MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. — A Melbourne Beach man is facing multiple charges after investigators said he neglected his elderly mother so badly, she was found dead in a dirty home on Banyan Bay.
Investigators said 91-year-old Dolores Moritz was found in deplorable conditions Saturday.
Her son, 66-year-old Michael Moritz, was charged with aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person after his relatives in Ohio called police and told them his mother was dead.
From outside Michael Moritz’s Melbourne Beach home there were signs of despreair, but deputies said that inside, the conditions were even worse.
“The home was in total disrepair, dirty and unkempt. The victim appeared to be emaciated,” said Maj. Tod Goodyear, of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
Melbourne Beach police contacted Brevard County Sheriff’s Office homicide agents, who had a long conversation with Michael Moritz.
“The son was the caretaker for both parents, the sole caretaker,” Goodyear said.
Deputies said they had adequate evidence to charge Michael Moritz with neglect and aggravated manslaughter in the death of his mother.
On Thursday, Assistant State Attorney Gary Beatty asked for an increase in Michael Moritz’s $3,000 bond.
It was increased to $100,000, and Michael Moritz was ordered to stay away from his 95-year-old father, who voluntarily left the family’s home.
WFTV
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