As the population of the United States continues to age, in many cases questions arise regarding who will provide for the elderly. While some move into assisted living facilities or nursing homes, others have family members or friends who bring them into their home. Sadly, a Pittsburgh area couple who told a woman they would care for her was recently arrested and charged with a variety of charges related to her care and death. The charges against the couple include theft by deception, neglect of a care-dependent person and third-degree murder of the 70-year-old woman. The couple was apparently not related to the woman.

The man and woman who were arrested reportedly told the now deceased woman that she could live with them, 12 years ago. Despite the woman’s decline in health, the couple did not place her in a nursing home or arrange for a nurse to come to the home and care for her. During the course of the time the woman lived with the couple, they received a total of $3,250 each month from a combination of the woman’s trust fund and Social Security. They reportedly used little of that amount for the woman’s care.

An autopsy that was conducted after the woman died indicates that the woman was neglected. In addition to being found in a soiled diaper she had bed sores described as severe. The results of the exam indicated that the woman ultimately died from dehydration and asphyxiation. The asphyxiation reportedly occurred as a result of the woman choking on vomit.

If the deceased woman has any family it is possible that they could file a wrongful death lawsuit against the couple for their role in her death. As it is unknown whether such family exists, it is unclear whether such a lawsuit will be filed.

Source: The Express Times, “Monroe County couple allegedly neglected 70-year-old woman to collect trust fund payments,” Sarah M. Wojcik, July 10, 2013