Live-In Caretaker Murders Bedridden Elderly Man in Iowa: Police

An Iowa live-in caretaker has been arrested for the alleged murder of a vulnerable, bedridden elderly man, according to detectives.

Diana Lynn Becker-Abeyta, 61, acted as 73-year-old Ray Crammond’s live-in caretaker, and was arrested by detectives in Polk County, an area encompassing Des Moines and the surrounding area, in connection with his death on Wednesday following an investigation by the Iowa Department of Human Services (IDHS).

Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) told Newsweek that Becker-Abeyta, from the Des Moines suburb Ankeny, was charged with second-degree murder and is currently being held at the Polk County Jail.

Iowa has one of the lower homicide rates in the U.S. with fewer than 100 being recorded in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC said 94 homicides were recorded that year and that Iowa had a rate of 3.2 per every 100,000 people. By comparison, the national average is 7.8 murders per 100,000.

Crammond’s Inadequate Care

Crammond, who was in a “bedridden state,” died on April 29 after he contracted pneumonia and allegedly received “inadequate care” from Becker-Abeyta, The Des Moines Register reported.

He was not given his medications, bathed, or fed, and Becker-Abeyta allegedly failed in “meeting any basic needs,” court documents obtained by the newspaper stated.

When first responders arrived at Crammond’s home in April, they described his care as “devastating” and that he had multiple bed sores on his back and buttocks. Crammond was taken to nearby Mercy Hospital where he died eight days after being admitted.

Investigation Launched

Detectives found during an investigation that Becker-Abeyta was not a licensed caretaker and said they had uncovered evidence that she had used Crammond’s money for things other than his care.

An investigation into Crammond’s death was also launched by the IDHS in May and caseworkers found his home to be “extremely dirty and un-kept,” according to the Register.

Becker-Abeyta was arrested and charged in June with financial exploitation of an older individual and neglect of a dependent person.

Autopsy results from the State of Iowa’s Medical Examiner’s Office found he that developed pneumonia following a Klebsiella pneumoniae, an infection of bacterium inside human intestines that can lead to several more severe illnesses, including pneumonia.

Crammond’s death was then ruled as a homicide, according to the Register. On October 18, the PCSO issued a warrant for Becker-Abeyta and she was subsequently arrested.

Newsweek has contacted the Medical Examiner’s Office for comment via email.