California caretaker turns himself in after allegedly neglecting 82-year-old mother, killing her
02/13/2024 11:45 am PST
SANTA ANA, Calif. (TCD) -- A 50-year-old man recently turned himself in to police after his mother reportedly died from injuries consistent with elder abuse and neglect last month.
According to a news release from the Santa Ana Police Department, on Jan. 15, paramedics transported an 82-year-old unconscious woman to the hospital via ambulance. Medical staff determined the victim sustained "numerous wounds all over the back of her legs consistent with neglect," and a detective subsequently responded to the hospital to investigate possible elder abuse.
According to police, the woman died from her injuries 10 days later, on Jan. 25.
Investigators served a search warrant at the home of the victim’s son and primary caretaker, Richard Towers, and identified him as the main suspect in his mother’s death.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Towers on counts of murder, elder abuse, and great bodily injury.
Police obtained a warrant for his arrest and posted a bulletin on Feb. 9 asking for the public’s assistance in finding Towers. He eventually turned himself in on Monday, Feb. 12.
Towers remains held in the Orange County Jail on $1 million bond.
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