A Georgia native is due to surrender to authorities in the Peach State after she was accused of administering a lethal dose of morphine to her Alzheimer’s Alzheimer's-stricken mother.
Rachel Elaine Waters, 41, who now lives in the Sunnyside section of New York City, is expected to surrender this week after being indicted on malice murder and felony murder charges for the death of 74-year-old Marsha Sprayberry Foster in July 2023, Columbia County Major Steve Morris told The Independent.
“Waters is cooperating in New York but we’re waiting for her to turn herself in to Georgia officials after spending thousands of dollars trying to track her down,” said Morris.
Waters administered a lethal dose of unprescribed morphine while Foster had been at Marshall Pines Assisted Living and Memory Care in the community of Evans, a suburb of Augusta, an autopsy shared by authorities revealed.
The morphine that was used was left lying around by staff at the care facility, reported local news site The Augusta Press.
Waters was indicted on February 6, according to WRDW. Court records seen by the outlet alleged Waters “did unlawfully cause the death of Marsha Foster, 74, by administering a lethal dose of morphine”.
Waters, a former government associate investigator for the United States Information Agency, will travel to Colombia County this week to face indictment, reports Augusta Press.
A Marshall Pines executive director reportedly flagged to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office that her death was suspicious before the autopsy revealed the cause.
It’s not clear for how long Waters has lived in New York City. On her LinkedIn page, the suspect says that she graduated from Augusta University and also attended The New School in Manhattan.
Following graduation, Waters worked for various charities including Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity and homeless outreach non-profit, The Doe Fund.
As a writer, Waters said that she has had work published by outlets such as The Huffington Post and Gawker and was featured in a New York Times documentary series.
Between 2022 and 2024, Waters worked for LifeSci Communications.
“I work closely with leaders in the life sciences industry to convey their pioneering developments in oncology, immunotherapy, genetic engineering, drug development, and synthetic biology to investors, clinicians, and patients,” she wrote in the job description.
In her obituary, it reads that Foster “died in the comfort of her daughter's embrace soon after sunrise.”
“Marsha's beauty, kindness, and talent spread far beyond the plot of land with a teardrop-shaped pond in the small town she called home for 45 years. She will be forever remembered as a woman who lit up every room she was in, reflecting all the joy and beauty this world offers,” the memorial page added.
After spending nearly 40 years in the Department of the Army's Civilian Personnel division at Fort Gordon, Georgia, Foster she retired as a GS 13 Supervisory Telecommunications Specialist in 2010, according to her obituary.
“Her warmth and kindness extended to every living thing in creation. Even as her mind succumbed to the terrible vanishing of Alzheimer's, Marsha never hesitated to admire the cuteness of a caterpillar inching across her step or the beauty of a dragonfly perched on the boardwalk,” the tribute continued.
A lifelong artist, Foster would paint and draw pieces that went on to be displayed at The Audubon Nature Store and on the walls of the US Army Signal Corps Museum. Foster also turned her passion to teaching, where she taught aspiring artists across Augusta.
In addition to Waters, Foster is also survived by another daughter and a son.
The Independent contacted the Colombia County Police Department, Georgia, for information.
