A West Virginia woman is facing murder charges nearly two years after she allegedly killed her 81-year-old mother by injecting her with insulin.

Kelly Moore, now 61, had been living with her mother Ethel Moore in Grafton in May 2023 after she had been elected to care for her because she was not married and there “wasn’t anybody else” to do it, according to the Grafton Police Department.

Just before midnight on May 25, 2023, police responded to a report of cardiac arrest at the home and found Ethel Moore dead at the scene.

Moore told police that her mother’s blood sugar had spiked to 250 so she gave her 20 units of her own insulin. She added that her mother, who recently had a full hip replacement, had not been feeling well for a couple of days.

As she described her mother’s health ailments to police, officers noticed she “seemed very annoyed,” according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime.

Moore explained that her mother had heart problems, arthritis, dementia and “all kinds of s*** wrong with her” and told police “that’s why I’m here with her,” police said.

It was later claimed that on the day of her death, Ethel Moore had called her other daughter who lived in Florida and claimed Kelly Moore “wasn’t doing nothing for her,” according to the affidavit. So the sister called from Florida “freaking out” about her not helping.

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Moore reportedly checked her mother’s blood sugar twice and found that it was high both times, which led to her injecting her mother with 20 units of insulin in the shoulder.

Although Moore, who weighs about 275 pounds, is diabetic and says she is prescribed insulin, her mother, who was just 130 pounds, is not, police said. The insulin Moore injected had not been prescribed to her mother.

An autopsy determined Ethel Moore died of insulin shock and the manner of death was homicide, police said.

Kelly Moore’s sister said she was never told that her mother was injected with insulin, leading her to believe she died of complications of the hip surgery, according to court documents.

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Moore is charged with murder and is currently in custody at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.

According to Ethel Moore’s obituary, she “liked taking trips to Walmart and McDonalds where she always found someone to talk to. She also enjoyed relaxing while reading a good book, loved spending time with her family and cherished the time she spent with each of them.”

1 of 2 | West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (L) surveys the damage last month after storms flooded much of the state. On Tuesday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced additional federal disaster assistance as residents impacted by the storms begin to rebuild. File Photo courtesy of WV Office of the Governor

“Supporting disaster response is a core and important part of our mission-minded approach to serving communities at HUD,” Turner added.

West Virginia suffered severe flooding across much of the state on Feb. 15. The storms killed several people, took out roads and power lines and flooded homes and businesses. Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a State of Emergency in 10 counties as President Donald Trump announced a Major Disaster Declaration to unlock federal resources.

Tuesday’s federal disaster aid from HUD means residents can expect a 90-day moratorium on mortgage foreclosures and a 90-day extension for Home Equity Conversion Mortgages.

HUD will also provide FHA insurance to disaster victims, which gives borrowers 100% financing including closing costs. The insurance makes financing available for both mortgage and home restoration. And HUD said it will put residents in touch with housing counseling agencies to determine the needs of those impacted by the natural disaster and the resources available to them.

“Ensuring our communities have the resources they need to recover from disasters is a top priority,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “I am grateful to HUD for delivering additional resources to West Virginians impacted by these storms, which will help in the rebuilding and strengthening of our communities for the future.”

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