Twin Brothers Live with Mother’s Corpse in Houston Home for 3 Months

Texas twins Edwin and Edward Berndt were watching the NCAA college football championship game on January 10 when their mother, 89-year-old Sybil Berndt, slipped and fell. She was conscious and talking for three days before she died, but her two sons left her there with no food or water. They left her on the floor of their home for three months because they couldn’t afford an ambulance or funeral.

Officers found Sybil face down and covered in bugs when they stopped by the home after a neighbor reported that Sybil hadn’t been seen in months. They arrested the brothers, who have now been charged with murder.

During a search of the home, investigators discovered bank statements totaling $700,000. It will be interesting to see how the slayer statute will play a role in this case.

See Philip Caulfield, Twin Brothers Let Mom Die After Fall Inside Home, Lived with Rotting Corpse for 3 Months: Cops, NY Daily News, Apr. 12, 2011.