TWENTYNINE PALMS WOMAN, 19, PLEADS GUILTY IN DEATH OF 74-YEAR-OLD WOMAN

A Twentynine Palms woman pleaded guilty earlier this month to causing the death of an elderly woman. According to sources close to the investigation, Sierra McCluskey, 19, was the step-granddaughter and caretaker for Margaret Garcia, 74, of Joshua Tree. Last December, the severely emaciated woman was taken to Hi-Desert Medical Center with bed sores and other signs of neglect. The woman died at the hospital December 18, 2014, and homicide detectives began an investigation into her death. In September, McCluskey was charged and arrested for two counts of elder abuse causing great bodily injury or death. On December 3, nearly a year after the death of Garcia, McCluskey accepted a plea bargain in Joshua Tree Superior Court in which she pleaded guilty to one count of elder abuse. She was sentenced to six months in county jail, to start February 19, 2016, and three years’ probation. McCluskey was released on $100,000 bail bond.