Welcome to Arrest Stories. A sixty-six-year-old Palm Beach County woman has been arrested on first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of her ninety-seven-year-old mother. Here's what may have happened.
On December twenty-sixth, deputies responded to the twenty-eight hundred block of Ashley Drive West in West Palm Beach for a death investigation. Patricia Blake was found deceased at the Cresthaven Villas, a fifty-five-and-older community where she lived with her daughter, Martha Jo Blake. Martha Jo Blake told investigators she last saw her mother alive around ten p.m. on Christmas night.
Because Patricia Blake's primary care physician was out of state, the death was referred to the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. The medical examiner's office performed an autopsy and found multiple findings inconsistent with a natural death, ruling it a homicide.
The autopsy revealed that Patricia Blake had a fresh neck fracture, an internal hemorrhage on both sides of her neck, and indications that something had been placed over her face. The medical examiner determined that Patricia Blake either was suffocated or strangled.
Detectives from the violent crimes division returned to the home and interviewed Martha Jo Blake. During questioning, Martha Jo Blake told investigators her mother had expressed a desire to die because she suffered from various illnesses, including Parkinson's disease and a thyroid disorder. According to police reports, Martha Jo Blake explained that this was a form of assisted suicide. However, Patricia's physician told them she did not qualify due to not having a terminal illness.
Martha Jo Blake was arrested at the Cresthaven Villas community on December twenty-seventh. During her first court appearance, a motion for pretrial detention was granted, and she is being held without bail.
Neighbors described seeing Martha Jo Blake regularly pushing her mother outside and providing what appeared to be good care.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.