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The police in Hialeah arrested Janet Edwards, 49, after she was charged with negligence and assault against her mother, a 77-year-old woman with a disability who lived with her.
The case, reported by the accused's own children - grandchildren of the victim - has caused shock due to the deplorable conditions in which the elderly woman was found.
A family report that uncovered the abuse
According to reports from several local media in recent hours, it was Edwards' children who alerted the authorities about the alleged neglect and mistreatment their grandmother was suffering.
The report led to the intervention of the Hialeah police, who arrested the woman on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the police report cited by NBC Miami, Edwards' daughter stated that her mother had completely neglected the care of the elderly woman, even claiming to have photographs showing the victim “with feces on her hands and eating them”.
The same witness stated that between August and September, she witnessed Edwards, upset and frustrated, slap her mother.
Another witness – who visited the house in May – confirmed having found the elderly woman in similar conditions.
Reported that when asked Edwards to clean it, she coldly responded: “No, she is going to learn because she is always doing this.”
Alarming discovery in the residence
When the detectives arrived at the residence, they found the victim's bedroom door locked from the outside.
Inside, the elderly woman lay on an inflatable mattress in a room without electricity, the report details.
Edwards told the agents that his mother suffers from medical and mental issues that cause her to "not recognize anyone," and that he had seen her on five occasions "feeding on her own feces."
She asserted that she felt frustrated by the situation, but denied having hit him.
The victim was taken to Palmetto General Hospital for medical observation, while the accused was arrested and held at the Hialeah Correctional Center.
During the bail hearing held this Wednesday, Judge Mindy Glazer issued a restraining order against Edwards, prohibiting him from coming within 500 feet of his mother or her residence.
"This is appalling," a state prosecutor declared during the hearing, referring to the images included in the arrest report.
Years of isolation and family tensions
Neighborhood residents described the two women as reclusive and unsociable.
“They have been living there for about fifteen years. She does not socialize, she doesn’t get along with either her daughter or her son,” one of them commented to Univision.
While the mother remains hospitalized, the Hialeah police continue to gather evidence to determine the extent of the alleged abuse.
Local authorities reminded that Florida law particularly protects seniors and individuals with disabilities, categorizing cases of neglect as serious crimes.
Janet Edwards now faces criminal charges that could lead to a severe conviction if it is proven that the conditions in which her mother lived were the result of neglect or deliberate abuse.
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