Black Diamond -
Neighbors say they heard screams for help from inside a Black Diamond home, but by the time police arrived, the 88-year-old woman was dead. Now her 41-year-old son is in jail for investigation of murder by abuse.
Investigators say the man called 911 early Tuesday morning from the home on Green River Gorge Road, saying his elderly mother had died. It sounded pretty routine until they got inside. That's when the woman's body was found in her bed.
"The woman was really in pretty bad shape, very emaciated, down to about 70 pounds, severe, severe, bruising, severe bed sores, said King County Sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart. "Clearly she needed medical attention, she needed medicine and her son, who was living with her, did not provide that so he was arrested."
According to court documents, the man told investigators he fed his mother every two hours: a very limited diet of bread soaked in juice, half a banana and a little snickers bar. The son said he never called for help and should have done more to help his mother.
"This was not just someone who died of old age," Urquhart added. "I think it's safe to say that she had suffered."
Initial autopsy results from the King County medical examiner's office attributed the cause of death to the extensive bed sores and other complications from those injuries. Some of those bed sores were so deep that bone was visible through the open wounds.
Wise told Sheriff's deputies that his mother was not taking any medicine and had not seen a doctor in about two years. He said he had been her sole caregiver for the past 10 years.
The elderly woman had been heard yelling for help about two months ago, a couple that lives next door told officers. The male neighbor said he called both Wise and the landlord who owned both his house and Wise's house. He said Wise called back to say his mother had fallen out of bed.
The neighbors said they had heard the woman moaning for about the past two weeks.
Detectives asked Wise about earplugs found in the living room; the son said he used them to block the sound of his mother's moaning, court papers said.
Wise has not been charged. His bail was set at $250,000 Thursday during an initial court appearance after Deputy Prosecutor Fletcher Evans told the judge the man was a flight risk. Prosecutors have until Monday to make a charging decision.
According to a probable cause document, the son told detectives his mother had been confined to bed for about a month and her health had deteriorated over the past week. He said he fed her bananas, bread soaked in juice, water and tea, cleaned her bed sores and changed her adult diaper every day or day and a half.
"(He) said his mom stated several weeks ago that she was ready to go see dad and to just let her be," Detective Thien Do said in court documents.
At the conclusion of the interview, Wise said "he guessed he should have got more help for her," the document said.
The medical examiner's office was conducting additional tests to determine any underlying causes of death.
Investigators say the man called 911 early Tuesday morning from the home on Green River Gorge Road, saying his elderly mother had died. It sounded pretty routine until they got inside. That's when the woman's body was found in her bed.
"The woman was really in pretty bad shape, very emaciated, down to about 70 pounds, severe, severe, bruising, severe bed sores, said King County Sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart. "Clearly she needed medical attention, she needed medicine and her son, who was living with her, did not provide that so he was arrested."
According to court documents, the man told investigators he fed his mother every two hours: a very limited diet of bread soaked in juice, half a banana and a little snickers bar. The son said he never called for help and should have done more to help his mother.
"This was not just someone who died of old age," Urquhart added. "I think it's safe to say that she had suffered."
Initial autopsy results from the King County medical examiner's office attributed the cause of death to the extensive bed sores and other complications from those injuries. Some of those bed sores were so deep that bone was visible through the open wounds.
Wise told Sheriff's deputies that his mother was not taking any medicine and had not seen a doctor in about two years. He said he had been her sole caregiver for the past 10 years.
The elderly woman had been heard yelling for help about two months ago, a couple that lives next door told officers. The male neighbor said he called both Wise and the landlord who owned both his house and Wise's house. He said Wise called back to say his mother had fallen out of bed.
The neighbors said they had heard the woman moaning for about the past two weeks.
Detectives asked Wise about earplugs found in the living room; the son said he used them to block the sound of his mother's moaning, court papers said.
Wise has not been charged. His bail was set at $250,000 Thursday during an initial court appearance after Deputy Prosecutor Fletcher Evans told the judge the man was a flight risk. Prosecutors have until Monday to make a charging decision.
According to a probable cause document, the son told detectives his mother had been confined to bed for about a month and her health had deteriorated over the past week. He said he fed her bananas, bread soaked in juice, water and tea, cleaned her bed sores and changed her adult diaper every day or day and a half.
"(He) said his mom stated several weeks ago that she was ready to go see dad and to just let her be," Detective Thien Do said in court documents.
At the conclusion of the interview, Wise said "he guessed he should have got more help for her," the document said.
The medical examiner's office was conducting additional tests to determine any underlying causes of death.
