Caregiver neglected 2 patients in ‘unlivable’ home, Missouri cops say. One found dead
A handicapped mother and daughter were left in a roach-infested home as they were forced to defecate in their bedrooms while waiting hours for their caregiver to return, Missouri police said.
The caregiver, Patricia Anna Santos-Duvalier, was initially charged with financial exploitation and abuse of an elderly or disabled person in March and April 2023, but those charges were recently amended after the daughter was found dead in her front yard in October, Ozark County prosecutors said.
Santos-Duvalier was charged with second-degree murder and abuse of an elderly or disabled person on Jan. 12, according to court documents. She’s held in Ozark County Jail without bond.
Her attorney information was not listed.
The daughter, a 37-year-old mentally handicapped woman, was found dead on Oct. 8, over a year after the caregiver had been charged with abuse and financial exploitation, according to court documents.
Santos-Duvalier said she was the only person who had access to the two women, but she told investigators the woman fell off the front porch, according to court documents.
When officers searched her vehicle, they found aspirated blood in the vehicle, police said. They also discovered inconsistencies about the caregiver’s whereabouts when the woman died, according to court documents.
In March 2023, the daughter was admitted to a hospital in West Plains for a suspected fall when hospital staff noticed she had lost 50 pounds in a short period of time and had multiple injuries including a broken nose, according to court documents. They suspected the injuries were caused by abuse, police said.
Investigators then learned that her mother lived with the daughter, but she had been bedridden for two years and unable to care for her daughter, police said. The two women relied entirely on a paid caregiver, Santos-Duvalier, according to the probable cause statement filed on Dec. 18.
The mother was treated for numerous bedsores caused by suspected neglect, police said.
When officers entered the home, they discovered an “unlivable,” roach-infested home, court documents said.
The mother’s bed was soaked with urine and feces and was crawling with roaches, according to the probable cause statement.
The daughter’s bedroom was locked from the outside, police said. Inside, they found dried pools of urine and piles of feces accompanied by a strong smell of ammonia, according to court documents.
The mother said Santos-Duvalier would arrive at 9 a.m. each day and leave around 2 p.m., according to court documents. The daughter would be locked in her bedroom and the mother would be left in bed for the rest of the day and night, police said.
Months later, investigators learned that the caregiver was paid approximately $1,900 per month, but she had also convinced the mother to add her name to the deed of the home, according to the probable cause statement.
The mother said she felt she had no choice but to add the caregiver to the deed because she feared no one else would care for them, police said.
Santos-Duvalier said the mother owed her $38,000 for items purchased for the women’ s care, according to court documents. The caregiver said she had planned to sell the home once she was paid and was going to use the money to buy a storage building or “tiny house” for the two women to live in, according to the probable cause statement.
Police said they believe Santos-Duvalier intended to take the home after both women died.
Santos-Duvalier is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 21.
West Plains is about a 200-mile drive southwest from St. Louis.
This story was originally published January 15, 2025 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Caregiver neglected 2 patients in ‘unlivable’ home, Missouri cops say. One found dead."
