87-year-old killed her disabled grandson with overdose

Get Best Daily Health Tips Here

A Florida woman who cared for her disabled adult grandson on weekends faces second-degree murder charges after she told the police she gave him a fatal overdose over concerns about who would care for him when she died, the authorities said.

The police responded to a call on Sunday afternoon in Bradenton, Fla., about 40 miles south of Tampa, and found the grandson, Joel Parks, dead at the scene, Capt. Brian Thiers of the Bradenton Police Department said in a news conference on Tuesday. Mr. Parks was discovered by a sister.

Mr. Parks, 30, lived with his grandmother and part-time caretaker, Lillian Parks, 87, on weekends and in a group home during the week, Captain Thiers said. Mr. Parks was unable to care for himself, but details about his exact health condition were not known, he added.


After the authorities arrived, Ms. Parks made “several concerning remarks, spontaneous remarks,” including that she had “purposely overdosed” her grandson, Captain Thiers said.

“She was concerned about her medical condition and was worried about who would be caring for him in the event that she passed away,” he added. Mr. Parks’s father is deceased and his mother is estranged, Captain Thiers said.

Ms. Parks was taken into protective medical custody for an evaluation, the police said.

Captain Thiers said on Wednesday that a judge had signed an arrest warrant for Ms. Parks on second-degree murder charges.

“As soon as she’s released from medical care, we will be taking her into custody under those charges,” Captain Thiers said.