A Massachusetts family member and a nurse face serious allegations of neglect after an elderly woman was discovered deceased, trapped on a mattress overrun with cockroaches, bedbugs, and feces.
Three individuals, Eva Fontes Cardoso, 53, Kayla Cardoso, 31, and Lisa Hamilton, 64, have been charged with manslaughter, caregiver neglect of an elder, larceny, and Medicaid fraud related to the death of 79-year-old Dinora Cardoso, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
Eva Cardoso, the victim’s daughter, took on the role of personal care attendant for Dinora Cardoso. Kayla Cardoso, the granddaughter of the victim and niece of Eva Cardoso, served as the health care proxy and PCA Program Surrogate for the elder Cardoso.
Prosecutors stated that the women reportedly charged MassHealth for services that were never rendered, including those claimed to have been provided while Dinora was hospitalized and even after her passing. Bank records indicate that Eva Cardoso consistently shared part of her PCA check with Kayla Cardoso. Eva Cardoso received more than $140,000 from MassHealth for providing PCA care to Dinora Cardoso.
On May 17, 2023, Eva Cardoso contacted 911 to request an ambulance for her mother. Emergency personnel reported discovering the victim surrounded by cockroaches, bedbugs, and feces in a senior living facility.
A report from local Fox affiliate WXFT revealed that the situation was so severe that the victim was adhered to the bedding covered in skin debris. Emergency personnel were unable to detach the woman from the mattress, leading authorities to transport both her and the mattress to the hospital, where they could finally separate her from the bed, according to the report.
Officials reported that she passed away two days later in a hospital due to necrotizing fasciitis and sepsis caused by infected ulcers.
Just a week prior to the 911 call, Hamilton, a registered nurse, noted after a visit that the woman appeared “clean, well cared for, alert, and that her diabetes was well-controlled,” according to prosecutors.
“She made no mention of pressure ulcers, feces, bedbugs, or cockroaches,” they added.
Officials stated that Hamilton’s report reportedly conflicted with EMT and hospital records, which clearly indicated that Dinora Cardoso suffered from completely uncontrolled diabetes and that the level of insect infestation she encountered would have required several weeks to develop.
The defendants will be in court on January 15.