HIALEAH, Fla. – A Hialeah woman was arrested last week after police said she repeatedly abused her 96-year-old mother.
According to her arrest report, Elizabeth Benavides, 68, is the legal guardian of her elderly mother and two live together.
Recommended Videos
Hialeah police said they were called to the mother and daughter’s home on Friday to conduct a welfare check on the mother.
Officers noted multiple bruises throughout the victim’s body and said the victim was hesitant to explain how she received them.
Police said the woman was admitted to Hialeah Hospital to be treated for her injuries, which were on her forearms, hands and legs.
According to the report, the victim told officers that her daughter has been living with her and taking care of her for the past six months.
Police said the victim initially denied that her daughter had ever hit her, but said that the two have had multiple arguments about the mother waking her daughter up in the middle of the night.
The mother then claimed she received her injuries by slipping and falling on the floor.
According to the report, a tenant who lives in the back portion of the home told police she has made food for the victim on several occasions because the victim has told her she has gone hours without eating anything.
Police said the tenant also claimed to have changed the victim’s adult diapers because her daughter does not do it.
According to the report, the victim also said she has heard the victim screaming throughout the night and then notices bruises on her in the morning.
Police said the tenant provided them with cellphone video of a conversation between the victim and tenant, in which the victim admits that the bruises were caused by her daughter hitting her.
According to the report, the tenant and her husband told detectives that the victim is prescribed multiple medications and that Benavides provides her mother the sedative clonazepam every four hours.
They said a nurse confirmed to them that the victim should only be taking it once a day. The couple then contacted the victim’s grandson, who then contacted Hialeah police.
According to the arrest report, the victim called her tenant after speaking with detectives and told her she lied to them to protect her daughter from being arrested.
Benavides was arrested Friday on a charge of neglect on an elderly/disabled adult causing bodily harm or disfigurement.
Police said she denied abusing her mother, and said her mother had gotten the bruises from falling two weeks ago. She claimed that she couldn’t remember all of the medications her mother took and how often they needed to be taken, authorities said.
As of Tuesday, Benavides was no longer appearing in the jail database.