SC woman who gouged out her eyes was using drugs, mother says

The mother of the South Carolina woman who gouged out her eyes outside of an Upstate church provided an update on the 20-year-old who was discovered holding an eyeball in her hand.

Kaylee Muthart is permanently blind because of the self-inflicted injury, according to her mother, Katy Tompkins.

Muthart gouged out her eyes as she fought off good Samaritans and first responders next to the South Main Chapel in Anderson on Feb. 6.

She was under the influence of drugs when she intentionally blinded herself, wyff4.com reported, saying Muthart used marijuana and methamphetamine.

“Like so many, she fell victim to the dangerous reality of methamphetamine,” Tompkins wrote on a Go Fund Me page she started for Muthart.

It was a swift decline into drug abuse for Muthart, according to her mother.

“I had just found out about her marijuana use about six weeks before the incident,” Tompkins, who claims to be against drug use, said to wyff4.com. “On the day of the incident, she thinks that someone put something else in with the meth. Her doctors think so too, but it’s too hard to tell exactly what it was from the blood tests. He doctor said that typically meth doesn’t lead people to do something so traumatic.”

Muthart is still hospitalized, and Tompkins has frequently posted about the ups and downs of her recovery on Facebook. After several days of positive posts, Tompkins said Wednesday was “a bad day.”

Muthart’s recovery is the reason why Tompkins started the Go Fund Me page. She is trying to raise $8,000 to get her daughter a service dog. In two days, $1,655 has been donated.

“As we prepare for the long road to getting her situated in her new life we are asking for your help. The journey will no doubt require many things to allow her to live a full life,” Tompkins wrote. “The sooner we can provide Kaylee with a service dog, the sooner we can help her get back on her feet.”

Tompkins doesn’t know how long Muthart will be hospitalized, but this incident has taken a toll on their family.

Tompkins’ son was already in the hospital suffering injuries from a car crash, when Muthart’s incident occurred, wyff4.com reported, adding Tompkins’ husband was taken to the hospital and is being evaluated for high blood pressure and possible heart problems.

Muthart has a difficult challenge ahead of her as she recovers from the self-inflicted injury and drug addiction. But Tompkins said she and her daughter are hopeful they can help others as well.

Tompkins said Muthart’s story can serve as a cautionary tale, and if they can help “just one person,” something good can come of such a terrible incident.

“She is very strong, a very strong girl and she’s told me she wants to help people, and warn them to never ever touch a drug,” Tompkins said, according to foxcarolina.com.

This story was originally published February 15, 2018 at 3:36 PM with the headline "SC woman who gouged out her eyes was using drugs, mother says."