Woman found dead in Regency apartment

Police questioning woman's son

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman in her mid to late 50s was found dead in her home at the Woodcreek at Regency Square Apartments on Wednesday afternoon after she didn't show up for work, according to Jacksonville police.

Police said the woman's co-workers went to the apartment on Monument Road to check on her and found her dead. They called police, who arrived around 1:30 p.m.

Police said the woman's son is being questioned and is a person of interest in her death. Investigators said he was found sitting outside the apartment when officers arrived.

"(He) has a history of violence and right now it's just too early to tell," said Sgt. Jay Farhat, with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Homicide Division. "There are indications, I can't go into any other details at this point in time as to why we believe there may be foul play."

Residents of the complex described it as a quiet place to live and said they're rattled by the woman's death. But they weren't surprised the son was taken in for questioning.

"He's out here eating grass sometimes. He's crazy," said Anthony Smith, who told News4Jax the son has a history of anger problems and has done some odd things around the complex.

"We have information that the son has been a problem before, that's why we're here and trying to determine exactly what occurred," Farhat said.

The woman's cause of death is unknown, but police said the death will be investigated as a homicide until it's proven otherwise.


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Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.