Elder Abuse, Death In Riverside County: Plea Deal Reached

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A 30-year-old woman who fatally injured a Home Gardens senior under her care pleaded guilty Thursday to elder abuse resulting in death.

Kyla Mylissa McCall admitted the charge under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for her admission, prosecutors agreed to drop a murder charge against McCall.

The plea deal was announced at the start of a scheduled preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice Thursday. The hearing would have determined whether there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.

Superior Court Judge Gary Polk set a sentencing hearing for March 29. The proposed term of imprisonment is nine years.

McCall is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

The defendant's mistreatment of 69-year-old Sandra Ross precipitated the woman's death in 2020.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Rick Espinoza, McCall abused Ross over an unspecified period, causing injuries on Oct. 3, 2020, that resulted in the victim's hospitalization.

Doctors quickly determined that the wounds had been intentionally inflicted, and sheriff's detectives were notified, Espinoza said, but no other details were disclosed.

Nearly four weeks later, Ross succumbed to her injuries, and the ensuing investigation culminated with the filing of charges by the District Attorney's Office.

When deputies went to take McCall into custody in December 2020, she could not be found. An arrest warrant was issued, and she was tracked to a residence in Wheat Ridge, Colorado — a Denver suburb, according to the sheriff's department.

Authorities arrested her without incident days later. She was extradited to California almost immediately.

The defendant had no documented prior felony convictions.