Hialeah Woman Charged with Neglect and Battery of Elderly Mother, Daughter Provides Key Evidence

By Carlos Mendez

A Hialeah woman has been charged with the neglect and battery of her 77-year-old mother, according to authorities. Janet Edwards, 49, faced the legal system after her own daughter provided evidence to the police documenting the elder woman's mistreatment, NBC Miami reported.

Documents indicate that Edwards neglected her mother's basic care needs, allegedly leaving her in unsanitary conditions. The victim, found with feces on her hands and in a powerless, locked room within their shared residence, was later hospitalized for medical observation. Edwards' daughter, who testified against her mother, claimed she had photos of her grandmother in this deplorable state and had seen Edwards slap her, a statement corroborated by a second witness, as per Local 10.com's coverage.

Edwards was arrested and charged with neglect of an elderly or disabled adult with no harm and battery on a person 65 or older. The arrest report reveals that Edwards acknowledged her mother's behavior on several occasions but expressed frustration rather than concern. In one instance, after being advised to clean her mother, she replied, "No, she's going to learn because she is always doing this," according to NBC Miami.

Additionally, the granddaughter provided text messages to the police wherein Edwards displayed negligence, one message stating, "she smelled s--- and was going back to bed." During questioning, Edwards admitted to being aware of her mother's actions but denied any physical abuse. Despite her denial, she was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where she was held, with bond conditions pending as detailed by Local 10.com.

The court mandated that Edwards avoid contact with her mother and allowed her pre-trial release on an alternate bond of $3,500, as NBC Miami's report details.  

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Hialeah Woman Charged with Neglect and Battery of Elderly Mother, Daughter Provides Key Evidence 

Bedridden Obese Woman Found Decomposing While Still Alive, Crawling With Maggots and Covered in Feces

Christian and Terry Sorrell

An obese mother close to death was found laying in her own feces, her legs decomposing, and the blackened dying flesh being eaten by maggots and cockroaches, during a visit by firefighters to her home in Georgia.  

Gwinnett County Fire Department were called out to the woman’s apartment in Sugar Hill, around 40 miles northeast of Atlanta, on March 15, reported NBC’s WXIA-TV. They were responding to reports of a woman who was unconscious.

They had previously taken the woman to hospital using a large white tarp, known as a “Mega Mover”, because of her extreme weight. She had been bedridden for two years and her condition worsened over time.

Christian and Terry Sorrell who are charged with neglect of a disabled or elderly person by Gwinnett Police Department. Gwinnett Police 

 

When they re-entered the property a month later, she was laying on a bed in the living room on exactly the same piece of white tarp—only now it was black and brown with filth, including her own feces.

The Gwinnett County Fire Department said in its report that firefighters "did not believe she would live much longer and felt a moral obligation to report this.”

When Gwinnett Police Department arrived at the scene, they questioned the woman’s son, Christian Sorrell. He told them both he and his father, Terry Sorrell, were the sole caregivers to the disabled woman.

The incident report also noted a two-feet high stack of energy drinks in Terry Sorrell’s bedroom and that garbage was strewn across the floor of the house, including in the bathroom. All adults in the house are unemployed. Police charged the father and son with neglect of a disabled or elderly person, reported WXIA-TV.

The woman's current condition is not known.

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Bedridden Obese Woman Found Decomposing While Still Alive, Crawling With Maggots and Covered in Feces

Live Oak man charged with elderly neglect, exploitation

LIVE OAK — The Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office charged John Stuart Harrelson with exploitation of elderly person or disabled adult and neglect of an elderly person or disabled adult on March 24.

According to the report, an investigation by the Florida Department of Children and Families found the victim in the care of Harrelson, 60. The suspect was alleged to be mistreating the victim, using her money for his own personal gain and not the victims as well as leaving the victim home alone in a filthy and unsafe residence, prompting the investigation, the report states.

During DCF’s investigation, it found the victim home alone wearing misfitting clothing that were urine and feces soaked and bleach stained and just one shoe, the report states.

Suwannee County Fire Rescue responded to conduct a medical assessment of the victim and determined she was in need of medical assistance, according to the report. The DCF findings stated that the victim was malnourished looking and had no food in the residence other than a half-eaten waffle which had roaches crawling on it, the report states.

According to the report, live and dead roaches were found throughout the house with animal feces and urine throughout as well.

The DCF investigation found, according to the report, that the suspect failed to provide the victim with adequate food/nutrition, clean and adequate clothing, and medicine and medical services that “a prudent person would consider essential for the wellbeing” of the victim.

The report states that the DCF investigation was provided the victim’s bank statements showing numerous large withdrawals from ATMs from January 2016 to January 2017, which the suspect was allegedly using to benefit himself.

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Live Oak man charged with elderly neglect, exploitation