HOUSTON (TCD) — A 59-year-old caregiver is in custody on suspicion of fatally strangling her 79-year-old mother and severing her spinal cord.
On Friday, Nov. 17, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 13300 block of Forest Knoll Street in reference to a medical emergency and found Vivian Kefauver unresponsive with apparent signs of trauma. According to KPRC-TV, deputies observed bruising around the victim’s neck. She was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences conducted an autopsy and determined that Kefauver died of critical injuries from strangulation. Her neck was reportedly fractured and her spinal cord was severed. According to the sheriff’s office, officials ruled the victim’s death a homicide.
The Sheriff’s Office spoke with the victim’s caretaker and daughter, Suzette Kefauver, and identified her as the primary suspect. Kefauver had allegedly been caring for her mother and living with her for approximately a year before her death.
During the interview, Suzette Kefauver reportedly said that she gave the victim a milkshake and walked away. When she came back, her mother was allegedly sitting on the floor. According to KPRC, Kefauver told deputies she attempted to lift her mother and put her back on the couch. After multiple failed attempts, Kefauver allegedly noticed that her mother wasn’t breathing.
Kefauver reportedly asked her neighbor for help. The neighbor went into the home and urged Kefauver to call 911, but she refused and asked her to assist in lifting her mother.
The neighbor reportedly told deputies that Kefauver repeatedly said that she “did not hurt her momma and the marks on her neck were not from abuse.”
According to KPRC, the neighbor told deputies that they tried to lift the victim with a gait belt, but it didn’t work, and the neighbor eventually convinced Kefauver to call 911.
On Tuesday, Nov. 21, deputies arrested Kefauver on suspicion of her mother’s murder. She remains held in the Harris CountyJail on $1 million bond.
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