Hialeah woman accused of abusing her 96-year-old mother

A woman from Hialeah faces charges of negligence and physical harm against her own mother, a 96-year-old woman who had been under her care since 2022.

It was the tenants of the alleged victim who noticed the apparent signs of violence on the elderly woman's body.

The daughter of the victim, Elizabeth Benavides, 68, was arrested on Saturday.

According to the arrest report of Benavides, on several occasions the tenants had to feed the elderly woman because she told them she would go hours without eating. Additionally, they used to change her dirty diapers because her daughter did not do it, the report said.

From their rooms, at the back of the house, they would hear the elderly woman scream at night, and the next morning she would appear covered in bruises, prompting the tenants to contact the victim's grandson and the accused's nephew.

"My grandmother is in the hospital, but she is recovering," Alessandro, the victim’s grandson, told NBC6 affiliate Telemundo 51.

"This does not surprise me, because I suspected it. There were signs of what was happening, but I do not want to share the details at this time because there is an active investigation," he added.

Alessandro called the police and when the officers arrived at the house, they found the elderly woman with bruises on her arms and legs, so she was referred to a hospital.

The woman explained that when she woke up in the middle of the night, her daughter would get upset and they would argue, although she did not admit that her daughter hit her.

The accused claimed that the bruises were the result of a fall two weeks ago, but neighbors showed the police a video in which the elderly woman admitted that her daughter had caused the injuries.

The investigation also revealed that she was administering very high doses of a sleeping medication to her mother.

Benavides was set a bond of $15,000 and has since been released from jail.