HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Harrisburg woman has been charged with criminal homicide and neglect of a care-dependent person after police say she severely neglected her bedridden mother while serving as her caretaker, leading to the woman's death.
Yeawah Sanu, 50, was charged Thursday by Lower Paxton Township Police, who allege her neglect in caring for her mother, 77-year-old Christiana Blake, led to Blake's death on February 21.
An examination of Sanu's cell phone records indicated she was in another state four times in the weeks leading up to Blake's hospitalization at UPMC Harrisburg on January 2, when she was initially brought to the emergency room showing signs of altered mental status, according to police.
When she arrived at the hospital, Blake exhibited signs of severe neglect, including gangrene, sepsis, a sacral wound, acute kidney injury, metabolic acidosis, anemia, toxic metabolic encephalopathy, and pneumonia.
The Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging contacted police to report the suspected elder neglect on January 16, the complaint states. The DCAAA had been involved with Blake's case since April 2023 due to concerns regarding Sanu's ability to care for her, the agency reported to police.
Blake had suffered a stroke in 2018 and was bedridden, non-verbal, and in need of a feeding tube, according to the DCAAA. Sanu had been responsible for her care ever since.
By mid-January, police said, Blake's wounds had deteriorated to the point where her leg bone was exposed. Sanu also did not follow through with the hospital's discharge instructions and failed to enroll Blake in a waiver program to obtain in-home health care despite being instructed to do so multiple times, police said.
During an examination of Blake on January 26, police said, an officer observed that the lower portion of her left leg was "black and mummified," with open wounds on the front and back of the lower left leg. Her right foot and lower leg had "advanced decaying" and "some mummification," according to the complaint. There were also large, open wounds on her lower back, the officer observed.
The wounds were consistent with suspected long-term neglect, according to police and medical staff.
Investigators visited Sanu's home, where Blake had been residing before her hospitalization. They discovered it was in extreme clutter or "a hoarding situation" that posed a health and fire hazard to its occupants.
Medical staff and relatives told investigators that doctors had recommended the amputation of both of Blake's lower legs, but Sanu, who made medical decisions for Blake, refused to authorize it.
During an emergency guardianship hearing in February, police said, Blake's physician said her condition had worsened and that she was dying. The court awarded guardianship over Blake to an outside agency.
Investigators reviewed Blake's medical records, which indicated she had been hospitalized four separate times between March 2023 and January of this year. Each time she was discharged, police say, records indicate Sanu was provided with a summary and instructions for continuing care, which police say she disregarded.
