FENTRESS COUNTY – An investigation by special agents with the Medicaid Fraud Control Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment of two women in connection to the 2024 death of a vulnerable adult.
In July 2026, at the request of 8th Judicial District Attorney General Jared Effler, TBI special agents joined the Jamestown Police Department in investigating the August 2024 death of Andrew Willis (DOB: 11/08/88), who had developmental disabilities. During the investigation, agents gathered evidence indicating that Willis’ sister, Deborah ‘Mae’ Viola (DOB: 08/24/82), and his mother, Deborah Deloris Laraway (DOB: 05/12/64), failed to properly feed and provide care for him, which resulted in his death. Both women served as Willis’ caregivers. Further investigation revealed that Viola billed the TennCare CHOICES Program for services she did not provide.
This week, a Fentress County Grand Jury returned indictments charging both Viola and Laraway with one count of First Degree Murder and one count of Aggravated Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult. Viola was also charged with one count of TennCare Fraud and one count of Computer Offense. Today, with the assistance of the Franklin Police Department in Ohio, both women were located and arrested. They are being held in the Warren County (OH) Jail, awaiting extradition to Tennessee.
The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
The TBI’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $11,517,117 for federal Fiscal Year 2026-2027. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $3,839,039 for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, is funded by the State of Tennessee.
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