Police said Joseph Polizzi lived nearby while his mother’s condition worsened.
CARLISLE, N.Y. — A Carlisle man accused of failing to care for his 89-year-old mother faces felony charges after police said she died from untreated bedsores while living in a shed near his home.
The case against Joseph Polizzi, 64, depends on more than the place where Nancy Polizzi was found. State police said he was her son, lived in a residence on the same property and served as her primary caretaker while she was unable to walk, feed herself or speak in the weeks before her death. He was arrested April 16, 2026, after a state police investigation that began with an unattended death call in February 2025.
Police said Nancy Polizzi was found dead Feb. 23, 2025, in a shed on a property on Polizzi Road in Carlisle. Investigators later said she had been living in that shed since August 2024. The shed did not have heat or running water, according to police. Those facts alone describe harsh conditions, but the criminal case turns on whether Joseph Polizzi had a duty to provide care and whether his alleged failure to act caused his mother’s death. State police said the answer is yes. A court will decide whether prosecutors can prove it.
The caregiver allegation is the link between the shed, the medical finding and the charges. Police said Joseph Polizzi was not only a relative living nearby, but the person responsible for Nancy Polizzi’s care. In elder neglect cases, that distinction can matter. A person may know an elderly relative is struggling, but criminal liability often depends on a proven duty and a serious failure to meet it. State police said Nancy Polizzi’s condition made her unable to care for herself in the weeks before she died. They said Joseph Polizzi did not provide adequate medical care or seek needed treatment.
The medical evidence described by police is stark. On Feb. 24, 2025, Dr. Bernard Ng performed an autopsy at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady. Police said Ng ruled the death a homicide and found that Nancy Polizzi died of sepsis caused by untreated gangrenous decubitus ulceration, also called bedsores. Sepsis can occur when an infection spreads through the body. Police said the pressure wounds were untreated and gangrenous. The public release did not say how many wounds were found, how long they had been present or whether Nancy Polizzi had received any medical care in the months before her death.
Joseph Polizzi is charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person and criminally negligent homicide. The first charge is a class D felony and focuses on the alleged failure to protect a vulnerable person. The second is a class E felony and focuses on the death. Police did not accuse him of intentionally killing his mother. Instead, the charges allege neglect reached a criminal level. Prosecutors would need to show that his conduct was not merely poor judgment or family dysfunction, but criminal negligence that caused a death and endangered a vulnerable elderly person.
The timing may become one of the most important parts of the prosecution. Investigators said Nancy Polizzi lived in the shed for months before her body was found. They also said she was unable to walk, eat without help or speak in the weeks before her death. A jury, if the case reaches one, may be asked to consider what a primary caretaker would have seen during that period. Prosecutors may argue the decline was obvious and required medical attention. The defense may argue the state has not shown what Joseph Polizzi knew, what options were available or when the fatal infection became apparent.
The public police summary does not include statements from Joseph Polizzi. It does not say whether he called 911, whether he spoke with investigators or whether he gave any explanation for his mother’s living arrangement. It also does not say whether Nancy Polizzi chose to stay in the shed at any earlier point or whether her ability to make decisions had changed. Those questions could matter because the charge involves a vulnerable elderly person who police say could not care for herself by the end. The earlier months may require a more detailed factual record than the public release provides.
The property setting also may receive close attention. State police said Joseph Polizzi lived in a residence on the same property where the shed stood. That places the alleged caretaker close to the alleged neglect. It may allow prosecutors to argue that the conditions were not hidden from him. It may also lead to questions about who else had access to the shed, who brought Nancy Polizzi food or water and whether any neighbors, relatives or service providers saw her there. Police have not publicly identified any other suspects, and the arrest announcement names only Joseph Polizzi.
The case took more than a year to reach an arrest. Troopers responded to the death in February 2025, and Joseph Polizzi was arrested in April 2026. That delay suggests investigators did not treat the arrest as automatic after the autopsy. They had to connect the homicide ruling to a chargeable act or omission. In a neglect case, that can mean gathering proof about the victim’s dependence, the caregiver’s role, the living conditions, the medical timeline and the cause of death. Police have not released a full investigative report, so the public record remains limited to the facts chosen for the announcement.
After the arrest, Joseph Polizzi was arraigned in Schoharie County Centralized Arraignment Court. He was sent to the Schoharie County Correctional Facility with bail set at $5,000 cash, $10,000 bond or a $50,000 partially secured bond. The bail terms were modest compared with many violent felony cases, reflecting the specific charges filed and the court’s release decision. The police release did not say whether he entered a plea. It also did not say whether prosecutors sought different bail or whether a lawyer appeared for him at arraignment. He remains presumed innocent unless convicted.
Nancy Polizzi’s death has drawn attention because of the basic needs described in the case. Heat, water, food, movement and medical care are not technical details for a person who cannot walk or feed herself. Police said those needs went unmet in a shed through months that included winter. Still, the criminal case must be proven by evidence, not reaction to the setting. The autopsy, photographs, witness statements, medical records and any statements from Joseph Polizzi could all shape the case as it moves forward. The court record will determine what the public learns next.
As of May 9, 2026, state police have announced no additional arrests. The next step is expected in Schoharie County court, where prosecutors will begin presenting the case and Joseph Polizzi will have the chance to answer the two felony charges tied to his mother’s death.
Author note: Last updated May 9, 2026.