Felony Charge in Death of Elderly Roommate

(Hoarder charged with elder abuse)...

Felony charge in death of elderly roommate -
Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

A 56-year-old graphic designer was charged Tuesday with felony elder abuse in the death of her 72-year-old roommate, who was found inside the squalid home they had shared for years, San Francisco authorities said. Mary Moehle called 911 early Saturday to report her longtime housemate Janet Nieto was unconscious inside the home they shared in the Forest Hill area of San Francisco. Nieto died on Sunday.

When paramedics arrived at 2 a.m. Saturday, they found dozens of white 5-gallon buckets of urine and excrement. Moehle, who is the owner of the house, meanwhile, tried to stop Nieto from being treated. "The suspect tried to prevent the Fire Department from administering first aid," said Sgt. Neville Gittens, a police spokesman. "She was trying to stop them." Police called in hazardous materials crews to clean the home. The cause of Nieto's death has not been determined. Moehle told police that the buckets -- which she bought at a hardware store -- were just to hold waste because the plumbing had not been working for several months, investigators said. "It's rare," said Inspector Al Lum of the case. "I haven't come across one like this before. Not this bad. It was very dirty, a lot of collected newspapers."

Moehle was charged on Tuesday with one count of elder abuse or neglect. Later that day, she was taken Tuesday to San Francisco General Hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Last year, Moehle was evicted after she failed to pay rent for an office where she ran her company, Baseline Designs, said L. Peter Ryan, the attorney for the building owner. Ryan said when she eventually left, the owner found buckets of human waste in the office. Halstead Hannah, a local artist, said Moehle contacted him to do art for various brochures for environmental causes over the years. He said he talked to Nieto as well. "She took real good care of Jan," Hannah said, shocked by the allegations of abuse. "When I saw her (Nieto), she was not in good shape. "Mary was always donating her time to do environmental stuff. She would do pro bono work."

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