43
Boardman woman dead in home about a week; son facing charges
By Bruce Walton
BOARDMAN
The body of Jacqueline Bergman, 85, was in her Lemont Drive home for “better than a week,” said Dr. Joseph Ohr, Mahoning County deputy coroner and forensic pathologist.
Police are investigating the death of Bergman, who was found Tuesday afternoon over the two steps leading from her kitchen to her garage.
A neighbor called police after not seeing her for a while, being concerned for the woman’s welfare.
Bergman’s son, Philip Bergman, 45, wasn’t home when police arrived but later returned and was questioned.
Boardman police Detective Glenn Riddle said Philip Bergman didn’t want to answer questions at the scene and didn’t cooperate much with officials. Police charged him with abuse of a corpse and failure to report the death of his mother.
Riddle said from the police point of view, finding a person deceased in the home after a considerable amount of time, with another person living there, has to raise some concerns.
“Our actions are based on the recommendations from the prosecutor’s office,” he said.
He will remain in the Mahoning County jail until a bond hearing at 5:30 p.m. today at the Mahoning County Court in Boardman.
Dr. Ohr arrived on the scene around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to examine the body, and confirmed it was severely decomposed, though not appearing skeletal. He said he’s hopeful an autopsy today will provide more details, including a positive identification.
But for now, Dr. Ohr said he has seen no obvious physical trauma to the body, nor a sign of the cause of death.
“I don’t have a strong sense that this was a homicide or an accidental death,” Dr. Ohr said.
According to the Mahoning County Probate Court, Jacqueline Bergman had applied for an affidavit of indigency for her son, but no application for guardianship.
Philip Bergman has a history of court activity over the years, including charges of criminal trespassing in 2004, violating a protective order/consent agreement in 2013 and two charges of domestic violence in 2011 and 1999, according to the Mahoning County court records. The protective order involved his mother, reported 21-WFMJ TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.