Man Neglects Bedridden Mother, Lets Her Rot To Death With Open Wounds: 'Out Of Energy'

A San Antonio man who claimed to be "out of energy" has been accused of neglecting his bedridden mother, leaving her unbathed and with open wounds for months before she died in an emaciated state.

The son also allegedly cashed checks from a home health care company all the while.

Juan Santos Huerta, 50, was arrested Wednesday and charged with injury to the elderly with bodily injury by omission, reported KSAT.

According to the arrest affidavit, Sandy Oaks police arrived at a home in Elmendorf Saturday night, where an officer found 74-year-old Maria Huerta's body. The following day, deputies interviewed Juan, who told them he was Maria's primary caregiver since 2013.

He reportedly told officers he was in charge of feeding and bathing his mother but stopped taking her to shower more than a year ago as he was "out of energy."

When investigators quizzed him as to why he didn't have enough "energy" to clean his mother at least once during that year, he answered he "did the best he could."

He also stopped taking her to the doctor's office two years ago "because of a personal fear of COVID-19," the affidavit states.

According to the arrest record, the man failed to explain why he did not call EMS or police when his mother became ill. He also continued to excuse his actions by saying he "did the best he could with the training and experience given to him by a group of registered nurses he would visit."

Primavera Primary Home Care was compensating Juan to tend to his mother, with some checks paying 40 to 50 hours a week. Though he worked full-time as a trucker, he continued to log hours for the health care company because he was in "financial hard times." He even told the investigators he "was just trying to stay afloat with the bills during the pandemic."

When officers discovered the elderly woman's body, she had several skin ulcers that nearly exposed the bone underneath. She was lying on a bed soiled with bodily fluids.

The woman also had maggots in her wounds. Juan told deputies he knew about that for months, adding, "God put them there." According to the affidavit, Juan found out about his mother's large wounds between six to 12 months ago.

After his arrest, Juan told media his mother died from "being old."

"My mother passed away of being old. The Lord took her on Saturday at 10:30 if you all really want to know," he said during a perp walk.

When exactly the woman passed away remains unclear.