Elder Abuse Charges to Be Filed in Death

A Moorpark man whose mother was found lying dead in her own waste on the floor of the mobile home they shared is scheduled to be arraigned today on elder abuse charges. The 80-year-old woman had been in the same position for as long as two weeks, a Ventura County sheriff’s detective said Monday.

Robert Young, 50, was arrested Friday outside the residence he shared with Jane Edwards in the Villa del Arroyo mobile home park on East Los Angeles Avenue.

Young had called paramedics last Wednesday, saying that Edwards was possibly not breathing. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Edwards, wearing underwear and two T-shirts, was found next to her bed, lying in feces and urine, along with rotting food. “It was apparent she had been there for quite some time,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Det. Chris Dunn said. “I don’t really have any idea why he waited that long to call. But the smell in there was overpowering.”

An autopsy determined that Edwards had died from pneumonia one or two days before paramedics arrived. She also showed signs of a skin infection, neglect and hypertensive heart disease, according to the Ventura County medical examiner’s office. There was no indication of physical abuse or malnourishment.

Young, who is being held in Ventura County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, could not be reached for comment. He could face up to 11 years in prison if convicted.

Edwards moved to the mobile home park in October 1980, and her son moved in with her about six or seven years ago, Dunn said. Young was running a computer repair business from the residence, but Dunn said most of the household income seemed to come from Edwards’ retirement or pension checks.

Young told investigators that he had quit his job three years ago to care for his mother, who had her right hip replaced about 2 1/2 years ago. She had also broken a leg about 18 months ago, Dunn said.

Another man, George Florence, 30, also lives at the residence. Florence had been introduced to neighbors alternately as a grandson or Young’s stepson, but Dunn said the investigation revealed Florence was not a relative.

Dunn said it was unclear what role Florence may have played in Edwards’ care or how often he actually stayed at the mobile home. He has not been arrested or charged.

Neighbors said Edwards did not leave her home much in recent years. A white Oldsmobile Cutlass, with expired tags and the personalized license plate “JANES CA” that Edwards once drove, sits in the driveway collecting dust.

“They really kept to themselves. They hardly ever came out of the house,” said Joe Agnello, a manager at Villa del Arroyo, located near Moorpark College. “I met Jane just once, when I came over to trim a tree behind her house.”

The manager had more contact with Young, who would occasionally bring monthly rent checks to the office.

Kathy Cilley-Wagner, program administrator for Ventura County Adult Protective Services, said difficulties can occur when a senior loses his or her ability to get around and becomes isolated from friends and other family members.

“If someone is in a home in a residential neighborhood, sometimes the abuse goes on for a long time without being detected,” Cilley-Wagner said.

Elder abuse is on the rise in the county, with the number of reported cases growing 12% in the last fiscal year, Cilley-Wagner said.

And nearly 54% of the 1,738 cases reported through June 30, the most recent figures available, involved neglect, she said.

Shirley Hayton, deputy district attorney in charge of elder abuse cases, said Monday that she intends to file at least one felony count against Young for alleged elder neglect resulting in death.

Because Edwards was older than 70, a seven-year enhancement of the sentence could mean Young may face up to 11 years behind bars, she said.