A new horrifying incident has come to light where a Florida caregiver forced an elderly woman to live in a filthy space. According to Law&Crime, cops revealed that the senior woman was “not in the correct state of mind” and was completely dependent on her caregiver.
However, she was forced to live in squalor. Her house had no air conditioning or working refrigerator, and it was surrounded by the likes of cockroaches, spider webs, feces, cats, and fallen leaves.
The woman who has been accused of neglect of an elderly, disabled adult is Melanie Hess, 56. On Friday, she was arrested after a routine welfare check at her home in St. Lucie County revealed the horror inside. According to Hess’s arrest affidavit, deputies found her residence in “extremely hazardous and unsanitary conditions.”
One official from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office described, “Pulling into the driveway, the house appeared to be abandoned, and the grass yard was severely overgrown with weeds.”
The deputy continued, “Walking towards the home, I began to smell the strong odor of feces and urine associated with the smell of cats and other animals. I looked through a window and observed a white elderly female (victim) laying on a bed in a room. The bed was littered with leaves and appeared to have not been cleaned in a manner of time.”
The caregiver, 56-year-old Melanie Hess, was charged with neglect of an elderly, disabled adult and taken to the St. Lucie County Jail. https://t.co/ayCTGZLGPS
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The deputy further revealed that the elderly woman who was in Hess’s care “appeared to be weak.” As per the arrest affidavit, the official recounted, “The victim could not tell me when the last time she had eaten. The clothes she was wearing were severely disheveled and appeared to have not been washed in some time.”
They continued, “Her hands and fingernails were dirty and had discoloration on them. I also observed several sores on both of the victims arms. The victim’s hair was severely knotted, and appeared to have not been washed in a long time.”
The house, which almost looked haunted, had nine cats roaming around when the cops arrived. In addition, a “major roach infestation with 2-3 inch roaches” was also allegedly found with feces scattered throughout the house. There were also feline feces and urine right where the woman slept, according to the police report.
Hess was released on Saturday after being booked at the St. Lucie County Jail. The senior woman was rescued and transported to a local hospital, where she received much-needed medical attention.
