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Son arrested in Las Vegas woman’s death

Updated April 2, 2019 - 12:25 pm

Las Vegas police suspect an ailing 68-year-old woman, whose body was found inside her bedroom closet last month, was killed by her adult son.

Cheryl Brown had recently suffered a stroke, and 47-year-old Edward Everett Brown took care of her and occasionally slept at his mom’s apartment on the 1900 block of North Jones Boulevard, according to an arrest report released Tuesday.

Edward Brown, who records show has a lengthy criminal history across the United States, was arrested Monday on the 5400 block of Boulder Highway on one count of murder with a deadly weapon. He remained held without bail Tuesday at the Clark County Detention Center awaiting his initial court appearance.

Records also show that Edward Brown is wanted in California for being a felon in possession of a firearm; in Indiana on a larceny charge; and in Philadelphia on drug charges. A fugitive return hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning in Las Vegas Justice Court.

His mother’s body was found about 1 p.m. on March 18, after his sister, who lives out of state, asked their mother’s apartment complex management to check on her after not hearing from her for three days, the report showed.

At first, the apartment staff told police, nothing in the unit looked suspicious or out of place. But when they tried to open the bedroom closet it was blocked from the inside, leading them to force the door open, according to the report.

Inside they found Cheryl Brown’s body on the floor surrounded by a large pool of blood, the report stated. A knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was laying near her body.

A trail of blood indicated that the attack began on the bed, according to the report.

Brown suffered several lacerations on her neck and chest and died of multiple injuries, according to the Clark County coroner’s office. Her death was ruled a homicide.

During the investigation, two of Cheryl Brown’s neighbors identified her son as her caretaker, saying they often saw him come and go from the apartment. They told police that they last saw Edward Brown in the complex on March 15, the same day Cheryl Brown’s daughter last spoke to her.

Police also heard from at least one family friend and one other family member, who both confirmed Edward Brown was his mom’s caretaker.

While searching the apartment, investigators found a pair of men’s jeans and a shirt in the laundry room, both covered in blood, that were “consistent” with Edward Brown’s physique, the report stated.

In the report, detectives also described finding the apartment in a “neat and orderly” condition.

“It did not appear as though anyone had ransacked or disturbed the resident,” they wrote. “The front door did not appear to have any damage indicated forced entry, and the deadbolt was locked when management made entry. This would indicate the door was locked with a key when the suspect left.”

Anyone with additional information about the case may contact Metro’s homicide unit at 702-828-3521, or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.

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