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Mother dies after being found in 'deplorable' conditions; 3 arrested

The mother was found in "filthy conditions" when located by deputies, including insect infestations in her room and mold growing on parts of her body.

SAN ANTONIO — A 57-year-old woman found in "deplorable" conditions due to neglect has passed away, officials said Monday.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar held a news briefing on Monday afternoon to provide more details on the incident. He said this is "certainly a heartbreaking situation" and said he is not opposed to authorities "trying to up the bond" on the suspects. Right now, each suspect is facing an $85,000 bond.

The suspects are 37-year-old Oscar Dominguez, 24-year-old Roxanna Carrero and 18-year-old Pedro Luis Carrero. They've been charged with injury to a disabled person with serious bodily injury. The victim was their mother.

An arrest affidavit details the unsanitary conditions Patricia Martinez was forced to endure. The mother was found in "filthy conditions" when located by deputies, including insect infestations in her room and mold growing on parts of her body.

The affidavit also reveals that when Martinez was rushed to a hospital, she was placed in ICU and on a ventilator due to acute hypoxia, septic shock, diabetic shock and end-stage renal failure.

"She was in such deplorable condition that we felt the need to take resolute action very quickly," Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a press conference Thursday.

According to Salazar, the suspects were aware of their responsibilities and had arranged to split up the duties of feeding their mother and providing her with medical care. He also mentioned the suspects were previously trained and given equipment for at-home care. This included an iPad provided by the state.

Instead, the sheriff said, "it appeared none of them were doing what they were supposed to be doing."

The Medical Examiner confirms Martinez died Saturday afternoon.

At the time the arrests were made last week, sheriff's investigators said the Injury to the disabled charges filed against her three children might be upgraded if Martinez died. On Monday, Sheriff Salazar said he doesn't know if the charges will be upgraded at this time.

He also said that in the investigation, authorities will look into if anything was reported to medical staff the times the woman was taken to a local medical provider. Sheriff Salazar said it was reported that some staff noticed the suspects never helped the woman out of the vehicle, and that she would come in with a T-shirt and no shoes at times. 

It will be investigated if anything could have been done on an administrative level to prevent her death, he said.

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