Heidi Matheny: Ohio woman drowns 93-year-old grandma in kitchen sink as she couldn't afford nursing home costs
EATON, OHIO: An Ohio woman confessed to drowning her grandmother the day after the 93-year-old was told she needed to be placed in a nursing home, according to reports. Eaton resident Heidi Matheny, 35, is now being charged with murder after admitting to the crime that took Alice Matheny's life on Tuesday, November 15.
Eaton Police were called to the Preble County Sheriff's Office after Heidi Matheny allegedly walked in and asked to be detained for drowning her grandmother. When officers investigated the apartment in the 300 block of East Somers Street, they found Alice Matheny dead in the bathtub. She was later transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy.
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The day before the incident, Heidi took her grandmother to the doctor, where it was suggested that she should check into a nursing facility, which Heidi could not afford, WDTN reported. According to the police report, Heidi told officers that it began as "a day like any other day." Heidi claimed that they had ice cream after which her grandmother was doing dishes at the kitchen sink, when Heidi came up behind her and pushed her head under the water. She told police that she held her grandmother there "until the bubbles stopped."
Heidi admitted that she then took her grandmother to the bathtub, filled it up and held her grandmother under for about another 15 minutes because she wasn’t sure if she was dead. Once Alice stopped breathing, she left her in the bathtub and went to the police station where she fessed up, WHIO reported. "It’s nothing that she did," Heidi said in the police interview. "She’s not – She’s the perfect freaking grandma," the accused added.
The police interview states that Heidi Matheny said she was "sick of seeing her," and that her grandmother was finally at peace. "According to the confession, she was just tired of taking care of a grandmother," Eaton Police Division Chief Steven Hurd said. "It’s difficult not to take this to heart when you have a 35-year-old granddaughter who allegedly drowned her grandmother of 93 years of age in the bathtub," Hurd added. Heidi is formally charged with one count of murder and is currently detained in the Preble County Jail. Her bond is set at $500,000 and she is scheduled to appear in court next Tuesday. Police said there are currently no other suspects.