‘House of Horrors’: Florida Man Sentenced for Neglecting MOTHER IN INFESTED HOME WITH BUGS AND FECES
A man from Florida went to jail after his sick mother was found in a home that was so dirty with bugs, feces, and urine that detectives had to wear biohazard suits. Jonathan Michael Miller, 51, was given a seven-year prison term on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person or disabled adult in the death of Geraldine Miller, 70. The case can be found online.
Based on a statement, the case became public on June 25, 2020, when police were called to a home in the 400 block of NE Ninth Avenue after Jonathan Miller called 911 on his mother’s behalf to ask for medical help.
The report said that when first responders got there, they saw Geraldine Miller “covered in bugs, in poor health, and requiring immediate medical treatment.”
She was taken to the hospital on a sepsis alert, and police were called to look into where she was living, according to court papers.
When she got to the hospital, she was taken to a clean area and given an IV. In the end, she died from sepsis, gangrene in the back, kidney failure, anemia, and low blood pressure.
The affidavit said, “The doctor in charge thought the victim had been severely neglected, and the smell of the gangrene should have been enough to alert any caregiver of her need for medical help.” “During the examination, it was also found that the victim had live bugs crawling all over her body, including in her mouth, nose, ears, anus, and vagina.”
Detectives wore biohazard suits when they went to the house. There were bugs all over the house. It was dirty on the furniture and beds. The statement said that the inside smelled strongly of ammonia, urine, and feces.
The paper stated that the couch where the victim was found lying down was dirty, full of live bugs and soaked in urine and feces.
Cat pee and poop were all over the back bedroom.
An inspector came to the house and talked to Jonathan Miller, who said he had been taking care of his mother by himself. The paper said she had seen a psychologist and had “unknown mental health problems.”
His mom was “really sick” because of the bedbugs and the way the house was set up. The document says he told the officer that she couldn’t take care of herself, couldn’t get up for at least a week, and went to the bathroom while lying on the couch. The affidavit said he fed her and gave her water, but he told the detective she wouldn’t let him clean her because she was “embarrassed.”
There was a record that she had only eaten ice cream since June 21, when he gave her soup.
Court papers said she hadn’t changed clothes in a week and hadn’t been to the doctor since December 2019, which is when he last cleaned the house.
The affidavit said, “Jonathan said the house has had roaches and bedbugs for several years and confirmed that he did have a cat that lived there and doesn’t use a litter box.”
Detective Daniel Collier asked the defendant why he hadn’t asked for help taking care of his mother, and the defendant said that his mother wouldn’t let him.
Collier wrote in the affidavit, “I specifically asked Jonathan if he felt he had neglected his mother and he replied,’ somewhat.'”