An Indiana woman and her son murdered her mother in a Virginia assisted living facility last month, with Heather Cummings holding the 81-year-old woman down while Clifton Cummings strangled her with a bag strap.
Court documents say Heather Cummings told Cleo Loizides, “Just let go, it’s for the best,” as she struggled for breath, the Virginian-Pilot reported.
Staff at Commonwealth Cenior Living at Leigh Hall found Loizides dead just before midnight on June 30. The documents say she had marks on her neck consistent with strangulation.
Police initially said the cause and manner of death was undetermined, WTKR reported, but on Tuesday a medical examiner ruled her death homicide by strangulation.
Heather Cummings, 53, and Clifton Cummings, 24, were arrested late Tuesday night and charged with second degree murder. They are being held without bond in the Norfolk city jail.
Criminal complaints filed in the case that the mother and son confessed and said they had travelled from Heather Cummings home in Indiana to kill Loizides, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
The documents did not provide a motive for the murder.
An obituary for Loizides said that Heather Cummings was her only child and Clifton Cummings her only grandchild.
