Neglected woman found dead in shallow grave. Her grandson was arrested at the border

A body matching the description of a Florida grandmother was found in a shallow grave about a mile from her home, and her grandson is just one person facing charges in connection with her death.

Deputies with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office were called to check on the well-being of a woman in a home in the 10200 block of North Academy Drive in Citrus Springs around 10:30 a.m. Friday. Relatives called the sheriff’s office after they got “conflicting stories” about where 79-year-old Ecie Gabrielsen was from her grandson, Arthur Miller, according to a news release.

Once inside the house, deputies found it to be “completely neglected” with old garbage, cockroaches and animal and human feces. Gabrielsen was not there. Detectives arrived to continue the investigation.

Members of Gabrielsen’s family told investigators Miller, 36, and his 32-year-old girlfriend Vivian Gutierrez had just left family members in Arkansas. He told them his grandmother was in a nursing home.

Later, Miller told family members his grandmother died and he buried her, according to the sheriff’s office.

Detectives started looking for Miller and contacting various law enforcement agencies.

As investigators searched for Gabrielsen near the Citrus Springs home, they found what appeared to be a shallow grave in a wooded area about a mile from the house, according to the sheriff’s office.

Remains found in the area fit the description of Gabrielsen, according to the sheriff’s office. However, the medical examiner’s office will make a final identification of the remains.

Miller and Gutierrez were found trying to pass through a Border Patrol checkpoint in Las Cruces, N.M.,on Sunday and taken into custody, according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators interviewed Miller, who admitted to neglecting Gabrielsen to the point of death and burying her in the woods, according to the sheriff’s office.

Miller and Gutierrez were arrested and charged with one felony count of neglect. They will be extradited to Citrus County. Miller was also charged with a felony count of gross abuse of a human body. Additional charges are pending, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Our hearts go out to Mrs. Gabrielsen’s loved ones,” said Sheriff Mike Prendergast. “This is a sad case to report upon considering the facts, and Mrs. Gabrielsen deserved better.”