Elders often face abuse, but it’s most often from those they love the most. In a case report on Oct. 3, an elderly woman was discovered in a shallow grave around a mile from where she lived. Her grandson now faces charges related to her death.
Deputies in Citrus County came to check on the elderly woman after relatives reported receiving conflicting stories about her whereabouts. The 79-year-old woman was said to be in a nursing home by her grandson, according to members of her family. He later told other family members that she’d died and that he had buried her.
After receiving these stories, the sheriffs went to the woman’s home and discovered it was extremely neglected. There were cockroaches and feces, both animal and human. The woman was not there, so they began to search the local area. Around a mile from the house, they discovered the grave.
Inside the grave, the remains fit the description of the neglected elderly woman, but final identification of the remains has not yet occurred. The grandson and his girlfriend were stopped and arrested when it was discovered that they were attempting to flee through a border patrol checkpoint in New Mexico. They were charged with felony neglect.
It is hard to imagine what elders sometimes go through. They may be neglected and left on their own when they’re supposed to be cared for. These individual deserve care and justice after they’re hurt or killed as a result of negligence. That is the least that can be done to help them and those they’ve left behind.