Moala Sia Foʻou Tātola, 40, and Tāfolosa Haisaane Tātola Mahe, 47, accused of negligently killing their mother after her decaying body was found lying in filth in their home two years ago,pleaded not guilty in a San Mateo court last Friday
According to US media prosecutors filed charges against the sisters after concluding they criminally neglected their 73-year-old mother while they lived together for about two years, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Monday.
The siblings were living with their mother as caregivers in a home in the 1600 block of East Third Avenue in San Mateo from sometime in 2011 until her death in early 2013, prosecutors were quoted by US media as saying.
They reported their mother’s death on March 9, 2013, and when police arrived, they found the mother lying nude on the bed, already decaying with faeces all around her. Her back and legs were nearly black from filth, gangrene and dying flesh, prosecutors said.
An autopsy revealed the woman died of pneumonia. The sisters told investigators they tried to care for her but she refused to go to a doctor despite suffering from diabetes. However, they said they didn’t notice the squalid condition she was in before her death, prosecutors said.
Wagstaffe said that after a lengthy investigation and review process, it was clear the woman could not have ended up in the condition she did if the daughters were not criminally neglectful.
For example, if she refused to go to the doctor, the sisters could have sought assistance from San Mateo County Adult and Aging Services, he said.
While the pathologist was unable to pinpoint exactly when the woman died, it’s possible the sisters continued living with her for some time before reporting her death, Wagstaffe said.
The woman “couldn’t be in that condition without being totally ignored,” Wagstaffe said.
The sisters remain in custody on $150,000 bail and are scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 25.
Kuo tali tonuhia ʻa e ongo tautehina fefine ko Moala Sia Foʻou Tātola, 40, mo Tāfolosa Haisaane Tātola Mahe, ʻi ha fakamaauʻanga ʻi San Mateo he Falaite kuo ʻosí ki he hia ko e tamateʻi ʻi he taʻetokanga ʻena faʻeé hili ia hono maʻu ʻe he kau polisí ʻa hona sino ne kamata ʻauaungá ʻi ha kinohaʻa ʻi honau nofoʻangá ʻi he taʻu ʻe ua kuohilí.
Fakatatau ki he lipooti ʻa e mitia ʻAmeliká ne tā tikite ʻe he kau fai fakaʻiló he uike kuo ʻosí ʻa e ongo tautehiná hili ia ʻenau aofangatuku ne na fakahoko ʻa e hia ko hono taʻe tokangaʻi ʻena faʻē taʻu 73 lolotonga ne nau nofo fakataha he taʻu ʻe memei ua.
Naʻe ngāue ʻa e ongo tautefiná ni ki heʻena faʻeé ko ha keakiva ʻi he ʻapi ʻi he fika 1600 ʻo e East Their Avenue ʻi San Mateo mei he vahaʻa taimi 2011 ʻo aʻu ki he taimi ne pekia aí ʻi he 2013.
Ne na toki lipooti e mālōlō ʻena fineʻeikí ʻi Māʻasi ʻaho 9, 2013 pea ʻi he taimi ne aʻu atu ai ʻa e kau polisí ne nau ʻilo e faʻeé ni ʻoku tokoto ʻikai hano vala he mohengá, pea ne ʻosi ʻaunga hono sinó ʻa ia ne tokoto pe foki ʻi heʻene tuʻumamaʻó. Ko hono ongo vaʻé mo hono tuʻa kuo ʻosi fakaʻuliʻuli ia he keikeinanga ʻo e meʻa ne ne tokoto aí peā ne ʻaunga foki hono kilí.
Ne mahino ʻi hano sivi fakatoketā e sino ʻo e pekiá ne mate ʻa e fefiné ni tupu he niumōnia. Ne fakahā ange ʻe he ongo tautehiná ki he kau fakatotoló ne na feinga ke fai hona lelei tahá ke tokangaʻi ʻena faʻeé ka ne ʻikai ke ne tali ʻe ia ke ʻave ia ki ha toketā neongo naʻe suka.
Ne na toe pehē foki ne ʻikai ke na ʻilo ʻa e tuʻunga maʻulalo ne ne ʻi aí ki muʻa ʻene mate.
Pehē ʻe he kau faifakaʻiló naʻe hili ha fakatotolo lōloa ne fakahoko mo hano toe vakaiʻi e founga ngāué ne mahino ai ne ʻikai tonu ke iku e faʻeé ni ki ha tuʻunga pehē kapau ne ʻikai fakahoko ʻe hono ongo ʻofefiné ʻa e hia ko hono taʻetokangaʻi.
Hangē ko ʻeni: Kapau naʻe fakafisi ʻa e faʻeé ke ʻoua ʻe ʻave ia ki he toketaá naʻe lava ke kumi tokoni ʻa e ongo tautehiná ki he San Mateo County Adult and Aging Services.
Lolotonga naʻe ʻikai lava ʻe he patolosiá ke tuhuʻi papau ko e fē taimi ne mate ai ʻa e faʻeé niʻoku malava naʻe hoko atu pe ʻa e ongo tautehiná ʻo nofo pe mo ʻena faʻeé lolotonga kuó ne ʻosi mate ki muʻa pea toki lipooti ki he kau polisí.
ʻOku kei tauhi ʻe he kau polisí ʻa e ongo ʻofefiné ni ke toki tukuange kae maluʻiʻaki ʻa e paʻanga ʻAmelika ʻe $150, 000 pea te na toe hā foki ʻi he fakamaauʻangá ʻi he ʻaho 25.