Police: Woman restrains elderly mother in cage-like structure

REDMOND, Wash. — Police arrested a 65-year-old woman Tuesday, who is suspected of mistreating her elderly mother by locking her inside a cage-like structure.

According to police, Patty Matsumoto allegedly used to keep her 89-year-old mother, who suffers from dementia, restrained in a bed.

“There were hinges and doors and locks on the outside and she couldn’t get out unless she was let out from somebody on the outside,” said Mike Dowd of the Redmond Police Department. “Basically, imprisoned by her daughter, just kept her in at night, kept her in the crib and then during the day she was restrained in a chair.”

According to police, detectives started investigating when someone tipped off adult protective services in August 2011.

Redmond investigators said, while in their daughter’s care, neither parent, including Matsumoto’s 92-year-old father, who is blind and also suffers from dementia, received enough food or medicine.

Police said Matsumoto also embezzled over $67,000 from her parents.

She was booked and then released. KIRO-7 eyewitness news reporter Alison Grande went to Matsumoto’s Redmond condominium Wednesday night. Matsumoto didn’t come to the door, but Michael Conlin did.   Conlin is Matsumoto’s boyfriend, he made the wood structure around the bed. He said, “I admit we did make some mistakes but they were honest mistakes. We weren’t trying to harm them. And stealing money, that’s totally ridiculous.”  He said Matsumoto loves her parents and was just trying to keep them safe. Both elderly parents suffer from dementia, Matsumoto’s father is legally blind.

After the initial call to Adult Protective Services in 2011, the state filed protection order on behalf of both parents to remove them from their daughter’s care.  In a statement to the court, Patty Matsumoto wrote, "I recognize now that the wooden structure around my mother's bed was a very ill-advised attempt to help my parents."  She said she put the structure around her mother’s bed to keep her in bed to help with the water retention problem with her mother’s leg.

“She made a promise to her dad she would stay, keep the family together. So we were trying to keep the family together, “Conlin said Wednesday night.

Now Matsumoto’s parents are in a 24 hour care facility in Monroe and Conlin isn’t happy about it, “I wonder what it’s costing their estate right not to pay for the guardians that are taking care of them right now? Patty should be taking care of them. “

The prosecutor’s office told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Amy Clancy that it will get the case from Redmond detectives in the next few days and then a decision will be made.

Matsumoto could face charges of theft and unlawful imprisonment.

KIRO