was captured on video that Wallace tried to delete.

Channel 9’s Ken Lemon broke the news of the charges to Fortner’s family. Her great aunt said Fortner had the mind of a young teenager, and because she was nonverbal, she wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone if she was being mistreated.

Police originally arrested Wallace with concealment of death from unnatural causes, patient abuse and neglect and felony assault of an individual with disabilities.

Fortner’s family said they are as relieved as they can be, considering Aailyah died in the hands of a woman they trusted to care for her.

“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,” Fortner’s brother, Caleb Simpson, said.

Fortner relied completely on Wallace and Wallace’s housemate.

“It hurts,” Simpson said. “My sister went through all of that alone. The judge should have what was done to my sister done to them.”

Williams appeared in court on Friday afternoon.

The prosecutor said the results of Fortner’s autopsy led them to charge her with murder. They haven’t provided details on the autopsy

“Charged with murder. Put her in prison for life,” Simpson said.

Wallace’s housemate was arrested with her in November, but she hasn’t been charged with murder.

Fortner’s brother said anyone in the house who did nothing to help his sister should be charged with murder.

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