Two Women Charged with Murder After Mother Suffocates on Pullout Couch in San Diego

An 81-year-old woman died of positional asphyxia after being left face down on a pullout couch for at least 15 hours in her San Diego home, and her two daughters are now in custody on suspicion of murder and elder abuse, according to police reports. The victim, identified as Kun-Ying Yang, was found unresponsive by family members in the University City neighborhood of San Diego shortly after midnight on March 6.

Emergency dispatchers received a call from a resident, and San Diego Police and Fire departments responded, attempting to revive Yang. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy later determined the cause of death as positional asphyxia, and the death was ruled a homicide. San Diego Police Lt.

Christopher Leahy told the San Diego Union-Tribune that investigators believe Yang had been left in that position for at least 15 hours. “We don’t know how she got into awkward positioning,” Leahy said.

“She clearly should not have been in that position, and efforts were not made to remove her or get her appropriate medical care.” Further investigation revealed that Yang and her 88-year-old husband were under the care of their two daughters, 52-year-old Ingrid Wu and 53-year-old Rebecca Wu. Since the initial call, detectives have compiled multiple complaints about how the sisters cared for their parents.

“The suspects endangered their parents’ health and failed to act as legally required, leading to the neglect of their 88-year-old father and the death of their mother,” Leahy said. Both Rebecca and Ingrid Wu were booked into the Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility in Santee.

The case highlights ongoing concerns about elder abuse and neglect in caregiving situations.