Woman had to be surgically removed from mattress full of insects and faeces

Dinora Cardoso, 79, had to be surgically separated from the mattress she was attached to, and she died in hospital two days later of necrotising fasciitis and sepsis

An elderly woman had to be surgically removed from a mattress that was infested with cockroaches, bedbugs and faeces, prosecutors have said.

Revealing disturbing details of a horrific case of abuse and neglect, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office said 79-year-old Dinora Cardoso had to be separated from the mattress she was attached to. She died in hospital two days later of necrotising fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease, and sepsis due to infected ulcers.

Her daughter Eva Fontes Cardoso, 53, granddaughter Kayla Cardoso, 31, and Lisa Hamilton, 64, face charges of manslaughter, caregiver neglect of an elder, larceny, and Medicaid fraud in the woman's death. On May 17, 2023, first responders initially arrived to the house after Dinora's daughter Eva called an ambulance for her mother, but medics could not separate the woman from the mattress.

Whilst her daughter received a sum of up to $140,000 (£111,333) for supposedly caring for her mother, according to Local Fox affiliate WXFT, her diabetes went completely unchecked and she was abandoned for weeks. Seven days before the 911 call, Hamilton, a registered nurse, reported after a visit that the woman had been "clean, well cared for, alert, and that her diabetes was well-controlled," prosecutors said in a press release. "She made no mention of pressure ulcers, faeces, bedbugs, or cockroaches," they added.

Eva Cardoso, the elderly woman's daughter, was hired as her personal care attendant (PCA). Kayla Cardoso, the victim's granddaughter and Eva Cardoso's niece, was the elder Cardoso's health care proxy and PCA Program Surrogate.

As well as the events leading up to the death of Dinora, the women are also accused of fraud. The three allegedly billed MassHealth for services that were not provided, including for services allegedly provided while Dinora was an inpatient. They also billed for services after her death, prosecutors said.

Additionally, bank records show that Eva Cardoso regularly provided a portion of her PCA check to Kayla Cardoso. MassHealth paid Eva Cardoso over $140,000 for her PCA care of Dinora Cardoso. Hamilton's report allegedly contradicted EMT and hospital records that clearly showed Dinora Cardoso had completely uncontrolled diabetes and that the level of insect infestation she had experienced would have taken at least several weeks to accumulate, officials said.

The defendants are set to appear in Brockton Superior Court for a pre-trial hearing on January 15.