Back in 2005, the horrifying story of St. James and LaDonna Davis made national headlines after two chimpanzees attacked the California couple. They had visiting a ranch to visit their pet chimp Moe when the attack occurred.
The attack by the chimpanzees left St. James without a foot, nose, limps, and other things. The savage attack horrified viewers. Sadly, this was just the beginning of their woes. In the years since, things just went bad to worse for the couple. Let's examine the sad true story of St. James and LaDonna.
In 2018, St. James died. In the years after, NBC News says LaDonna fell victim to a Vietnamese scam artist and a motorcycle gang. They stole hundreds of thousands of dollars as well as her cars and possessions. Gang members even moved into her Los Angeles home. Authorities found the woman living in horrible conditions when they visited the home.
Police officer Gilbert Amis recently spoke out about the horrifying reality he found the chimpanzee survivor in.
"We've got to get her out of here," Amis said.
It's a far cry from where the couple began. St. James was a professional NASCAR driver with LaDonna as his crew chief. The couple's lives went sideways when they adopted a chimpanzee named Moe from Tanzania. They treated the animal very much like a son and lived with him for 30 years. But after biting someone's finger, authorities forced Moe into a wildlife sanctuary.
Couple Survived Attack By Chimpanzees
In 2005, they visited Moe for his 39th birthday. Sadly, two other chimpanzees escaped from their enclosures and attacked the couple. St. James ended up severely disfigured after the chimp attack. Meanwhile, Moe ended up escaping in 2008 from his enclosure as well and disappeared never to be seen again.
The couple settled for $4 million after the attack. As they got older, they brought people in to help manage their home. Instead, they ended up taking it all.
"She just always wanted to help people," said longtime friend Michael McCasland. "But everyone seemed to rip her off." In 2017, St. James had a stroke. He later died of a heart attack in 2018. Authorities found LaDonna in a state of despair and could not even remember her own age.
"She appears to be a victim of financial abuse," wrote Diana Homeier, an LA medical chief. "She clearly does not have the capacity to make decisions about her living situation, finances or personal care. Additionally, she is not able to see that she is being taken advantage of."
Ultimately, officials ended up selling LaDonna's properties and using the cash to put in a trust for her. She's now in a living facility. But no one was ever charged for swindling the couple.
:It's really frustrating," Dr Stacey Wood, a clinician with LA Adult Protective Services, told NBC. "If somebody kicked in a door, took a bunch of stuff and left, the police would have no trouble charging him. Not prosecuting fraudsters 'leaves the criminals free to look for new victims."
