A former employee of an assisted living facility in Miami-Dade was arrested after authorities said she was caught on camera abusing an 87-year-old resident who is suffering from Alzheimer's.
Mayte Todd-Molina, 42, is facing two counts of abuse of an elderly adult following an investigation by the Miami-Dade Police Department and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
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According to a news release from the attorney general's office, the investigation began when a personal aide not employed by the facility informed the resident’s family of unexplainable bruising on the resident’s body.
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The facility, which wasn't named in the news release, did not have an explanation or report on any incidents that may have caused the bruising, authorities said.
As a result, a family member of the victim placed a hidden camera in the victim’s room to find answers, and a week later, the family member retrieved the video footage that showed Todd-Molina pulling the resident’s hair and forcing the resident’s head back toward the pillow, authorities said.
On a separate occasion, video footage showed Todd-Molina slapping the resident in the face and pulling the resident’s hair down toward the pillow, authorities said.
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Todd-Molina was booked into the Miami-Dade jail Wednesday where she was being held on $10,000 bond, records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.
Moody's office said Todd-Molina faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
"It is incredibly sad to see a caregiver abuse a patient. Floridians utilize assisted living facilities once they are no longer able to take care of themselves and trust that caregivers will help, not harm them," Moody said in a statement. "The suspect in this case has been apprehended and will have to face a court and answer for these reprehensible acts."
