A 55-year-old Missouri man is facing a manslaughter charge after allegedly leaving his elderly mother alone in a storage unit despite knowing she could no longer walk or care for herself.
Michael Ernest Hanson, of Nixa, is accused of failing to obtain medical treatment for his 82-year-old mother, Glenda Giertsen, after she developed symptoms he believed were caused by a stroke.
Investigators say Giertsen was left in a recliner inside a self-storage unit while her son slept in his vehicle at a nearby Walmart.
The disturbing allegations came to light after Giertsen died following a hospitalization in September.
According to court documents, Hanson and his mother had been living together since approximately 2009. Their circumstances changed dramatically in May 2026, when they lost their housing and began traveling across several states looking for work, shelter and assistance.
The pair reportedly stayed with friends in Utah, traveled to Nevada in hopes of finding a trucking job, slept in tents at a relative’s California property and spent several weeks camping in an Oregon national forest.
During their journey back to Missouri, Giertsen’s health reportedly deteriorated.
Hanson told investigators that approximately three days before taking his mother to the hospital, she began showing symptoms he believed were signs of a stroke.
She reportedly stopped speaking, lost the ability to walk and appeared to lose movement on one side of her body.
Despite recognizing the seriousness of those symptoms, prosecutors allege Hanson continued driving toward Missouri rather than seeking immediate emergency treatment.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Giertsen became so weak that Hanson had to use a luggage cart to move her into their vehicle.
After arriving in Nixa, the pair stayed at a storage facility in the 300 block of South Nicholas Road.
Rental records obtained by police show Hanson had access to a storage unit between September 20 and September 23.
Investigators allege Giertsen spent time inside the unit in a recliner, wearing a diaper and unable to move around without assistance.
Hanson reportedly acknowledged that he would leave his mother inside while driving to Walmart, where he slept in his SUV.
Although he told police the storage unit was unlocked, he admitted his mother was largely immobile and could not leave on her own.
Giertsen’s condition continued to worsen.
On September 23, Hanson finally brought her to Cox South Hospital in Springfield after noticing severe pressure sores.
Hospital workers learned that the elderly woman had reportedly been unable to speak for days and had required assistance with basic activities for an extended period.
Hanson also told medical personnel that his mother had shown symptoms of dementia for more than 15 years and had been experiencing a gradual decline.
According to investigators, she had been mostly confined to bed for at least a month before her hospitalization.
When detectives later questioned Hanson about why he had not sought treatment sooner, he allegedly blamed his own physical discomfort.
An officer wrote that Hanson said he had not been thinking clearly because he was experiencing back pain.
The investigation began after the Greene County Medical Examiner’s Office notified Nixa police on October 13 that Giertsen had died under suspicious circumstances.
Medical personnel reported concerns about severe pressure ulcers and the apparent lack of timely medical care.
Pressure ulcers, sometimes called bedsores, develop when prolonged pressure damages skin and underlying tissue. They are especially dangerous for people who cannot move independently and can lead to serious infections and other potentially fatal complications if left untreated.
Court documents allege Hanson recklessly caused his mother’s death by failing to obtain necessary medical care while knowing she was unable to care for herself.
He was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter.
Under Missouri law, first-degree involuntary manslaughter generally involves recklessly causing another person’s death. Prosecutors must establish the required criminal conduct and mental state, not merely that a person died after receiving inadequate care.
Hanson is being held at the Christian County Jail on a $75,000 bond.
Authorities have not publicly announced his next court date, and no conviction has been entered.
The case has raised troubling questions about the care Giertsen received during her final weeks and the circumstances that left a medically vulnerable elderly woman living in a storage facility.
While investigators have documented the family’s homelessness and efforts to find housing, prosecutors allege Hanson knew his mother urgently needed medical attention and failed to get her help.
The criminal case remains pending, and Hanson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
