Audio By Carbonatix
A 57-year-old woman found living in “deplorable conditions” inside a Texas home with her adult children has died as a result of their neglect, officials say.
Deputies with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office found Patricia Martinez covered in bed sores, with mold growing on parts of her body, during a search of a home on the 7900 block of Caballo Canyon in San Antonio, Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a press conference.
The room where she was being kept was infested with insects, Salazar added.
Authorities rescued Martinez from the home on Thursday, August 18, and arrested her three adult children, ages 18, 24, and 37.
“She was in such deplorable conditions that we felt the need to take resolute action very quickly,” Salazar said.
Martinez was taken to a hospital and put on a ventilator. She was “clinging to life,” Salazar said, and was pronounced dead two days later, on Saturday, Aug. 20.
The three siblings, two brothers and a sister, were supposed to be taking care of their mother, who suffered from “ongoing medical issues,” according to Salazar. They had even received training and equipment from the state in order to do so.
The trio agreed to work together as caretakers, investigators said, divvying up tasks such as feeding, cleaning and changing Martinez — things she was unable to do on her own.
But, for whatever reason, they didn’t follow through, according to authorities.
“By all accounts they did none of it, for quite some time,” Salazar said.
Her health deteriorated rapidly under their care, Salazar said. The evidence of neglect and abuse prompted medical providers to contact Adult Protective Services, which in turn contacted the sheriff’s office.
The three siblings were booked into the Bexar County Jail and face charges of injury to a disabled person resulting in serious bodily injury.
Bond is set at $85,000 each, Salazar said during an Aug. 22 press conference.
It isn’t clear if more serious charges will be brought now that Martinez has died, but it’s a move Salazar said he would welcome.
Latest Stories
-
The coup doesn’t need soldiers anymore: Social media and the new assault on African democracy
1 minute -
Works and Housing Minister pushes to cut Kaneshie road closure from one year to 6–9 months
4 minutes -
Joy FM Back-to-School Fair: Patrons to enjoy up to massive discounts from vendors
22 minutes -
Mahama gives TMA, TDC 14 days to resolve development control dispute
23 minutes -
‘We cannot arrest the entire school, but we know the ringleaders’ –– Police warns Okuapem, Mount Sinai students
31 minutes -
UN warns of ‘supersized’ El Niño as countries prepare for impact
32 minutes -
Channel smuggling gangs resort to ‘mega-dinghies’ as crackdown limits small boat supply
32 minutes -
Embattled Spanish PM Sánchez insists no prior warnings before Ceuta crisis
32 minutes -
Palestinian teens killed during settler attack on West Bank village, officials say
32 minutes -
Foreign Affairs Ministry responds to Fourth Estate attestation investigation, bars middleman from premises
33 minutes -
Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings calls for balance between development and environment protection
36 minutes -
About 17% of 2026 BECE candidates had aggregates 6–18 – CSSPS
39 minutes -
CSSPS explains how raw scores can override aggregate in SHS placement
48 minutes -
Only 35% of 2026 BECE candidates scored aggregates 6–24 – CSSPS
53 minutes -
Only 17% of 2026 BECE candidates score aggregates 6–18 – CSSPS
54 minutes