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A Tennessee woman has been charged with abusing her 77-year-old mother after the elderly victim posted a sign in a window begging for help.
Julia Meusel, 52, was arrested for elderly abuse on Monday when a sign her mother placed in the front window of the house stating “HELP 911,” led authorities to the residence, according to an arrest report, Nashville Television station WTVF reported.
Metro Nashville Police, who were later dispatched to the home, located in the 1600 block of Carson Meadows Lane, made contact with the 77-year-old woman while conducting a welfare check.
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Meusel’s mother told law enforcement that her daughter had held her captive in a bedroom and had been physically abusive towards her for at least the past week. She alleged that her daughter also beat her, slapped her and attacked her with a tray. The elderly victim allegedly sustained bruises on her arm and leg during the suspected violent incident.
Meusel, who is her mother’s primary caretaker, was taken into custody and charged with elderly abuse. She was booked into the Metro Davidson County Detention Facility but was freed Tuesday morning after posting a $6,000 bond per WSMV-TV. Meusel is expected to appear in court before Judge Ana L. Escobar on July 11, according to Law & Crime.
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Authorities haven’t provided additional information.
The alleged elder abuse incident and Meusel’s arrest startled neighbors.
“Surprising, it’s a quiet neighborhood so [you] don’t really hear a lot going on,” nearby resident Bryan Figler told Nashville television station WSMV-TV. “I didn’t actually even know there was an elderly person in there,” neighbor Bryan Figler said. “I hope she gets the help that she needs, gets the resources she needs and recovers from all of this, it’s terrible.”
Meusel has a past arrest record. In April 2023, she was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault resulting in bodily injury, according to court records obtained by Oxygen.com. That case is currently active. Her next court date in that matter is set for July 14.
According to separate court documents, Meusel was also charged with domestic assault resulting in bodily injury in 2006 and 2022. Both cases, however, were dismissed.
