Police arrest woman on suspicion of killing her 48-year-old daughter

Police arrested a 78-year-old woman on suspicion of murdering her 48-old-daughter, who was found dead in her home in Rehovot on Monday.

The younger woman had mental health issues and was cared for by her mother, Hebrew outlets reported on Wednesday. Neighbors expressed skepticism regarding the mother’s guilt, as police sought to keep the suspect in detention.

The victim’s body was found by her sister, who came to her home after trying and failing to reach her by phone.

She called the police after finding her sister, lifeless, alongside the mother, who was in a semi-conscious state and was shuttled to the hospital in serious condition.

Law enforcement suspect that the daughter was killed several days before her corpse was found. They transferred her body to Tel Aviv’s Abu Kabir forensic institute for professional examination.

Police believe she was killed either by strangulation or poisoning from pills, according to the Kan public broadcaster.

The mother was due for a hearing in the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, with police seeking to extend her remand while they investigated the suspected homicide. The incident is being probed by the Shfela crime prevention unit.

The suspect remains in poor health and was unable to speak to her defense attorney when her remand was first extended on Tuesday. Police have not yet taken a statement from her, the Ynet news outlet reported.

Speaking to the outlet, locals expressed skepticism that the mother had a hand in her child’s death, with one neighbor insisting that “the girl was her entire life.”

“She had been caring for her with love and devotion; it makes no sense that she’s suspected of murdering her daughter,” he told Ynet.

Another neighbor, who has known the suspect for 17 years, said “there’s no chance” that the mother was guilty. “This is a horrible tragedy. The mother was a good woman and neighbor who always helped out,” she said.