The 6300 block of Genesee Avenue in the University City neighborhood of San Diego where an 81-year-old woman was recently found dead and stuffed in a couch (Google Maps).
Two sisters in Southern California were recently arrested after their octogenarian mother was found dead and "positioned awkwardly on a bed," according to law enforcement in the Golden State.
Ingrid Wu, 51, and Rebecca Wu, 53, stand accused of first-degree murder in the death of their mother, 81-year-old Kun-Ying Yang, and elder abuse in connection with the treatment of their 88-year-old father.
The underlying incident occurred in early March, when family members called to report the elderly woman unconscious and not breathing, according to the San Diego Police Department.
On March 6, the 911 call came in right around midnight, police told The San Diego Union-Tribune. Officers responded to the residence on Genesee Avenue in the University City neighborhood and found the victim deceased — and her body in a strange position.
Inside the apartment, Yang was discovered stuck in the crevice of a pullout couch, police said. She was lying face-first in the gap between the couch and the bed frame, according to law enforcement.
"We don't know how she got into awkward positioning," San Diego Police Lt. Christopher Leahy told the newspaper. "She clearly should not have been in that position, and efforts were not made to remove her or get her appropriate medical care."
Investigators determined the victim had likely been in that position for at least 15 hours, police said. The medical examiner determined she died from positional asphyxia with neglect as a contributing factor.
As the investigation continued, detectives learned the Wu sisters were their parents' caregivers because Yang and her husband no longer retained the ability to take care of themselves, police said.
As it turned out, the initial police estimate of the alleged neglect far undersold what officials say are the circumstances of the victim's death.
A declaration by San Diego Police Department Officer Chelsea Ulibarri was recently filed in court, which took note of a Mandarin-language interaction between the two sisters outside their apartment on the day law enforcement arrived. That conversation was allegedly recorded by officers' body-worn cameras at the scene of the crime.
Later, a Mandarin-speaking member of the police department translated the conversation and discovered a shocking alleged timeline.
Ingrid Wu "stated she believed Yang had been lying in the same position for approximately 10 to 20 days and admitted she only changed Yang's diapers and wiped her down rather than repositioning her," the declaration reads.
The same sister also allegedly discussed delaying medical care for her mother despite seeing the frail woman "in distress and unable to move," according to the declaration.
Both sisters allegedly talked about finding their mother trapped in the gap and waiting hours before calling for help, police said. In this account, the sisters found their mother at around 5:30 a.m. but waited more than 18 hours to dial 911.
"Ingrid repeatedly stated they 'should have called 911 immediately' and acknowledged they instead waited 'half a day until mom died to pick up the phone,'" the declaration states.
The declaration also details how the sisters' father was found.
The elderly man was anemic and dehydrated when emergency crews arrived at the residence. He had to be hospitalized for several weeks afterward and is now in a long-term care facility.
Temporary restraining orders prohibit the sisters from contacting their father, court records show.
"The suspects endangered their parents' health and failed to act as legally required, leading to the neglect of their 88-year-old father and the death of their mother," Leahy added.
Ingrid Wu and Rebecca Wu were arrested last week.
Ingrid Wu was arraigned on Monday and released after surrendering her passport, agreeing not to leave the state, and submitting to a GPS monitoring program, according to local NBC affiliate KNSD.
Rebecca Wu is slated to be arraigned on Tuesday and is currently detained in the Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee.
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