
A man from Pensacola, Florida, was arrested Thursday when police found his mother’s corpse had been on his couch for months, WTSP reports.
A deputy was sent to the residence of 81-year-old Joyce Willis on May 13 to check on her. He smelled a “foul odor” in the home and then discovered her decomposed corpse underneath blankets on the sofa.
According to the Medical Examiner’s Office, Willis died approximately 30-120 days before she was found, WTSP reports. Willis’ son, Michael Eugene Sticken, 60, had allegedly ignored family members who tried to get in contact his mother since January, WTSP reports.
He told deputies he was not “responsible for his mother’s death” and called her “his best friend,” according to a police report.
Investigators found that Sticken had withdrawn all of his mother’s monthly Social Security payments from their joint bank account since January, WTSP reports. Sticken was charged with grand theft and failure to report a death.
By reviewing bank records, investigators found that Sticken had been making withdrawals from a joint bank account he shared with his mother. The only deposits made since January were Willis’ monthly $1,400 Social Security payments, all of which had been withdrawn by Sticken.
Investigators found significant cause to charge Sticken with grand theft and failure to report a death. He was booked into Santa Rosa County Jail Thursday morning on $6,000 bond.