SPRING HILL, Fla. (WFLA) -- A Spring Hill man was accused of neglecting to care for his elderly mother, leaving her to get sick while covered in her own waste and maggots.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office said Jason Thomas Russell, 47, called 911 on Sept. 18 and reported his 79-year-old mother was unresponsive.
When paramedics arrived at their home on Boyce Street, Russell's mother was sitting in a wheelchair in the driveway, and he refused to let them inside the house to see what medications she was taking.
She was taken to the hospital, where doctors discovered she was covered in her own urine and feces, had multiple open sores and was "infested with maggots," according to a news release from HCSO. Doctors said she was malnourished and septic from multiple sources of infection, had pneumonia, a urinary tract infection, and had areas of her skin that were "rotting from infection," HCSO said.
Russell told deputies he would "dip her in the pool or wipe her with a cloth" to bathe her.
Deputies declared the home a crime scene and arrested Russell after he entered the home. Once inside, deputies found two "heavily soiled" couches swarmed with flies and ants, soiled women's clothing and a bedside commode. They reported the home smelling strongly of ammonia.
Russell was charged with neglect of an elderly person causing great bodily harm and resisting an officer without violence. His mother died on Saturday. He may face upgraded charges in connection to her death.
