A 40-year-old man, Anthony Caruso, is currently facing a second-degree murder charge after Miami Beach police discovered the body of his mother in a dumpster, as local law enforcement responded to a wellness check this past Saturday. According to a statement obtained by 7News, the mother, identified as Elizabeth Caruso, had been visiting from New Jersey due to concerns about her son's mental health. The call for the wellness check came after a few hours had passed without contact from Elizabeth, prompting her son-in-law to notify the police.
On arriving at the scene, Miami Beach Police discovered a blood trail to quickly uncover the grisly scene. “We did discover a female victim inside of a waste container and an investigation revealed there was a trail of blood coming from that apartment unit to the trash chute and subsequently down the trash chute inside of the waste container,” said Miami Beach Police Public Information Officer Christopher Bess, in an interview with 7News. Police efforts to contact Anthony at his residence initially were met with resistance, sparking an eight-hour standoff involving the Miami Beach Police SWAT team and a police K-9. The suspect was later apprehended with an injury to his right arm, caused by the police K-9 during the operation to gain his compliance.
Residents in the vicinity, like Gladys, who lives on the eighth floor of the Blackstone Apartments located at 800 Washington Avenue, spoke about the chaos the incident brought to their doorstep. "The whole street was closed, and all around the building too. No one could pass by, or nobody could stand here. There were just a lot of police," she told 7News.
Following the arrest, Anthony Caruso was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center for his injuries before being transferred to the Miami Beach Police Criminal Investigation Division for questioning. Details around the case continue to unravel as the investigation proceeds. “When our officers tried to make contact with the subject, he barricaded himself," said Bess in a statement provided to NBC Miami. The Miami Beach Police Department has not yet released further information on the circumstances leading to Elizabeth Caruso's death. Anthony Caruso is expected to appear before a judge today.
