87-year-old Florida grandma kills disabled grandson by drug overdose fearing no one would care for him after she dies
BRADENTON, FLORIDA: A grandmother has been accused of killing her disabled grandson by overdosing him on drugs because she feared that nobody would care for him after she died.
The 87-year-old Lillian Parks was taken into custody by officers from the Bradenton Police Department who arrived at her residence at Apartment A at the Carlton Arms Apartments on Sunday, September 22, after 30-year-old Joel Park's sister discovered his body, according to a WFLA report.
He was declared dead on the scene, with BPD's Captain Brian Thiers stating that Lillian implicated herself in his death by suggesting she had made "spontaneous" and "concerning" remarks that she had purposefully overdosed the man "with the intent of taking his life".
"She was concerned about her medical condition and was worried about who would be carrying for him in the event that she passed away," he said.
Joel reportedly suffered from a disability that left him unable to care for himself. He spent his weekdays in a group home before coming over to his grandmother's apartment on the weekends. Thiers said his father was dead, and his mother estranged.
"You never know totally what someone is thinking. In this case, I don’t know if she's thinking about the wellbeing of her grandson or if she's thinking about herself," Thiers said.
He, however, added that they had no choice but to prosecute the 87-year-old because "she took a human life" and Joel's death was "thought out" and "planned".
Lillian will be in protective medical custody until she is released by a doctor. The charges against her in connection to her grandson's overdose death are currently pending, but she is expected to be arraigned on second-degree murder.
Authorities are currently waiting on a toxicology report to determine the concoction of drugs that killed Joel. Anyone with further information on the case has been advised to contact Detective Adrian Meridan at 941-932-9326 or email your information to crimetips@cityofbradenton.com.