A Florida woman was arrested last week after her mother was reportedly found murdered with her heart removed.
On March 6, Tallahassee police found Earleen Tucker, 58, walking around naked and refusing to return to her home and get dressed. Tucker went on to tell police that they needed to take her to the station because she had committed a “grievous crime,” according to WCTV.
Tucker allegedly led officers to the townhome she shared with her mother, Lucille Tucker — where she was seen standing over a human organ feet from the front door. Officers searching for Earleen Tucker’s clothing then discovered her mother lying face-up in a bloody bed with multiple sharp-force injuries to her chest, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
Blood was reportedly found in a bathroom sink and a hallway leading to the victim’s bedroom. A knife was located on a nearby dresser.
An investigation confirmed that the organ discovered near the front door was Lucille Tucker’s heart. While being interrogated, Earleen Tucker admitted to “cutting out her mother’s heart to inspect it,” detectives wrote.
“I murdered my mom in that house. She was mean to me but I didn’t care. I loved her black color but she didn’t love mine,” she also stated, per WCTV.
Family said that Earleen Tucker, a former nursing assistant, moved in with her mother a year earlier as her mother had health issues. They claimed Earleen Tucker was hospitalized for mental health issues 30-40 years ago and again in 2009. Meanwhile, her daughter said she suspected her mother had schizophrenia, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
A relative claimed they saw Earleen and Lucille Tucker together at the townhome days before the grisly discovery. Before police responded to the home last week, Earleen Tucker allegedly called a relative and asked her, “If she could be anyone other than herself, who would she be?” WCTV reported that she hung up a minute later.
The family member called back three times. Earleen Tucker did not answer the phone the first time. The second time, she answered the phone but would not talk. Ten minutes after the initial call, Earleeen Tucker answered the phone but ended the call about 45 seconds later. She did not respond after that.
Earleeen Tucker has pleaded not guilty to her mother’s murder. She is scheduled to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine whether she is fit to stand trial.
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[Feature Photo: Earleen Tucker/Leon County Sheriff’s Office]
