A Florida daughter who helped her 97-year-old mother die by suicide allegedly told police she did so at the elderly woman’s request — and now she’s charged with first-degree murder.
Police did not buy the story Martha Jo Blake, 66, was selling to them after her mother, Patricia Blake, died.
Deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded to Patricia’s Palm Beach home on the morning of Friday, December 26. Martha Jo, who had called 911, was there and told police that she last saw her mother alive the night before.
Then, the autopsy was performed, and Patricia’s death was determined to be from homicidal violence, and police claim the daughter began changing her tune.
The autopsy revealed “something” had been “placed on [Patricia’s] face” and that her body displayed other signs of possible strangulation.
Martha Jo initially told investigators her mom had long suffered from Parkinson’s disease as well as a thyroid disorder. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the medical examiner found there was a lack of post-mortem blood pooling in Patricia Blake’s nose, which would be “consistent with something being placed on the face” before her death.
Medical examiners also found Patricia had recently experienced internal bleeding and petechiae in the older woman’s eyes, cheeks, and inside the mouth, indicating possible strangulation. Patricia’s neck also had a “fresh fracture” and hemorrhaging on both sides.
Detectives looked at the body camera footage shot at the scene and noted that Martha Jo refused to leave her mother’s body while police were present. Police searched the home, finding a pair of socks in a shopping bag that had been placed inside of a garbage bag and left on the front porch as well as bedding from Patricia Blake’s room and “the clothing that Martha stated she was wearing when she strangled Patricia,” according to the Sentinel.
Martha Jo spoke to police about what happened before she was arrested.
It is alleged in a probable cause affidavit obtained by the newspaper that Martha Jo told police that she had been her mother’s caregiver for the last five years, and that in 2024, they had a hard discussion about “death with dignity.” Martha Jo said Patricia’s doctor told them she was not eligible for right to die treatment because she was not suffering from a terminal illness.
Under Maine statutes, a person seeking physician-assisted suicide have a terminal illness with a six-month prognosis. Parkinson’s disease isn’t technically a terminal illness but can contribute to other fatal complications.
Police allege Martha Jo decided to take care of the matter herself. She allegedly told police that she and her mother discussed “suicide by taking pills,” but that they did not have anything on hand that was “lethal” enough. Martha Jo explained to police that her mother told her “She did not want to live” anymore, “and has told her this many times.” After Martha Jo was read her rights, she maintained her claim that she helped her mom die at her mother’s behest.
Martha is being held at the Main Detention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, without bond. Her next court date is scheduled for January 25, 2026.
If you are experiencing elder abuse or suspect someone you know is, you can call the Eldercare Locator at (800) 677-1116 and speak to a specially trained operator who can refer you to a local agency that can help. The Eldercare Locator accepts calls Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
