Chilling story of woman who died with skin attached to her couch after sitting in it for six years

A woman met a terrifying end after she tragically passed with her skin attached to a sofa after sitting there for six years.

Gayle Laverne Grinds, from Florida, was a 4' 10ft woman who weighed more than 34st, The Sun reported.

The 39-year-old sadly died on August 11, 2004, after medics spent six grueling hours trying to separate her skin from her couch.

According to History Flix, Grinds initially suffered a broken leg in the 90s. 

Not long after her first fracture had healed, she, unfortunately, broke her leg again, and this impacted her mental health greatly - making her stay on the sofa so she could avoid harming herself again.

It's been reported that she took solace in food, leading to her becoming morbidly obese after years of sitting in her apartment complex in Stuart.

Herman Thomas, 54, who lived with Grinds, said: "I tried to take care of her the best I could," cited by The Sun.

"I tried to get her to get up, but it wouldn't do no good," they continued. "I wish I could have pulled her off the couch, but she wouldn't let me."

A rescue team used a trailer attached to a pick-up truck to transport Grinds to the hospital. Credit: Glasshouse Images / Getty

The late woman wasn't able to get off the sofa to go to the bathroom. Eventually, her worried brother and his girlfriend called emergency service after becoming concerned about Grinds' "emphysema problems" and trouble with her breathing.

Rescue workers reportedly turned up at her residence in protective gear as the smell inside her house was so strong. They reported seeing the floor and walls of the home matted with feces, and trash scattered across the floor.

The team, which included 12 firefighters, brought a custom-built wooden stretcher to lift Grinds and the couch out of the apartment.

They had no other option but to use a trailer attached to a pick-up truck to transport her to the hospital.

Grinds tragically died with her skin attached to a sofa after sitting there for six years (stock image). Credit: GeoStock / Getty

At the time, Martin County Sheriff's Sergeant Jenell Atlas issued a statement about Grinds' death, saying that it was not being treated as suspicious as an autopsy revealed that she was "morbidly obese".

"But we do have an investigation started because the circumstances surrounding her death are so unusual," he added.

Atlas said investigators looked for possible "negligence issues" related to her care and death.

"We are used to going to people's houses when things are at their worst... and that's fine, we're trained for it," he continued. "But there is no warning for something like this."

Featured image credit: Kimeveruss / Getty