Florida man admits dismembering 70-year-old mom over her medical problems

Investigators in Brevard County said that a Florida man admitted to beating and dismembering the body of his 70-year-old mother after he became frustrated about her failing health.

According to WFTV, Francis Riccio was being extradited from New York to central Florida on Friday on charges of first-degree murder.

Brevard County deputies said that the remains of Francis Riccio's mother, Maureen Riccio, were found in a drainage ditch about two weeks ago by a cell tower maintenance worker who thought they might be a dead animal.

Investigators believe that Francis Riccio had become frustrated over his mother's mounting medical issues and was unable to find a facility to care for her. He was eventually located in New York, where he admitted that an argument led to the killing. Police said that Francis Riccio told them that he beat his mother, dismembered her body and then dumped the remains a few days later.

Investigators determined that Maureen Riccio's body had been left in her home while her son purchased the tools he used to divide her into pieces.

"At one point, the son dismembered his mother in order to make her easier to transport," Maj. Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office explained to Florida Today.

Goodyear said that investigators did not believe that Social Security payments were a motivation for the murder, but the New York City Police Department was investigating stolen items allegedly sold on Craigslist.

"It can be very hard sometimes to take care of elderly parents," Goodyear pointed out. "It can be very frustrating, but I think that’s one of the things we sign on for as sons and daughters."

Watch this video from Florida Today, broadcast May 31, 2012.

Watch this video from WFTV, broadcast May 31, 2013.