Poppy Bilderbeck
Three women have been charged with neglect following an elderly woman being discovered 'covered in cockroaches, bedbugs and feces'.
On May 17, 2023, 79-year-old Dinora Cardoso was discovered by first responders in her home in Massachusetts after her daughter Eva called 911.
Dinora passed away just two days later from a flesh-eating infection combined with sepsis, which resulted from ulcers on her body.
WXFT reported at the time Dinora was discovered by authorities in her bed and that her skin was stuck to her bedding on account of her ulcers being so bad, with the elderly woman allegedly having to be transported to hospital while still lying on her mattress to be surgically removed from it.
As a result of ulcers on her body becoming infected, it was discovered Dinora had developed necrotizing fasciitis.
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Cleveland Clinic explains that necrotizing facilitis is a 'severe rapidly spreading' 'bacterial infection that affects the tissue under your skin called fascia'.
And as a result of her infections, Dinora also contracted sepsis - 'a life-threatening medical emergency caused by your body’s overwhelming response to an infection,' Cleveland Clinic notes.
It adds: " Without urgent treatment, it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death."
And indeed, sadly Dinora passed away two days after being found in her home and authorities turned their attention to those who were allegedly supposed to be taking care of her.
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A press release from Massachusetts' Attorney General's Office alleges that Dinora's daughter, Eva Cardoso, was hired as her personal care attendant (PCA) and the elderly woman's granddaughter and Eva's niece, Kayla Cardoso, to be her health care proxy and PCA Program Surrogate.
A woman named Lisa Hamilton is reported as being a registered nurse responsible for visiting Dinora once a week to 'check on her care, medical conditions and medication intake'.
The investigation into Dinora's passing revealed seven days before she was discovered stuck to her bed at her home, with Hamilton allegedly reporting that she'd visited her and she'd been 'clean, well cared for, alert and that her diabetes was well-controlled'.
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Prosecutors added: "She made no mention of pressure ulcers, feces, bedbugs, or cockroaches. EMT and hospital records clearly showed that Dinora had completely uncontrolled diabetes. Additionally, an expert entomologist informed investigators that the level of insect infestation Dinora experienced would have taken at least several weeks to accumulate."
Eva and Kayla were also accused of billing MassHealth for services that were not allegedly provided, with MassHealth reported as having paying Eva over $140,000 for her PCA care of Dinora.
On November 22, the three women were ultimately arrested and charged.
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Eva Cardoso has been accused of manslaughter, 'Caretaker Neglect (Causing Serious Bodily Injury), Caretaker Neglect (Permitting or Committing Abuse, Neglect, or Mistreatment), Medicaid Fraud [and] Larceny over $1,200'.
Her bail has been set at $5,000 and she's been banned from contacting any witnesses, traveling out of of the state and from working in a healthcare setting around kids or the elderly.
Kayla Cardoso has been charged with 'Caretaker Neglect (Causing Serious Bodily Injury), Caretaker Neglect (Permitting or Committing Abuse, Neglect, or Mistreatment), Medicaid Fraud [and] Larceny over $1,200' with bail set at $500 with the same conditions of release as Eva.
Hamilton has been charged with 'Caretaker Neglect (Causing Serious Bodily Injury), Caretaker Neglect (Permitting or Committing Abuse, Neglect, or Mistreatment) [and] Fraudulent Claims' with the same bail conditions as Kayla, although she's allowed to continue working as a nurse 'with supervision'.
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The three women are next set to appear in court on January 15.
UNILAD has contacted Massachusetts Attorney General's Office for further comment.