A man from Florida faces charges for failing to care for his elderly mother, leaving her malnourished, septic from infections, and with open sores infested with maggots.
Jason Thomas Russell, aged 47, called 911 on Thursday, reporting his 79-year-old mother as unresponsive, as stated by the Tampa Free Press. When medics arrived, they found her placed in a wheelchair in the driveway by Russell, who refused them entry to check her medications.
The woman was taken to a hospital, where doctors said her skin was “rotting from infection.” She died two days later.
According to court documents, once his mother was in the ambulance, Russell re-entered the house and refused to return outside, as indicated by Law&Crime. He demanded a search warrant from the deputies. Eventually, he did come out, and deputies informed him that they needed to treat the house as a potential crime scene. Russell became uncooperative at this point, ignoring orders to stay outside, which led to his arrest.
Russell reportedly explained to police that his mother “did not let him touch her or assist her” and stated that her condition had gotten worse over the past six months. He claimed she refused hospital treatment.
He faces charges of elder abuse, neglect, and resisting an officer without violence. The State’s Attorney’s Office is considering whether to upgrade these charges due to the woman’s death.
Russell is being held without bond and is due back in court on October 22.
