Oklahoma mug shot of Shelly D. Maytubby.

The prosecution of an Oklahoma woman, charged with desecrating the body of a former Lawrence woman, has been suspended after an Oklahoma judge committed the woman to a psychiatric facility.

Shelly D. Maytubby was charged with desecration of a human corpse after police found her mother’s body wrapped in a sheet in Maytubby’s garage in Eufaula, Okla., in November.

Maytubby’s mother, Erlene McCune, 79, was signed out of The Windsor assisted living facility in Lawrence in September, two months before her body was discovered. McCune suffered from dementia.

In November, McCune’s family contacted Oklahoma police, concerned about the woman.

Police questioned Maytubby, who told them her mother had run off with a truck driver named “Santa Claus.” Police continued to investigate, finding McCune’s body. Police said they also found $12,000 at Maytubby’s home, which raised suspicions that Maytubby may have been financially exploiting her mother.

A judge last week ordered Maytubby to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services after finding that she was not competent to stand trial on the charges, which carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. However, the prosecution of Maytubby could resume after treatment.