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Authorities in Florida are delving into the tragic case of a 76-year-old woman’s murder, following a startling confession from her grandson.
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office was alerted on Monday during a welfare check, which led to the grim discovery of Patricia Dibella’s body inside her apartment, according to a report by WPBF. Court documents indicate that Dibella’s son-in-law contacted emergency services after his son, Nicholas Ivey, allegedly informed him of his grandmother’s death.
Upon arrival, deputies encountered Ivey outside the residence. He reportedly informed them that Dibella was deceased inside the apartment. Upon entering, the officers found the elderly woman lifeless in her bed.
Ivey was subsequently detained and allegedly confessed without prompting that he had killed his grandmother the previous Sunday. He claimed that an altercation began when she allegedly poked him in the back with a kitchen knife, leading him to break her neck. He then reportedly struck and stomped on her head after she fell to the floor, before moving her body from the kitchen to her bed.
Afterwards, Ivey allegedly cleaned the crime scene and placed the knife, which he claimed Dibella had used, into a drawer.
He also washed the sweatshirt he was wearing, because it was covered in blood, and put it back on.
Then, he called his father, who didn’t answer the phone. He told detectives he didn’t call 911 because he wanted to talk it over with his father first.
Ivey has been booked into the Indian River County Jail on charges of grand theft auto, criminal use of personal identification, unlawful possession of stolen credit cards, and fraudulent use of credit cards but not anything related to Dibella’s death.
When asked why, a sheriff’s office spokesperson responded that the charges “reflect the facts known at the time of arrest.”
“Formal murder charges are determined and filed as soon as certain evidence is processed,” the spokesperson said. “That process is still ongoing, but we expect charges consistent with murder.”
Murder charges have not been filed as of Friday, jail records show, and Ivey remains behind bars with $400,000 in bonds.