Several troubling allegations emerged from the testimony of a caregiver who cared for María Isabel in May 2021. She was living with a niece in Rivas-Vaciamadrid at the time, after moving from another residence. The testimony describes Arancha Palomino and an actor connected to the household as figures central to these claims. The work arrangement lasted only six days, but the effects of the situation lingered in the caregiver’s account.
According to the statement reviewed by investigative reporters, the caregiver reported early difficulties with participation in the treatment plan. She described María Isabel as an elderly woman who appeared neglected in a home environment that some found dirty and unhygienic. The caregiver said the elder was placed in a nursery on a low bed not suitable for someone with diminished mobility, and she claimed the bathrooms were not usable in the house. She added that facilities outside the home were used for basic needs, including the toilet in the garage when necessary.
“I had to go down the day after I started work”, the caregiver recalled, noting that she was asked to check on María Isabel in the garage when the elderly woman had been left alone for extended periods. The caregiver said she was told she would bathe María Isabel, but the bath never occurred during her stay, even after a second day passed.
“He ate the sandwiches I brought”
The caregiver described a household where clothing changes did not occur regularly and many of María Isabel’s belongings were packed into a small travel bag. She claimed there was little to eat at home beyond basic items like milk and cookies. She said she often brought her own meals to feed María Isabel, who appeared to rely on those provisions because nothing substantial was available in the house. The caregiver expressed genuine sorrow about the situation, emphasizing the emotional strain of witnessing such neglect.
According to the caregiver’s account, María Isabel was entrusted with administering her aunt’s medications after meals, with the elder family member claiming responsibility for the task. The caregiver stated she never saw the actual drugs being given. An autopsy subsequently indicated that María Isabel had been treated with four different antipsychotic medications: quetiapine, risperidone, aripiprazole, and haloperidol. Doctors had prescribed these drugs at different times, and the coroner noted that administering four distinct antipsychotic medications concurrently was unusual.
“an obstacle”
The caregiver described María Isabel as a kind and caring person who, despite the circumstances, was treated poorly by the household’s occupants. She indicated that Luis was more composed but could be manipulative and controlling. The caregiver felt the brother-in-law exerted influence over Arancha. She described the couple’s stepson as aggressive toward María Isabel and claimed the elder woman was sometimes subjected to kicks. The caregiver observed that the elder did not seem to receive the care she deserved, with María Isabel often expressing confusion about why she had been brought to Madrid and a desire to return to Asturias.
She asserted that the overall care did not meet the elder’s needs and that María Isabel’s repeated question about being brought somewhere she did not recognize reflected a deeper sense of displacement and distress in the home.
they didn’t pay him
After six days, the caregiver left the home under stress and reported that she had not received any compensation. She described an experience where a judge would need to authorize certain matters, but money was not available. She acknowledged that the relationship with the household deteriorated and that the terms of the contract had not been fulfilled, leading to a confrontation and her decision to leave in tears.
The caregiver’s account contrasts with that of a second caregiver, who now faces investigation by the court and had cared for María Isabel during the final weeks of her life. María Isabel had reportedly been content in the care of her nephew in Asturias, where she felt less lonely, but circumstances in Madrid presented a starkly different experience.
A judge from Arganda del Rey maintains the actor and his wife under investigation, in addition to the remaining caregiver. The Civil Guard’s latest report presents a view of a plan to financially exploit the elderly, coupled with neglect, isolation, and eventual harm ending in María Isabel’s death. This evolving case continues to unfold as the judicial process advances.