Murder victim honored by those who knew her

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Megan Frix loved watching music videos and coffee.

“Megan was so funny,” said Lisa Bennett, manager of the Forsyth and Dawson campuses of Creative Enterprises, a nonprofit community rehabilitation program that teaches life and social skills to adults with disabilities. “And so, she loved Conway Twitty, and she loved looking at Kohl’s ads and, you know, showing you what she wanted to buy.”

On Jan. 8, Megan, 26, was found dead in her Cumming home, the victim of an apparent murder-suicide. While the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and the State Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating the official cause of death, Sheriff Ron Freeman announced Jan. 11 that Megan was apparently killed by her father, Jerry, 58, who then killed himself.

Bennett, who had known Megan since she was 3 years old, said she was on the autism spectrum. Bennett and Coordinator Abby Otwell said Megan was nonverbal and struggled to communicate her wants and needs.

“She also was just very easily put into sensory overload, like tags on her shirts and things like that bothered her,” Otwell said. “And if we couldn’t figure that out quick enough, you know, that would be a problem.”

Megan began attending Creative

Enterprises in January 2019, but she left six months later due to behavioral issues.

Under Medicaid funding, Bennett said Creative Enterprises must maintain a ratio of one instructor to 10 clients. Otwell said Megan could not have one staff member assigned to her like she needed.

“So, it weighs on us very heavily, I think, with Megan, especially because we couldn’t serve her,” Bennett said. She continued communicating with

Megan’s father after Megan left the program, she said, but one day he stopped calling.

Bennett said Megan’s primary caretaker was her mother, who died three years ago. Despite receiving support, Megan’s father couldn’t see any way out, she said.

“Her dad had a lot of help,” Bennett said. “I don’t really blame the state for this one because they were doing everything they could to get her services.”

Clients at Creative Enterprises are supported by the Medicaid Waiver Program. Clients are also referred to the program by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency.

While she was able to receive athome care under state waivers, Megan was ineligible to receive care in a residential facility. Bennett said there are also host homes, individuals who volunteer to take in adults with disabilities, but there are none in Forsyth County.

If Megan’s father had the opportunity to place Megan in a residential care facility, Otwell said she believes he would have accepted.

Megan’s situation is not unique to the Forsyth program. Bennett said a client with Down syndrome was killed while receiving at-home care. Bennett found another client alone in the hotel room he and his sister were staying in. His sister had died, she said, and he did not know what to do.

Bennett said Megan’s death and those before hers made Creative Enterprises act to inform others about the reality of caring for an adult with special needs.

“The community has really stepped up, too, and I’m sure a lot of them are wishing that they had helped Jerry when he kept asking for help,” Bennett said. A GoFundMe created for Megan’s funeral expenses raised over $10,000.