Mother, 2 adult children face neglect charges after elderly family member found in deplorable conditions

A mother and two children in Forward Township face neglect charges after an elderly family member in their care was found covered in waste, suffering with head lice and with toenails so long they “appeared not to have been maintained in years,” according to police.

Lori Giacomelli, 56, Rachael Giacomelli, 24, and Nicholas Giacomelli, 20, are all charged with two counts each of neglect of a care-dependent person.

Other family members of the victim, a 76-year-old woman, became concerned in late November when they could not reach her via phone. She was living in a home in Forward with Giocomelli, who is her ex-daughter-in-law, and Giacomelli’s two children.

When family members went to the home, they found the woman on a couch, unable to lift her head or sit up, covered in urine and feces, according to the criminal complaint. She was next to a broken window covered only with cardboard, the complaint said.

Paramedics noted that the couch, itself, was soaked with waste, and the victim’s hair was matted, according to the complaint. The victim’s daughter later said that her mother’s hair was so filthy that a washcloth she was using to clean it was “coming back brown.”

When paramedics asked the victim what year it was, she said it was 1949, police said.

She had head lice, and her toenails were 6 inches long and “curled on top of her feet,” according to the complaint. A case investigator with Adult Protective Services told police the nails “were nothing but fungi” and “appeared not to have been maintained in years.”

Police said the woman’s phone had been wiped of all phone numbers, and Lori Giacomelli was in possession of her Medicare card and PNC bank card. The victim’s daughter said bank statements show purchases at fast food restaurants, gas stations and auto parts stores.

Other purchases, according to the complaint, included visits to nail salons and a new vehicle.

In an interview with police, Lori Giacomelli said she thought something had been wrong with the victim for months but did not seek help, according to the complaint.

“Lori did admit that she and her kids could have done more for (the victim),” police wrote, “and she stated she feels like she is going to be arrested for this.”

The victim has since tested positive for covid-19, according to the complaint. She’d already been diagnosed with pneumonia.

Officers said they asked Lori Giacomelli if it would be because of her lack of care if the victim died, and she said yes.

Lori Giacomelli was released Thursday on nonmonetary bond, according to court records. Nicholas Giacomelli posted bond on Thursday and was released. Rachael Giacomelli, according to court records, remained in the Allegheny County Jail on Friday, unable to post bail.

Preliminary hearings for all are scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 29. Court records did not list attorneys for anyone involved.