Florida man accused of stealing from mom, leaving her to die

PARKER, Fla. (AP) – Authorities say a 43-year-old man drained his disabled mother’s bank accounts and left her to die in the Florida Panhandle home they shared.

Herbert Todd Atkinson was extradited to Bay County on Tuesday from Dothan, Alabama, where he had been jailed on multiple charges since last year. He now faces charges of aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person and felony animal abuse.

Police discovered the decaying body of 73-year-old Ramona Atkinson in April 2014. The News Herald of Panama City (http://bit.ly/1Im7OPy ) reports she had already been dead several months when police found her. The body of her dog was also inside the house.

Investigators believe Atkinson argued with his mother over money to support his drug habit. They say he took his mother’s wheelchair when he abandoned her.