Mom arrested after disabled son, 27, dies of malnourishment

A Colorado woman has been arrested in the death of her 27-year-old disabled son, who investigators say was undernourished and weighed about 90 pounds when he died.

Carol Carpenter, 69, of Blanca, was arrested Monday on a charge of first-degree murder for the Oct. 23 death of Corey Carpenter, according to Susan Medina, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Costilla County Undersheriff Andrew Espinoza told The Denver Post the man did not know how to prepare his own food, and he was so malnourished that his bones showed through his skin.

“He wasn’t provided the food and water he needed to live,” the undersheriff said, adding that the man died of abandonment and neglect.

Blanca Mayor Myrrl Smith said Carol Carpenter and her son lived in an old trailer home perched on the side of Mount Blanca.

“He was totally disabled. She had to take care of him ever since her husband died,” said Smith, who described Carol Carpenter as “a little, bitty old skinny woman” who kept to herself.

The mayor said it has been about 50 years since a murder happened in the close-knit community of about 550 people.

Court documents do not indicate if Carol Carpenter has hired an attorney.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.