Home Health Caretaker Stabs Patient to Death, Motive Still Unknown

A woman from New Jersey was found dead in her own home and her health care aid is accused of brutally murdering her. The 62-year-old victim, Anna M. Pollard, was found dead in her Elizabeth home on April 13. According to NJ.com, police sources told the news outlet that she was found with multiple stab wounds.

Motive for murder

The 41-year-old suspect, Myrlande Dornelus, is a certified home health aide and she was arrested on May 8 on suspicion of murder and multiple weapons-related offenses. It is still not known how long Dornelus was working for Pollard, but the suspect has been certified since 2007 and her records show that she has no previous disciplinary actions.

There is still no known motive for the alleged murder and Dornelus is now in custody at the Essex County Jail.

Similar incidents

In March, a 96-year-old woman was found dead by her caretaker inside her home. Baltimore police responded to the scene at 8:30 a.m. in the 6800 block of Fox Meadow Road in Lochearn. They found the old woman dead inside her home with trauma to her upper body.

The victim was identified as Evelyn Bailey. Neighbors of the victim told WJZ that several cameras point directly at the house. The victim's neighbor, Alisa Stuckey, said that Bailey was bedridden and that her husband has been in the hospital for some time. Homicide detectives said that the death of the old woman is suspicious. Police are offering a reward of up to $2,000 for anyone with information about the suspect.

Also Read: Mom Who Stabbed 3-Year-Old Son in Cold-Blooded Murder Faces Multiple Charges

On December 2019, the caretaker of an elderly Peoria woman has been arrested for murder after the woman died in a Peoria hospital. The police were called on a report of a 75-year-old woman breathing but not conscious. The victim, Sandra Jackson, was taken to the hospital with severe injuries.

Shortly after her arrival to the hospital, detective were notified that the injuries of the victim appeared consistent with elder abuse. The investigation led the police to question Jackson's roommate and caretaker, Dmitri G. Rogatchev. The police soon arrested the 41-year-old suspect for aggravated domestic battery.

The victim was pronounced dead in the hospital and the police said Jackson died of severe intracranial hemorrhages in her brain due to blunt force trauma. Harwood said that the victim's injuries are linked with inflicted trauma and her death has been ruled a homicide. Rogatchev is now facing an additional charge of first-degree murder in addition to aggravated battery.

Elder abuse in the United States

According to federal health officials, elder abuse rates are increasing in America, particularly among men. Between 2002 and 2016, the rate of assaults among men 60 years old and older rose to 75% while it rose 35% among women between 2007 and 2016.

Among older men, the homicide rate increased 7% between 2010 and 2016, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC. Joseph Logan, from the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said that they are still examining the circumstances that appear to be linked with the increase in violence against the elderly.