Caretaker for disabled San Jose resident who died of neglect arrested on homicide charge

By Carlos E. Castañeda

The caretaker of a 40-year-old San Jose man with developmental disabilities who died of neglect was arrested on a homicide charge last week, police said.

On May 17, 2025, officers responded to a report of an unattended death at a home on Mastic Street just north of Alma Avenue and east of First Street. The San Jose Police Department said in a press release that officers found the man unconscious and not breathing, and they determined that the man was emaciated and lacked basic necessities. The Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner took custody of the body to investigate the manner of death, police said.

On August 29, 2025, the Medical Examiner’s Office notified the Police Department’s homicide unit that the man’s death had been ruled a homicide due to neglect. Police said that following an investigation, it was determined that the victim’s in-home caretaker, 69-year-old Enid Acevedo, was the primary suspect, and detectives obtained a warrant for her arrest.

Detectives and undercover officers located Acevedo and arrested her in Gilroy on March 18, police said. She was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for homicide and later charged with felony abuse of a dependent adult resulting in death. It was the city’s 27th homicide of 2025.

Police said the circumstances surrounding the man’s death were still being investigated. Anyone with any information about the case was asked to contact Detective Sergeant Martinez #4117 and/or Detective Aboud #4468 of the Police Department’s homicide unit at 4117@sanjoseca.gov and/or 4468@sanjoseca.gov, or by calling 408-277-5283.