A Florida woman who told investigators she had discussed assisted suicide with her ailing motherhas been arrested on a murder chargein the death of the ailing 97-year-old woman.
Martha Jo Blake, 66, is facing a first-degree murder in the death of Patricia Blake after the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office ruled that the elder Blake's injuries were inconsistent with a natural death.
Autopsy findings indicate the elder Blake, whose body was found on Dec. 26 in the family's Greenacres-area home, was suffocated or strangled, according to her daughter's arrest report. The doctor performing the autopsy found that the 97-year-old had a fresh neck fracture, an internal hemorrhage on both sides of her neck and an indication that something had been placed over her face, the arrest report said.
The elder Blake suffered persistent illnesses, including Parkinson's disease and a thyroid disorder.
Investigators say that the younger Blake told them that her mother wanted to die because of her health issues and that she previously had discussed assisted suicide with her mother's primary care physician in Maine, where the practice is legal.
Blake also told investigators that her mother was deemed ineligible for Maine's assisted-suicide program because she did not have a terminal illness. She indicated she and her mother had discussed the option of suicide by taking pills but determined they did not have any that were lethal enough, authorities said.
An affidavit obtained by USA TODAY does not specify whether Blake denies or admits to wrongdoing but says she told investigators that she last saw her mother alive the night before she was found.
A judge assigned a public defender to represent her. The county Public Defender's Office has a policy of not commenting on active cases.
Where is assisted suicide legal?
Although what happened to Patricia Blake is unclear, the case raises questions over ongoing debate about assisted suicide.
Some states in the U.S. have moved to pass so-called "Death with Dignity" laws that allow for assisted suicide. Such laws are found worldwide but remain controversial.
Assisted suicide is legal in Washington, D.C., and 12 states: California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, according to Death with Dignity, a group that supports assisted-suicide laws.
The practice is illegal in Florida.
Several states that have legalized assisted suicide have guardrails in place to ensure the decision meets ethical and legal requirements. Commonly, patients must be at least 18 years old, a resident of the state in which they are seeking care and have a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less.
The following states are considering legalizing the practice: Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, according to Death with Dignity.
More about the history of assisted suicide laws
Oregon was the first state to pass laws supporting assisted suicide. The Oregon Death with Dignity Act went into effect in 1997, according to Death with Dignity.
Illinois andDelawarewere the latest states to legalize assisted suicide in 2025.
The law in Delaware allows terminally ill patients who have six months or less to live to request and receive medication that will "end the individual's life in a humane and dignified manner," according to reporting byThe New Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Around the world the practice is legal in Canada,nineEuropean countries andthreeLatin American countries, according toDignity in Dying, a London-based group that advocates in support of legalizing the practice.
Pope Leo XIV weighs in on Illinois legalizing assisted suicide
Pope Leo XIV, a native of Chicago, weighed in on his home state passing the controversial legislation.
Leo told reporters in Italy that he had directly expressed his disapproval of the legislation toGov. JB Pritzker.
"We were very clear about the necessity to respect the sacredness of life, from the very beginning to the very end," Leotold reportersat Castel Gandolfo, near Rome. "Unfortunately … he decided to sign that bill. I'm very disappointed about that. I would invite all people, especially on these Christmas feast days, to reflect upon the nature of human life, the goodness of human life."
Michael Loria is a senior reporter for USA TODAY.Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Was it mercy? Daughter faces murder charge in 97-year-old mom's death