A 51-year-old Elk Grove woman who was hospitalized last week after her 11-year-old son allegedly beat her with an extension cord has died, but not because of the assault, authorities say.
The woman died around 9 p.m. Monday at a local hospital of an unrelated, pre-existing condition, Elk Grove Police Department spokesman Chris Trim said.
Patch is not naming the woman because of a policy to not identify juvenile crime suspects.
The 11-year-old boy, who attends Foulks Ranch Elementary School, was arrested on Sept. 10 after police say he hit his mother several times with an extension cord. A third party alerted the police and also informed authorities that the incident wasn't the first time the boy had attacked his mother, Trim said.
Trim said police hadn't been called out to any previous conflicts between the boy and his mother.
The mother's poor health meant the 11-year-old had been caring for her at their Laguna-area home, but not in any official capacity.
"They were the only two living in that residence, so by default he became a care-giver," Trim said.
The boy had been in juvenile hall since his arrest, and Sacramento County Juvenile Court officials released him into the care of his father Monday, according to the Sacramento Bee.
A Sacramento County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman declined to comment on the case because it is ongoing.
The boy still faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse; News10 reports he is due back in court next month.
Trim said most elder abuse cases involve an adult child and an elderly parent. In his more than two decades as a police officer in various cities, he has never seen a suspect this young accused of elder abuse.
"I can't think of a case that has been reversed like this," he said. "I can't think of anything where an 11-year-old has been taken into custody and been formally charged with assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse."
Sacramento County Chief Probation Officer Don Meyer said the case would likely play out in juvenile court; while some minors who commit particularly heinous crimes are required to be tried as adults, it only applies if the suspect is 14 or older. Meyer also declined to discuss the specifics of this case.
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