Maine caretaker accused of fatally stabbing romantic partner and her own grandmother multiple times
11/27/2023 4:31 pm PST
DENMARK, Maine (TCD) -- Deputies arrested a 53-year-old caretaker over the weekend on suspicion of fatally stabbing her significant other and her own grandmother.
According to a news release from Maine State Police, on Saturday, Nov. 25, at around 2 p.m., Oxford County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a welfare check at a home on Fuller Lane, where they found two deceased individuals inside. The sheriff’s office identified the victims’ caretaker, 53-year-old Tzara Jones, as the primary suspect and transported her to a hospital for evaluation.
WMTW-TV identified the deceased individuals as Jones’ grandmother, 93-year-old Aremean Mayo, and Jones’ romantic partner, 69-year-old Michael Willett.
According to court documents obtained by the news source, Jones told police that her significant partner was hunting, but officers later learned that Willett used a wheelchair and was unable to do so. Jones reportedly refused to let police search the home, and she told an Oxford County Sheriff’s Office sergeant that "he was a mongrel and to get down on his knees and pray."
WMTW reports that police found Willett deceased on a bed, and they discovered Mayo’s body in the home’s entryway. Police said the medical examiner performed autopsies on Sunday, Nov. 26, and ruled the victims’ deaths homicides.
Mayo reportedly sustained at least 10 stab wounds, which officials believe occurred before and after her death. Investigators determined she had been dead for over a day before police found her body, according to WMTW.
Court documents allege that Willett had been stabbed three times, and he had also been dead for more than a day, WMTW reports.
Police recovered a blood-covered butcher knife at the scene near Mayo’s body.
Jones and her partner had allegedly been living together for years before her grandmother moved in with them in July. A family member reportedly told police that Jones was tired of caring for the victims, but she wouldn’t allow the family member to help.
According to police, Jones was charged with two counts of murder, and she was booked into the Oxford County Jail. She was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, Nov. 27.
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