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66-year-old Gulfport woman dead after police say she was neglected by caretakers

 
Caretaker Debra Poulos, 61, is charged with neglect.
Caretaker Debra Poulos, 61, is charged with neglect.
Published June 26, 2016

GULFPORT — A 66-year-old woman is dead after police say she was purposefully neglected by her caretakers in a roach-infested apartment.

The caretakers — Jennifer Susan Poulos and Debra Germaine Poulos — called Gulfport police Friday night about the woman's death in the 5300 block of 29th Avenue S.

Police said the caretakers failed to provide adequate care for the woman while they all lived together in the same home for the past eight months. That apartment was infested with bugs, cluttered and uninhabitable, police said.

Investigators did not immediately release the dead woman's identity or her relation to Jennifer Poulos, 41, or Debra Poulos, 61. Both women are charged with one count of neglect of an elderly or disabled adult.

The caretakers told police they moved out of the apartment eight to 10 days before the woman's death. That left her alone, police said, with little ability to care for herself.

She was frail and the apartment didn't have any clear path to walk from room to room, according to investigators.

Jennifer Poulos also has a 4-year-old son who was living in the filthy apartment for the past eight months, police said. He has since been removed from her care, pending further investigation.