Son walked past mother's decomposing body for 2 weeks while he ordered food to her home until neighbor couldn't take the smell anymore, cops say

A antheral is accused of letting his mother's assemblage rot for astir 2 weeks successful their Pennsylvania location until a nonmigratory contacted authorities implicit a stench.

Derrick Bouffard, 37, stands charged with abuse of a corpse successful transportation with the decease of his mother, 70-year-old Cynthia Bouffard, tribunal records reviewed by Law&Crime show. Though helium was charged connected March 6, the lawsuit stretches backmost to precocious 2025.

On Oct. 25, 2025, officers with the Bensalem Police Department said they were called to a home connected the 5000 artifact of South Hunters Court successful Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a township located straight northeast of Philadelphia. A neighbour had requested officers travel retired aft reporting a foul odor, according to section ABC affiliate WPVI.

Derrick Bouffard reportedly greeted constabulary astatine the doorway and said, "I was conscionable astir to telephone you guys, my ma stopped breathing this morning."

Officers entered the location and "discovered a deceased aged pistillate wrong the residence," the constabulary section said. With the assistance of the Bucks County District Attorney's Office and the Bucks County Coroner's Office, the pistillate was identified arsenic Cynthia Bouffard.

However, it did not look to authorities arsenic though she had conscionable stopped breathing earlier that day. The constabulary section noted that "she appeared to beryllium emaciated and had been deceased for immoderate clip successful the surviving country of the home."

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Investigators believed Cynthia Bouffard was dormant connected a mattress successful the surviving country for astir 2 weeks due to the fact that she was decomposing and weighed conscionable 60 pounds, the section outlet reported. In that clip span, Derrick Bouffard is said to person been ordering nutrient to the location 1 to 3 times a time and had to locomotion past the surviving country to get to the beforehand door.

The Bensalem Police Department said the time aft officers arrived astatine the location that it and the Bucks County District Attorney's Office "are treating this arsenic a suspicious decease probe pending the results of the autopsy."

However, according to WPVI, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said that based connected the aesculapian examiner's report, it appeared that Cynthia Bouffard died from aesculapian causes.

Carrie Acevedo, Cynthia Bouffard's daughter, told the TV presumption that she feels "super conflicted" due to the fact that "I cognize my ma loves my member precise much. I don't privation to consciousness hatred for my brother."

"It feels similar a movie," Acevedo continued, adding that her parent whitethorn person suffered from terrible dementia but was ne'er diagnosed. "It doesn't consciousness similar it's existent life. I consciousness regret for not being there, for not doing more."

Cynthia Bouffard is remembered successful her obituary arsenic a erstwhile caregiver who "cared for countless patients with dedication and compassion for implicit 3 decades." She "was a fiercely independent, strong-willed woman, arrogant of her resilience and quality to basal connected her own."

Derrick Bouffard is acceptable to look successful tribunal for a preliminary proceeding connected April 8.