A Hialeah woman arrested last year for allegedly neglecting and slapping her 78-year-old impaired mother is back behind bars for allegedly taking the mother’s life savings, authorities said.
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Janet Edwards, 49, arrested Friday on charges including exploitation of elderly, grand theft from elderly, organized scheme to defraud, and criminal use of identification.
Edwards had been arrested in October of 2025 on charges of neglect of an elderly or disabled adult with no harm and battery on a person 65 or older after Edwards’ daughter and the granddaughter of the victim reported the alleged abuse of the elderly woman, an arrest report said.
Edwards’ daughter told police Edwards has been neglecting to take care of her mother and had photos on her phone of the mother “with feces in her hands and consuming it,” the report said.
She also said that in August or September, she witnessed Edwards, who appeared upset and frustrated, slap her mother on the face, the report said.
Detectives went to the home to check on the victim and found her bedroom door locked from the outside, and she was found laying on an air mattress with no electricity, the report said.
According to a new arrest report, Edwards has been her mom’s caretaker since her husband died on Dec. 31, 2022.
The mother is incapable of caring for herself and requires assistance for all her daily living activities including bathing, preparing meals, medication management, finances and transportation to doctor’s appointments, the report said.
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After Edwards’ arrest in October, Edwards’ daughter and the victim’s granddaughter was granted guardianship of the victim, and while cleaning her home, she noticed multiple bank statements that indicated large withdrawals and electronic transfers from the victim’s bank accounts beginning in 2023, the report said.
The elderly victim has been suffering from memory loss as early as 2019 and by 2021 it was determined by her doctor that she was incapable of making financial or legal decisions and incapable of writing checks or using an ATM machine, the report said.
Investigators found records that showed on July 22, 2024, Edwards had bought a pickup truck for $23,699, and the documents included a credit card authorization form and receipts that showed she used her mother’s checking account for the vehicle purchase price and for costs related to the sale, the report said.
In addition, it was discovered the victim’s Hialeah property, bought by her and her husband in 2003, was sold by Edwards on June 26, 2024, for $625,000, the report said.
Edwards used a power of attorney to complete the closing transactions and the net proceeds, over $462,000, were deposited into the victim’s bank account, the report said.
Over $250,000 was later transferred into Edwards’ accounts, the report said.
“The investigation has determined that the subject, Janet Edwards, used her position of trust as the Victim’s daughter and caregiver to exploit her,” the report said. The Subject took advantage of the Victim’s advanced age, age-related infirmities, and severe cognitive impairments to unlawfully and permanently deprive the Victim of her life savings by committing acts of fraud and identity theft for Subject’s own personal gain and benefit.”
Edwards was booked into jail and was being held on a $55,000 bond, records showed.
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