St. Lucie County, FL – Melanie Hess, 56, has been charged with neglect of an elderly, disabled adult after being arrested for allegedly forcing an elderly woman under her care to live in horrific, unsanitary conditions.
Hess was arrested on Friday following a welfare check at her St. Lucie County residence, where authorities discovered a house filled with spider webs, cockroaches, cats, feces, and other hazardous conditions.
Unbearable Living Conditions
According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrived at Hess’ home to find a house in extremely hazardous conditions. One deputy described the property as appearing “abandoned”, with an overgrown yard full of weeds.
As they approached the house, they were hit by a strong odor of feces and urine, which was combined with the smell of cats and other animals.
Inside, the deputies discovered an elderly woman lying on a bed that was littered with leaves. The bed had not been cleaned for some time, and the room was filled with spider webs. The woman appeared weak and unresponsive, unable to answer questions.
Authorities said she appeared to be in a severely neglected state, with dirty clothes, discolored hands and nails, and several sores on her arms.
Hess admitted to police that the home had no working air conditioning or refrigerator, exacerbating the already terrible conditions the elderly woman was living in.
Infestation and Neglect
In addition to the unclean bed and room, officers found a massive cockroach infestation inside the home, with 2-3 inch roaches crawling around. Roach feces was scattered throughout the house, along with cat feces and urine, especially in the area where the elderly woman slept. At least nine cats were found in the house when deputies arrived.
The elderly woman was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation, where she was examined for the physical and emotional abuse she had endured.
Hess’ Arrest and Release
Following the discovery of the horrendous living conditions, Melanie Hess was arrested and charged with neglect of an elderly, disabled adult. She was booked at the St. Lucie County Jail but was released on Saturday after posting bond.
