Deputies: Elderly woman so severely neglected her eyes would not close

A Volusia County man neglected to properly care for his diabetic mother to the point that her eyes became so dry they would not close, investigating Volusia County sheriff’s detectives said.

Miles Kitterer, 57, who lives near DeLand, was charged with aggravated neglect of an elderly person/disabled adult and tampering with evidence. Court records on Tuesday show he was released from the Volusia County Branch Jail on $15,000 bail.

Sheriff’s investigators learned of the neglect when hospital authorities at AdventHealth DeLand called about the elder abuse on Saturday at 7:15 p.m., an arrest report shows.

Paramedics, who transported the 80-year-old woman to the hospital, reported that she was removed from a home that was in horrible condition, with cat feces covering the floor and a pungent odor of cat urine, investigators said.

At the hospital, investigators learned that the elderly woman was diabetic, and that her blood sugar was high and appeared it had not been checked in a week. The victim was breathing only eight times a minute and a nurse described it as agonal, reports state.

The woman was severely dehydrated and her mouth was very dry. Her eyes were also so dry that they were stuck open and she could not blink, investigating deputies said in their report.

The woman’s body, including her hair, armpits and her lower body, was covered with human and cat feces. She also had large, deep sores on her back. She was in very poor health and was unresponsive, investigators said.

When deputies checked with Kitterer at the Pine Avenue home near DeLand, they could smell the foul odor of feces and urine when he opened the front door, a report said.

Even when investigators wore masks normally used at scenes with decomposing bodies, they could still smell the overwhelming stench of cat urine and feces, detectives said.

Kitterer said eight cats lived in the home, a report details.

Cockroaches and bugs were crawling throughout the residence and although the refrigerator had fresh food, it had not been cleaned and had mold and grime present inside, deputies said.

Kitterer told investigators he was sole caretaker of his mother, who has been bedridden since September 2019, the report said.

Kitterer told deputies he took care of his mother, bathing her, and that a home health nurse checked on her multiple times a week, including the day before his mother was taken to the hospital, a report said.

Kitterer said he called 911 on Saturday after his mother became unresponsive.

When deputies asked Kitterer how his mother was in such poor condition, he could not explain why and admitted he had become overwhelmed with caring for her, investigators said.

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Deputies: Elderly woman so severely neglected her eyes would not close

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