A Florida woman accused of locking up her mother, who suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s, and refusing to change her dirty diapers also took her life savings, according to police.
Janet Edwards49, of Hialeah, faces charges of exploitation of the elderly, grand theft of a person over 65, organized fraud and identity theft, as well as neglect of an elderly or disabled adult and assault on a person over 65, according to online court records.
An arrest warrant obtained by Law&Crime indicates that Edwards, who had power of attorney over his mother, He sold her house and got more than $460,000 dollars. He allegedly transferred more than $250,000 to his own bank accounts and spent more than $24,000 of his mother’s money on the purchase of a pickup truck, WPLG reports.
Additionally, Edwards is also accused of forging her mother’s signature on life insurance payments of more than $15,000, allegedly impersonating her on phone calls with the insurance company.
“The investigation has determined that the defendant, Janet Edwards, took advantage of her position of trust as the victim’s daughter and caregiver to exploit her“, indicates the arrest warrant against Edwards.
“The defendant took advantage of the victim’s advanced age, age-related ailments, and severe cognitive impairments to illegally and permanently deprive her of her life savings through acts of fraud and identity theft for her own benefit.”
Edwards was arrested and charged last year after allegedly locking up her mother and neglecting her.
“The defendant stated on five occasions that she saw the victim with feces on her hands and consuming them,” Janet Edwards’ fashioned arrest affidavit alleges.
Edwards’ own children have accused her of mistreating their grandmother and abandon her to her fate in the house they shared.
“He’s going to learn his lesson because he always does the same thing,” Edwards told his adult son after he stopped by his house in May 2025, according to the affidavit.
Police say Edwards’ son opened his grandmother’s bedroom door and “saw her with diapers and feces on both hands.” The son asked Edwards to “clean her up,” but she refused and told him that the victim needed to “learn” her lesson after repeated incidents like this, according to the affidavit.
“The bedroom door was locked from the outside.”according to the police. “[El hijo] “He observed the victim lying on an inflatable mattress and there was no electricity.”
Police say the son was separated from Edwards when he was 14 “due to allegations of child abuse” that were investigated by the Department of Children and Families. According to the affidavit, his paternal grandparents obtained custody of the minor.
Edwards’ adult daughter also reported cases of neglect and abuse to local authorities, and is listed as a witness to incidents that occurred in August and September 2025, according to police.
Daughter gave police text messages she received from Edwardsin which his grandmother was seen holding feces. “[Edwards] “He wrote in the messages that he smelled bad and that he was going to go back to bed.”
Edwards was later questioned about why she treated her mother this way. According to the affidavit, he said his mother had been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s and that he no longer recognized anyone.
“The accused stated that she lives in the house only with the victim and that she is the only caregiver,” the police report in the document.
When asked why he didn’t clean up his mother after she got dirty, Edwards allegedly She responded to the police that she was “because she was upset or frustrated.”. According to the affidavit, she gave the same excuse to justify why she told her son that the victim was “going to learn.”
“The defendant denied slapping or hitting the victim,” deputies say.
Edwards was arrested last week on the most recent charges and is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Facility in Miami-Dade County. His bail was set at $55,000.
Keep reading:
– 3-year-old boy drowned in a pool in Louisiana while under the care of a babysitter.
– 5-year-old boy dies from malnutrition in Louisiana: he weighed 19 pounds due to alleged neglect of his parents.
