Two sisters face murder charges after mother found dead in San Diego

Two California sisters have been charged with first-degree murder three months after their elderly mother was discovered dead inside her San Diego flat, trapped in the gap between a pullout sofa and a bed frame.

Discovery of Kun-Ying Yang

According to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD), emergency dispatchers received a 999 call shortly before midnight on 6 March from family members of 81-year-old Kun-Ying Yang, who had been found unresponsive in her flat on the 6300 block of Genesee Avenue. When officers and paramedics arrived, they found Yang "positioned awkwardly on a bed."

SDPD Acting Lieutenant Christopher Leahy subsequently confirmed to FOX 5 and The San Diego Union-Tribune that she had been lying face-down, wedged between a pullout sofa and a bed frame. Despite the efforts of medical personnel to save her life, Yang was pronounced dead at the scene.

Autopsy and cause of death

Leahy revealed that Yang had been in that position for a minimum of 15 hours before she was found. A subsequent post-mortem examination determined that she had died from positional asphyxia, with neglect listed as a contributing factor. Her manner of death was formally ruled a homicide.

"We don't know how she got into awkward positioning. She clearly should not have been in that position, and efforts were not made to remove her or get her appropriate medical care."

Sisters arrested and charged

In the course of the investigation into Yang's death, detectives and investigators from Adult Protective Services established that her two daughters — Ingrid Wu, 52, and Rebecca Wu, 53 — had been the primary carers for both Yang and her husband, the women's 88-year-old father, both of whom were unable to look after themselves.

"The suspects endangered their parents' health and failed to act as legally required, leading to the neglect of their 88-year-old father and the death of their mother."

Leahy also noted that prior complaints had been made regarding the standard of care the parents were receiving.

Ingrid and Rebecca were arrested on Thursday, 4 June. Court records confirm that both women have been charged with first-degree murder. The elder abuse charges against them relate to the alleged neglect of their father. The pair have been remanded to Las Colinas women's jail in Santee and are not eligible for bail.