Authorities in Florida have charged a woman with first-degree murder following the death of her 97-year-old mother, after investigators concluded the case was a homicide rather than a natural death.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded on Friday to a residence on Ashley Drive to investigate a reported death. Inside the home, they found Patricia Blake, 97, deceased and lying on her back beneath sheets.
Her daughter, Martha Jo Blake, told deputies she had last seen her mother alive around 10 p.m. the previous evening and described her as suffering from Parkinson’s disease and a thyroid condition.
An autopsy later raised concerns about the circumstances of Patricia Blake’s death. The medical examiner determined that the findings were inconsistent with natural causes and instead indicated homicide. Investigators noted signs commonly associated with suffocation, as well as evidence of trauma to the neck.
Review of law enforcement body camera footage also revealed a visible mark on the side of the elderly woman’s neck. Based on these findings, deputies obtained a search warrant and returned to the home, where they found Martha Blake accompanied by friends.
During a subsequent interview, authorities said Martha Blake admitted to causing her mother’s death. According to a criminal probable cause affidavit, she told investigators that she and her mother had previously discussed “death with dignity” with a physician approximately 18 months earlier. The request for assisted suicide was denied because the mother did not meet the legal criteria, which require a terminal diagnosis.
Investigators reported that the mother and daughter later discussed the possibility of ending her life using medication, but abandoned the plan after determining the available pills were not lethal.
Following the confession and the evidence gathered during the investigation, authorities said there was probable cause to arrest Martha Jo Blake on a charge of first-degree murder. She is currently being held at the Palm Beach County Jail as the case proceeds.
