A Bell County grand jury agreed to bring the charges against Katrina Michelle Hoelscher, 37, of Temple after an autopsy supported suspicions police had when they responded to the call, said Paul McWilliams, assistant district attorney.
The two-paragraph indictment accuses Ms. Hoelscher of failing to provide proper nourishment and medical care to her 74-year-old mother, Nell Lorine Hoelscher.
Nell Hoelscher suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for several years and had moved in with her daughter after her condition worsened, said her sister-in-law, Rosemary Hockensmith, who lives in Louisville, Ky.
News of the charges against her niece surprised Mrs. Hockensmith.
“I had no idea about this,” she said.
McWilliams said that Ms. Hoelscher did not properly follow a doctor’s instruction while caring for her mother.
“She obviously needed daily care,” he said. “They had been living together for a period of time.”
McWilliams said Ms. Hoelscher made the call to police notifying them that her mother had died.
If convicted of the crime, Ms. Hoelscher could face a life sentence.
