Three Massachusetts women, including a daughter, granddaughter, and a nurse, are facing charges related to the extreme neglect and subsequent death of a 79-year-old woman. The elderly woman, Dinora Cardoso, was discovered adhered to a mattress riddled with cockroaches, bedbugs, and feces. The accused are Eva Fontes Cardoso, 53, Kayla Cardoso, 31, and Lisa Hamilton, 64. They are charged with manslaughter, elder neglect, larceny, and Medicaid fraud, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
Eva Cardoso, the victim’s daughter, was employed as Dinora Cardoso’s personal care attendant (PCA). Kayla Cardoso, the victim’s granddaughter and Eva Cardoso’s niece, served as the elder Cardoso’s health care proxy and PCA Program Surrogate. The women are alleged to have fraudulently billed MassHealth for services that were not rendered, including claims made while Dinora was hospitalized and even after her death.
Bank records indicate that Eva Cardoso regularly transferred a portion of her PCA paycheck to Kayla Cardoso. Over the course of her care for Dinora Cardoso, MassHealth paid Eva Cardoso more than $140,000. The case was brought to light on May 17, 2023, when Eva Cardoso dialed 911, reporting that her mother required an ambulance.
First responders arrived at a senior housing complex to find Dinora Cardoso covered in insects and feces. The conditions were so severe that the victim was physically stuck to the bedding. Unable to separate the woman from the mattress, authorities transported both to the hospital. Two days later, Dinora Cardoso passed away from necrotizing fasciitis and sepsis, resulting from infected ulcers.
A week prior to the 911 call, Lisa Hamilton, a registered nurse, had visited Dinora Cardoso. Hamilton reported that the elderly woman was clean, well cared for, alert, and her diabetes was well-managed. Hamilton made no mention of pressure ulcers, feces, bedbugs, or cockroaches. However, this report contradicts EMT and hospital records, which indicated that Dinora Cardoso’s diabetes was uncontrolled and the level of insect infestation would have taken weeks to reach such a level.
The defendants are scheduled to appear in court on January 15.