Elderly woman dies after being surgically removed from mattress infested with cockroaches and bedbugs
Three women have been accused of neglecting an elderly woman after she was found dead, stuck to a mattress infested with cockroaches, bedbugs and feces in Massachusetts, USA
by Zasha Whiteway-Wilkinson, Emilia Randall · The MirrorA grandmother was discovered dead, adhered to a mattress infested with cockroaches, bedbugs and faeces, leading to her daughter, granddaughter and nurse being accused of severe neglect.
The 79-year-old Dinora Cardoso had to be surgically detached from the mattress she was stuck to before she passed away in hospital two days later from necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease, and sepsis due to infected ulcers, officials revealed.
Her daughter Eva Fontes Cardoso, 53, Kayla Cardoso, 31, and Lisa Hamilton, 64, are facing charges of manslaughter, caregiver neglect of an elder, larceny, and Medicaid fraud in connection with the death of 79-year-old Dinora Cardoso from Massachusetts. First responders were initially called to the house after Dinora's daughter Eva summoned an ambulance for her mother, but medics were unable to separate the woman from the mattress.
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Despite her daughter receiving up to $140,000 for supposedly caring for her mother, according to Local Fox affiliate WXFT, her diabetes was completely unmonitored and she was left alone for weeks as insects infested her skin-encrusted bed. Authorities had to transport her and the mattress to the hospital, where she could be separated from the bed, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office announced in a press release.
A week before the emergency call, Hamilton, a registered nurse, reported that the elderly woman was "clean, well cared for, alert, and her diabetes was well-controlled," according to prosecutors. They added, "She made no mention of pressure ulcers, faeces, bedbugs, or cockroaches."
The victim's daughter, Eva Cardoso, was employed as Dinora Cardoso's personal care attendant (PCA), while Kayla Cardoso, the victim's granddaughter and Eva Cardoso's niece, served as the elder Cardoso's health care proxy and PCA Program Surrogate, reports the Mirror US.
In addition to the circumstances surrounding Dinora's death, the women are also accused of fraud. It is alleged that the trio billed MassHealth for services not rendered, including claims for services supposedly provided while Dinora was hospitalised.
They also charged for services posthumously, say prosecutors. Furthermore, bank records indicate that Eva Cardoso regularly gave a portion of her PCA cheque to Kayla Cardoso.
Over $140,000 was paid to Eva Cardoso by MassHealth for her PCA care of Dinora Cardoso. Officials stated that Hamilton's report contradicted EMT and hospital records, which clearly showed that Dinora Cardoso had completely uncontrolled diabetes and that the level of insect infestation she had experienced would have taken at least several weeks to accumulate.
The defendants are due in court on January 15.